Short answer: Connecticut teachers don't pay Social Security tax on their teaching pay, so teaching years don't earn Social Security. You may still get Social Security from other jobs or through a spouse, and since January 5, 2025 those benefits are no longer cut because of your Connecticut TRB pension. Your pension itself is the same either way. Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit (REV 12/22/17), p. 1; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Social Security and CTRB'; Connecticut TRB webpage '2025 IRS 1099R Important Notices'
What Connecticut TRB says
As a Connecticut Teachers' Retirement System member you do not pay the 6.2% Social Security tax on your teaching pay. Since Jan. 5, 2025 the federal Social Security Fairness Act ended the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset; Connecticut TRB says this does not change your Connecticut TRB benefit or Medicare eligibility at 65. Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit (REV 12/22/17), p. 1; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Social Security and CTRB'; Connecticut TRB webpage '2025 IRS 1099R Important Notices'
The 2017 bulletin still describes WEP and GPO reductions; the newer Connecticut TRB pages say these ended Jan. 5, 2025. We follow the newer pages.
What changed in 2025
Two federal rules used to shrink Social Security for Connecticut teachers. Both ended on January 5, 2025. If you read an older guide, this is what it meant:
- Before Jan. 5, 2025, the Government Pension Offset cut a Social Security spouse's or widow(er)'s benefit by two-thirds of the Connecticut TRB pension, if you qualified for that pension after Dec. 1, 1982. The board's 2017 example: a $2,400 pension wiped out an expected $500 spouse's benefit ($1,600 offset). The Social Security Fairness Act ended this offset. Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit (REV 12/22/17), p. 1, Government Pension Offset; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Social Security and CTRB'
- Before 2025, the Windfall Elimination Provision lowered the 90% factor in the Social Security formula (to as little as 40%) for retirees who qualified for a Connecticut TRB pension on or after Jan. 1, 1986 and had fewer than 30 years of substantial Social Security earnings. It has also ended. Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit (REV 12/22/17), p. 2, Windfall Elimination Provision; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Social Security and CTRB'
On request, Connecticut TRB will send you a letter giving the date you were first eligible for an immediate retirement benefit and your current benefit amount, which the Social Security Administration may ask for. Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit (REV 12/22/17), p. 1
Medicare and health coverage at 65
If you won't have Medicare Part A and Part B at 65 (for example, because you aren't eligible for Social Security benefits), you can keep health insurance through your last employing school district. Connecticut TRB webpage 'Health Coverage with my Local School District' Connecticut TRB's Medicare plans, and the district subsidy, are on the retiree health page.
What this page doesn't cover
Connecticut TRB's publications don't say how much Social Security you might get from other work, or how your spouse's benefit is figured. Connecticut TRB sends questions about your Social Security amount to the Social Security Administration: 1-800-772-1213 or ssa.gov. Connecticut TRB webpage 'Social Security and CTRB' If you plan to work after retiring, the rules for Connecticut public schools are on working after retirement; how both incomes are taxed is on the taxes page.
From the sources
- Connecticut teachers in the Teachers' Retirement System do not pay Social Security tax on their teaching pay. Connecticut TRB says the Social Security Fairness Act ended the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset as of Jan. 5, 2025, and this does not affect your Connecticut TRB pension or Medicare eligibility.Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit (REV 12/22/17), p. 1; Connecticut TRB webpage 'Social Security and CTRB'
Questions
Do Connecticut teachers pay into Social Security?
Not on their teaching pay. Members of the Connecticut Teachers' Retirement System don't pay the 6.2% Social Security tax on it.
Does the Social Security Fairness Act change my Connecticut TRB pension?
No. Connecticut TRB says the Act ended the Windfall Elimination Provision and Government Pension Offset as of January 5, 2025, and that this doesn't change your Connecticut TRB benefit or your Medicare eligibility at 65.
Can I get Social Security and a Connecticut TRB pension?
Yes, if you earned Social Security from other work or through a spouse. Since January 5, 2025, Social Security no longer reduces those benefits because of a pension from work it didn't cover. Ask the Social Security Administration for your amount.
What if I'm not eligible for Medicare at 65?
You can keep health insurance through your last employing school district, with a Connecticut TRB subsidy toward it.
Source: CTRS Active Teachers' Handbook, July 1, 2022. Also: Connecticut TRB webpages 'Social Security and CTRB', '2025 IRS 1099R Important Notices', 'Health Coverage with my Local School District'; Social Security and Your CTRB Benefit pp. 1, 2. Last reviewed .