Q. I plan to retire at 32 years of federal service under CSRS. I have six months of military service that have not been paid off. Is that going to affect my 40 quarters of Social Security?
A. If you don’t make a deposit for those six months of active-duty service, your CSRS annuity will be actuarially reduced by 10 percent of the amount you owe, plus accrued interest. Because you will be receiving an annuity from a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, you’ll be subject to the windfall elimination provision. The WEP will reduce your Social Security benefit because you have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security.
