Q. I am a FERS employee with 18 years of service. I am retired military with 20 years of service that I bought back soon after I became a FERS employee. I turn 56 this year. Am I entitled to the special retirement supplement and, if so, how would I calculate the amount? My question is based on guidance I was provided that stated the requirement for the SRS is “Retirement at MRA with 30 years” or “Retirement at age 60 with 20 years” … but only true FERS time counts, not military time.
A. The guidance you were provided is correct. The special retirement supplement is based solely on your actual FERS service. To find out how the SRS is calculated, go to www.opm.gov/retirement-services/publications-forms/csrsfers-handbook/c051.pdf.
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Just a heads up, but you’ll lose that military retirement pay, once you retire from civilian service. You may already be aware of this, but just wanted you to know. Another option is you COULD take a refund of your military buy back and then still fully retire at age 60, still keep your military annuity and still be qualified for the exact same SRS. As for a good approximation of your SRS, first look up what your expected social security payment at age 62 would be. Then take this number and times it by your total years of civilian FERS service. Once you have this number, divide it by 40 and you’ll have your answer.