Do PSERS members also get Social Security?
PSERS's publications don't answer this. None of the handbooks, pamphlets or web pages we downloaded says whether a Pennsylvania school job is covered by Social Security, or whether a Social Security benefit changes your PSERS pension. Your payroll office can tell you if Social Security tax comes out of your pay.
- Check with PSERSPSERS's publications say nothing about whether you also earn Social Security or how it interacts with your pension. Ask your employer and the Social Security Administration.None of the downloaded PSERS publicationsSources are silent.
We don't fill gaps in PSERS's publications from memory, so this page stays short. What PSERS does say is below.
Disability: both can be paid
The downloaded PSERS sources say nothing about Social Security coverage, offsets or the windfall provisions. The only mention: you may receive a PSERS disability benefit and a disability benefit from Social Security without affecting the PSERS disability benefit. Retired Member Handbook (3/2014), p. 4, The Disability Benefit PSERS's own disability rules, including a minimum benefit that depends on your membership class, are in the Active Member Handbook. Handbook p. 23, DB Disability Retirement; p. 32, DC Disability Retirement
Medicare and your PSERS health coverage
Medicare comes up in PSERS's retiree health rules, which also cover Premium Assistance of up to $100 a month (a 2014 figure; check with PSERS):
- You or your spouse reaching age 65 or becoming eligible for Medicare is a qualifying event: you can enroll in PSERS's Health Options Program within 180 days of it.PSERS web page Health Insurance (fetched 2026-11-11); Retired Member Handbook (3/2014), p. 13
- Class DC participants with at least 24 1/2 eligibility points qualify for Premium Assistance only once they have left school service, are eligible for Medicare and have taken all or part of their distributions.PSERS web page Health Insurance (fetched 2026-11-11)
Taxes
PSERS's tax pamphlet covers your pension, not Social Security. In short, the IRS taxes your PSERS pension and Pennsylvania doesn't. See taxes on your PSERS pension. Handbook p. 8, Taxes on Your Retirement Benefit; Let's Talk About Taxes (Oct. 2024), pp. 1-3; PSERS web page Taxes On Benefit (fetched 2026-11-11); Retired Member Handbook (3/2014), p. 15
- Your employer's payroll office: whether Social Security tax is withheld from your pay.
- The Social Security Administration: your earnings record and estimated benefit.
- PSERS: 1-888-773-7748, for anything about your PSERS benefit.
Questions
Do PSERS members also get Social Security?
PSERS's publications don't say. Your employer can tell you whether your job withholds Social Security tax, and your Social Security statement shows your earnings record.
Can I get a PSERS disability benefit and Social Security disability?
Yes. PSERS's retiree handbook says a disability benefit from another plan, such as Social Security, does not reduce your PSERS disability benefit.
Does Medicare affect my PSERS health coverage?
Becoming eligible for Medicare (you or your spouse) is a qualifying event for enrolling in PSERS's Health Options Program.
Related: how your PSERS pension is paid and when you can retire.
Source: PSERS Active Member Handbook, Current pa.gov edition (PDF revised Sept. 2023), pp. 8, 23, 32. Also: Retired Member Handbook (3/2014), pp. 4, 12-13, 15. Also: PSERS web page Health Insurance. Also: Let's Talk About Taxes (Oct. 2024), pp. 1-3. Also: PSERS web page Taxes On Benefit. Last reviewed .