Q: I have seen references to 2011 being a good year to retire. I assume it has something to do with pay period 26 ending Dec. 31 and accrued AL. Would you please clarify why 2011 is a good year to retire? I plan on retiring some time in 2011.
A: There’s nothing to clarify. As I stated, 2011 is a good year to retire if you do so on Dec. 31, 2011, because you would not only be entitled to a lump-sum payment for all your unused annual leave, including the leave you earned in the last pay period, but you’d also be on the annuity roll the following day, Jan. 1. If you retired after Dec. 31, any leave that exceeded the maximum carryover amount would be lost. And if you are covered by FERS, you wouldn’t be on the annuity roll until February instead of January.
