Q. I am 54 and have 24 years with the federal government. I will hit my 25-year mark in November, when I also turn 55. If early-outs are offered, will I be eligible to retire being that I won’t hit 25 years until after October? Also, prior to working for the federal government, I worked for five years with nonappropriated funds. I was originally told by human resources that those years would count toward my service computation. This year, I requested a retirement estimate from HR, and they say those five years don’t count. Is this correct?
A. If you were offered the opportunity to retire early, you could do that now. Any employee who is at least age 50 and has at least 20 years of service can do that.
I have no idea whether your NAF service is creditable. So many windows of opportunity have opened and closed that it depends on when your service was performed. Only your agency (and the Office of Personnel Management) can answer that question.
