Perhaps of interest to
Francesca0000:
If you are married, and
if your spouse is a UK citizen living in the UK, they will be able to apply for an amount equal to 50% of your WEPed US SS pension from the SSA (
Spousal Benefit) once they are 62 and you are 65+ and in possession of the SSA pension, thanks to the US/UK Totalisation Agreement. Your spouse may be an NRA who has never lived, worked, or visited the US.
Their pension is paid by SSA via Citi Bank - Ireland, the same as yours, directly to their bank account in the UK. The SS amount will still be only taxed in the UK, not the US.
If you should precede your spouse in death, the spouse will then be entitled to your original,
sans-WEP, full pension benefit provided they do not remarry. Something you may want to keep to yourself
.
Whilst it does not explain WEP for expats, it does go some way towards easing the sting.