Q. My wife is a Civil Service Retirement System Offset retiree. She understands the offset of CSRS annuity by an SSA amount. She turned 62 on April 27. Her CSRS annuity was unchanged for April and May. She received two answers from OPM regarding whether or not she needed to sign up for SSA.
One said she did not need to sign up for SSA at age 62 — it would be handled by OPM and she would receive two checks.
One said she did need to sign up for SSA because the offset would take place when she qualified for SSA.
She emailed her question to OPM to know what to do and did not receive an answer.
A call to SSA said first, she had to sign up for SSA benefits; then, a specialist said she needed to contact OPM.
Is the SSA signup automatic for a CSRS Offset annuitant who has been on a CSRS annuity for three-plus years and is eligible for SSA, or must she sign up for SSA now?
A. The offset of her CSRS annuity is automatic at age 62 and will occur whether or not she signs up for a Social Security benefit. The decision to sign up for a Social Security benefit is personal and entirely up to her.
