Q. I have recently heard about an 85-year time and service requirement for CSRS. I have always been told that you need the standard 55 years of age to retire unless your organization was having a reduction in force or similar downsizing. Is there any discussion of this in the CSRS manuals?
A. What you have heard is unadulterated nonsense. Unless your agency is offering early retirement, you can retire only if you have the right combination of age and service: age 55 with 30 years, 60 with 20, or 62 with five.
