Q. I am a 56-year-old re-employed annuitant and CSRS Offset. I retired at 51 with 30 years of service and took an 8 percent reduction. I plan to work at least 5 more years so my annuity will be recalculated. I have been offered another government position and believe I could switch to FERS. Would I receive full benefits from FERS for the entire 36 years of service (31 under CSRS Offset and 5 under FERS) or would I receive 2 separate retirements? Also, would I be able to receive my entire Social Security benefit if I switched to FERS?
A. If you switched to FERS, when you re-retired, you’d receive a CSRS annuity with a FERS component. Whether you switch to FERS or not, if you have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under Social Security, your CSRS annuity would be offset by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset.
