Short answer
As a CalSTRS-covered public school educator, you generally do not pay into Social Security through your teaching employment and earn no Social Security credits from it. This historically meant your own Social Security benefit (earned from other work) or a spousal/survivor Social Security benefit could be reduced under the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO). Both were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act for benefits payable after December 2023 — and CalSTRS is explicit that your CalSTRS benefit itself was never affected either way.Key facts
- CalSTRS-covered teaching does not pay into Social Security or earn Social Security credits
- WEP and GPO were repealed for benefits payable after December 2023
- Your CalSTRS pension itself is not affected by this law either way — it only affects your separate Social Security benefit
Why most CalSTRS members don't have Social Security credits from teaching
CalSTRS's own guidance is direct: as a California public school educator covered by CalSTRS, you do not pay Social Security tax on your teaching earnings, and that employment does not earn you Social Security work credits. This is a structural feature of how CalSTRS-covered employment is set up, not an error or an opt-out choice available to individual teachers.
This matters most for teachers who also have Social Security-covered work history from another job, or who are married to (or a survivor of) someone who does have a Social Security-covered work record — since those are exactly the situations where the WEP and GPO rules described below used to apply.
What WEP and GPO did before the repeal
The Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) reduced a person's own Social Security retirement or disability benefit if they also received a pension from work not covered by Social Security, like CalSTRS-covered teaching. The Government Pension Offset (GPO) separately reduced Social Security spousal or survivor benefits for the same reason. Both rules were designed around the idea that someone drawing an uncovered-employment pension shouldn't also receive a full, unreduced Social Security benefit calculated as though all their work had been Social Security-covered.
The Social Security Fairness Act repealed both
The Social Security Fairness Act eliminated WEP and GPO entirely, effective for benefits payable after December 2023. If you're a CalSTRS member who was previously affected by either provision, your own Social Security retirement/disability benefit or your spousal/survivor Social Security benefit may now be calculated without the WEP or GPO reduction, depending on your specific work and benefit history.
This is a Social Security Administration change, administered and paid through the Social Security Administration, not through CalSTRS — if you believe you're affected, the right place to confirm your specific benefit recalculation is directly with the Social Security Administration, not CalSTRS.
What did not change: your CalSTRS benefit itself
CalSTRS states explicitly that this legislation does not affect CalSTRS retirement benefits at all — it only affects the separate Social Security benefit calculation for members who also have Social Security-covered work or family history. Don't expect any change to your CalSTRS monthly payment because of this law; any change you may see will show up in a Social Security benefit statement, not a CalSTRS one.
A common misunderstanding worth clearing up
Some CalSTRS members mistakenly believe that because they don't pay into Social Security through teaching, they are entirely excluded from the Social Security system regardless of any other work history. This isn't accurate. If you worked in Social Security-covered jobs before or after your teaching career — including part-time or summer work — you can still qualify for a Social Security benefit based on that other work, and (as of the Fairness Act repeal) that benefit is no longer reduced by WEP just because you also receive a CalSTRS pension.
Similarly, a surviving spouse of someone with a Social Security-covered work record can now potentially receive a full spousal or survivor Social Security benefit without the GPO reduction that would previously have applied simply because the surviving spouse also receives a CalSTRS pension. If you were told years ago that a CalSTRS pension would eliminate or drastically reduce a spousal Social Security benefit, that guidance predates the repeal and is worth revisiting directly with the Social Security Administration.
If you think WEP or GPO previously reduced your Social Security benefit
If you were affected by WEP or GPO before the repeal, contact the Social Security Administration directly to ask about your specific recalculation — this is a Social Security Administration process, not something CalSTRS can look up or adjust on your behalf, since it affects your Social Security benefit rather than your CalSTRS pension.
Before you act on this
- Confirm whether your specific teaching employment is CalSTRS-covered (Social-Security-exempt) or one of the less common Social-Security-participating positions.
- If you have outside Social Security-covered work history, ask SSA directly about any post-repeal recalculation.
- Don't expect any change to your CalSTRS monthly benefit from this law.
- Keep any correspondence from SSA about WEP/GPO repeal recalculation for your records.
Frequently asked questions
Do CalSTRS members pay into Social Security?
Generally no. As a CalSTRS-covered public school educator, your teaching earnings are not subject to Social Security tax, and that employment does not earn you Social Security work credits.
What did the Social Security Fairness Act change for teachers?
It repealed the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) and Government Pension Offset (GPO), effective for benefits payable after December 2023, removing the reductions those rules previously applied to Social Security benefits for people who also receive a pension from non-Social-Security-covered work like CalSTRS.
Did the WEP/GPO repeal change my CalSTRS pension amount?
No. CalSTRS states explicitly that this legislation does not affect CalSTRS benefits — it only affects a member's separate Social Security benefit.
Who do I contact if I think my Social Security benefit should be recalculated after the repeal?
The Social Security Administration directly, since this is their process and their benefit calculation, not something CalSTRS administers.
Can I still qualify for Social Security if I only ever worked as a CalSTRS-covered teacher?
If all of your work history was in CalSTRS-covered teaching with no other Social Security-covered employment, you generally would not have earned enough Social Security credits to qualify for your own Social Security retirement benefit, separate from any spousal or survivor benefit you might be eligible for based on someone else's work record.
Does every California public school district exclude teachers from Social Security?
CalSTRS's own guidance describes CalSTRS-covered teaching as generally not paying into Social Security, though some California public employers and job classifications outside core CalSTRS-covered teaching roles may have different Social Security participation arrangements — verify your own specific position's status if you're unsure.
Does the WEP/GPO repeal apply retroactively to benefits paid before December 2023?
The repeal applies to benefits payable after December 2023 — it does not retroactively recalculate benefits that were already paid out under the old WEP/GPO rules for periods before that effective date, though the Social Security Administration has processed adjustments and back payments for the newly eligible period going forward.
Where this comes from
Sources were reviewed on September 12, 2026. Rules and member records maintained by the retirement system control.
CalSTRS — Social SecurityOfficial source ↗Social Security Administration — Social Security Fairness ActOfficial source ↗General educational information only — this is not a formal benefit determination, nor financial, tax, or legal advice. Verify anything account-specific with the retirement system itself.