As a California teacher or administrator working in a CalSTRS-covered position, you do not pay into Social Security for your teaching work. Even so, you may be eligible to receive a Social Security benefit if you paid into Social Security for work outside the California public education system.

If you expect to receive both a CalSTRS retirement benefit and a Social Security benefit in retirement, two federal rules may affect your Social Security benefit; the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision.

These rules only affect your Social Security benefit, they do not affect your CalSTRS retirement benefit.