Q. I plan to retire Nov. 2, 2013. I will be 66 years old, with 37 years of service. I am CSRS Offset for 30 of those years. I withdrew approximately $9,000 in 1982 (CSRS earnings) and will not be repaying it. (It’s now about $55,000 with a penalty of about $300 per month.) I know my retirement will be “offset” by about $800 in Social Security. My Social Security is estimated to be about $1,460 before the offset. Will I be able to collect the Social Security difference of approximately $600, or is my CSRS offset all that I’ll get? I do not have other substantial Social Security earnings. When I talk to my human resources department, they just shake their head and refer me to the Office of Personnel Management. I was told an estimate of my retirement would take five to six months. I can hardly wait to see how long it takes to get a check when I retire.
A. Your CSRS annuity will be offset by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset. The amount you receive in total will be approximately the same; it will just come from two different places, OPM and the Social Security Administration. Any additional Social Security benefit to which you are entitled through non-CSRS Offset employment will be added to your Social Security benefit payment.
