Q. My husband had 16 years of military service (no retirement received). He is now 65 and may soon be employed in civil service. At age 70, he would have about 21 years of federal employment and military combined. Is he then eligible for retirement at age 70?
A. He wouldn’t get any credit for his active-duty service unless he made a deposit to the civilian retirement system. The amount would be a small percentage of his basic military pay and would be interest-free if he completed the deposit within two years of being hired. Because your husband is over 62 years old, he could retire with as few as five years of actual civilian employment. The more service he has (civilian and military, if he makes a deposit), the greater his annuity would be.
