Q. In a recent article, there was a discussion about the reduction of civil service retirement annuity as a result of being eligible to collect Social Security benefits. I am 63 and still working as a CSRS employee. Before joining the federal government, I worked for 40 quarters in the private sector and contributed into Social Security. If I retire in a year, will my annuity be affected by Social Security? If so, what are the effects and what are my options?
A. Your CSRS annuity wouldn’t be affected; however, any Social Security benefit to which you are entitled would be affected by the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who receives an annuity from a retirement system, such as CSRS, where he didn’t pay Social Security taxes and has fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security.
