Q. I just received my 2016 personal statement of benefits from the U.S. Postal Service and my date of retirement eligibility is Feb. 10, 2019.. I’ll be 56 the next day, which is my minimum age of retirement. My total creditable service will be 29 years and five months. Do I get full retirement benefits, annuity, and a Social Security supplement or MRA + 10, since my creditable service is under 30 years?
A. Your agency was just informing you that you reached the age at which you’d be eligible to retire. If you were to do that before reaching 30 years of service, you’d be retiring under the MRA + 10 provision. As a result, your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent per year (five-twelfths of 1 percent per month) that you were under age 60. Further, you wouldn’t be entitled to the special retirement supplement.
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Hi Reggie. I worked at OPM when you were there.
I believe the answer to the question re retirement at age 56 with 29 years of service, is that the individual would be entitled to MRA+10, but his annuity would be reduced for every year he is under age 60 (sixty) — not 62.
Thanks
It was good to hear from you. Thanks for catching my error!
No, you would have to work at least 7 months beyond your MRA date to reach 30 years of service and be eligible to retire with full, unreduced FERS retirement annuity and be eligible for the FERS Supplement. You stated that you will have 29 years, 5 months service time at your MRA.
If you retired at your MRA short of 30 years service, you will be faced with a reduced FERS retirement (30% penalty on your FERS annuity in your case) and be ineligible for the FERS Supplement. Better to work at least 7 months beyond your MRA to reach 30 years service before retiring in your case.
If you were being forced to retire early either due to RIF or receive notice from your HR that you are eligible for early retirement, then due to your being over 50 with 20+ years service, you can retire immediately on an unreduced FERS annuity and also be eligible to receive the FERS supplement when you reach your MRA if you retire early before then.