Q. I will avoid the windfall elimination provision if I have 30 years of substantive earnings. Is that still the case if 15 of those earning years for Social Security occurred under CSRS offset? Also, I am 66. Can I receive Social Security, even though I am still working under CSRS? If I can collect Social Security, in a few years, once I retire, how will that affect the Social Security I would collect? Would it be reduced or my CSRS annuity be reduced?
A. All Social Security-covered employment is used to determine if you have 30 years of substantial earnings. So, your time as a CSRS offset employee would be included. If you reach your full Social Security retirement age, you’ll be able to collect that benefit while employed. When you retire, nothing will happen to your Social Security benefit. On the other hand, your CSRS annuity will be reduced by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while a CSRS offset employee.
