Deferred retirement

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Q. I’m a federal law enforcement officer with 16 years covered and three years federal service not covered. If I decide to take a deferred retirement will I still get the enhanced 1.7 x the number of years x my high three and 1 x the number of non-law enforcement years X my high-3? I also bought back 13 years of military service. How will those years be added?
A. You would have to have 20 years of actual LEO-covered service to have that period of service computed under the special formula. Any service beyond 20, whether actual service or service for which you’ve made a deposit, would be computed using the standard formula. If you leave before having 20 years of covered service, when you apply for a deferred retirement, all that service will be computed under the standard formula.

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Reg Jones was head of retirement and insurance policy at the Office of Personnel Management. Email your retirement-related questions to fedexperts@federaltimes.com.

2 Comments

  1. Good morning. I am honorably retired as a Marine Master Sergeant, having served 22 years in the Marine Corps. I also served 8 years for the federal government, resigning to move closer to family. At 56, what are my options for a deferred retirement which makes sense financially? For example, can I buy back 2 years (and a till have my Marine Corps retirement- of 20 years and use the extra two years for federal retirement. We appreciate your insight.

    • Since you were continuously on active duty for those 22 years, you can’t make a deposit to get credit for a portion of that time. It’s all or nothing.

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