Q: I have close to five years of service under CSRS. I took a refund. I also have about a year under FERS and took a refund of that when I quit. Now, I’m re-entering federal service. Can I buy back from both plans; total would be just more than five years.
A: Because you had fewer than five years of CSRS service, when you returned you were automatically placed in FERS and that CSRS service became FERS service. If you come back to work again, you may make a redeposit and get credit for all that time under FERS rules. If you don’t, you won’t get any credit for that time.
