Q. I work for the USPS. I was born in 1967. Therefore, my minimum retirement age is 56½. Let’s assume I retire on my 57th birthday. By that time, I will have a little more than 27 years of service time. (I started in 1997, when I was 29½.) According to other federal websites, the special retirement supplement is given for: 30 years and at the minimum age; at least 20 years and you receive the supplement when you are age 60; with an early out, as is happening this year, you get the supplement but you have to wait until the minimum age.
If I retire when I am 57, and I have 27-plus years with the Postal Service, do I get the special FERS supplement, and if I do, do I have to wait until I am 60 to get it since I did not do 30 years. Finally, if the answer is yes, how long do I get the supplement? For two years? At age 62, I can apply for Social Security.
A. Because you have already reached your minimum retirement age, if you are offered and accept an offer of early retirement, you’d be entitled to immediately receive the special retirement supplement.