Q. How many years of continuous FERS service do I need with the federal government to be eligible for a retirement benefit?
A. It depends on your age. As a FERS employee, you can retire at your minimum retirement age with 30 years of service, 60 with 20 or 62 with 5. (MRAs range from 55 to 57, depending on your birth year.) You can also retire at your MRA with as few as 10 years of service; however, your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent for every year (5/12ths of 1 percent per month) that you were under age 62.
1 Comment
The answer is a good answer, but it answers the question about an immediate retirement benefit. A FERS federal employee can leave before becoming eligible for an immediate retirement benefit (like in his or her 30’s) and later (like in his or her 60’s) claim a deferred retirement benefit. I don’t recall the minimum tenures and ages.