Q. I found out from the Office of Personnel Management that the end of the leave year in 2021 will be Saturday, Jan. 1, 2022, and for 2022 will be Dec. 31, 2022. I will have age and time in 2021 as I will be 62 and seven months with 29 years service. It looks as though I may have two years in which I could retire and still get an entire year of annual leave. I am a FERS employee and my tour of duty is Monday through Friday normally. Am I correct in my assumption that I would be able to retire on Dec. 31, 2021 and get credit for a year’s worth of annual leave, or do I need to wait and work until year end in 2022?
A. Yes. According to OPM, if you retire at the close of business on a Friday that ends a pay period, you will get credit for any annual and sick leave you earned during that pay period. And, unless you are a Postal Service employee, if you do that before the end of the leave year, you’ll be entitled to a lump-sum payment for all of your accumulated annual leave. For Postal Service employees, there is a limit on the amount of annual leave for which they can receive a lump-sum payment.
