The Government Pension Offset (GPO) was a statutory provision in United States law which affected benefits paid by the Social Security Administration.
It reduced spousal and widow(er) Social Security retirement benefits in situations where the spouse did not pay Social Security taxes on their employment earnings.
Many state and local government employees and other non-covered pension recipients do not contribute to the Social Security system.
This is in contrast to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP), which reduces Social Security benefits of the actual number holder on whose Social Security record the claim is filed.
Social security benefits were reduced by two-thirds of the non-covered government pension amount.