Yes. There is nothing that prevents you from getting both your pension payments and Social Security benefits. However, there are some types of pensions that can reduce Social Security payments.
If your pension is from what Social Security calls “covered” employment, in which you have paid your share of Social Security payroll taxes, it will no effect on your benefits. The large majority of Americans work in jobs covered by Social Security, so for most people that shouldn’t be a problem.
But let’s say you worked for and get a pension from a “non-covered” employer, basically an employer that did not withhold Social Security payroll taxes, well in that case, your benefits might be cut under a rule called the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP).
WEP applies primarily to federal workers hired before 1984 or employees of some state and local government agencies such as school district employees. Here in Texas, some school districts pay into a program called TRS and not into Social Security. The formula for figuring the benefit cut is complicated, but the more time you worked in “covered” employment, the less your WEP reduction. It must also be noted that theres a cap. Your Social Security benefit can’t be cut by more than half of the amount of the non-covered pension, and it cannot be eliminated entirely.
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