Q. I was hired by the federal government on Oct. 1, 1983, and left the federal government in December 1997, all under CSRS. Upon separating from the federal government in 1997, I withdrew my contribution to the CSRS. I am being reinstated to the federal system in August, and want to know which retirement system (CSRS or FERS) that I will be covered under, and am I required to redeposit the money I withdrew (plus interest)?
A. You’ll receive credit for that time in determining your length of service; however, the time won’t be credited in the computation of your annuity unless you redeposit the amount you took out, plus accrued interest. When you return, you’ll be placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security) with the option of transferring to FERS.
