Q. If I retire at age 51 with 27 years as a federal law enforcement officer and the FERS special retirement supplement is reduced by 5 percent per year that I am under age 62, does that then mean the FERS SRS will increase by 5 percent each year until I reach the age of 62 when Social Security actually kicks in?
A. You’ll be happy to know that there won’t be any reduction in the special retirement supplement when you retire. Nor will there be any reduction in your annuity. As a special category employee, you are exempt from the requirement that your annuity be reduced by 5 percent for every year you are under age 62. Further, you will receive the SRS when you retire, instead of having to wait until you reach your minimum retirement age. Finally, between the time you retire and you reach your MRA, you will be able to earn as much as you want without affecting the amount of your SRS. After that, you’ll be subject to the Social Security earnings limit, just like every other FERS retiree.
