Q. When is the earliest you can submit your retirement application? One of my employees said they electronically submitted theirs last week with a retirement date of June 28, 2014. That is 11 months away. Will the Office of Personnel Management accept it that early?
A. Because you are an employee, OPM will only accept your retirement application when it’s forwarded to them by your agency after you’ve retired. That’s when your payroll office will authorize your final salary payment and any lump-sum payment for unused annual leave. It will then certify and close out your Individual Retirement Record, which reflects your retirement deductions for your current service, pay rates, unused sick leave credit for retirement purposes, last day of pay, date and type of separation, and anything else OPM will need to determine your retirement benefits.
