Q. I am 62, and I plan to retire at the end of the year with 39 years of civilian government service. All this time, I have worked under CSRS. I have also worked part-time jobs totaling about 13 years. Given the number of year I’ve been in the government, I should receive about 77 percent of my high-3; will my CSRS retirement payment be reduced because I am eligible to receive Social Security? How does that work when you are eligible to receive benefits from both retirement plans?
A. Being eligible for a Social Security benefit won’t affect your CSRS annuity. However, because you will be receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, you will be subject to the windfall elimination provision.
However, because you have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, the WEP will reduce — but not eliminate — that benefit.
