Q. How many years of federal service does one have to work before retiring and receiving the exact amount of pay they are getting while working? Someone said you had to work until 35 years of service to receive your full retirement pay.
A. Regardless of which retirement system you are in, it would be impossible to retire and receive an annuity that equaled what you were earning as an employee. Under FERS, even if you worked for 50 years, your annuity would only equal 55 percent of your highest three years of average salary (.011 x your high-3 x 50). Under CSRS, you would receive the maximum earned annuity of 80 percent when you completed 41 years and 11 months of service. Of course, under both retirement systems, unused sick leave would be added and allow you to receive additional annuity. And if you were a CSRS employee who continued working after 41 years and 11 months of service, you could use your excess retirement contributions to purchase additional annuity, just as you could if you had participated in the Voluntary Contributions Program. However, it’s unlikely that they would get you close to the exact amount you were earning when you retired.
