Q: I recently retired at age 56, air traffic control mandatory retirement, with 36 years in the Civil Service Retirement System. A desirable position for which I am qualified has become available with a local Transportation Security Administration unit. If rehired at TSA, would I be under the Federal Employees Retirement System or CSRS? If I’m under FERS, could I retain full CSRS annuity? If rehired into CSRS, what are some factors to consider: annual leave rate, recomputation of CSRS annuity, etc.? I would like to work until age 62, when my wife can retire and would be very close to maximum…
Author Reg Jones
Reg Jones
Reg Jones was head of retirement and insurance policy at the Office of Personnel Management. Email your retirement-related questions to fedexperts@federaltimes.com.
Q: I have nine years of military service that began Nov. 28, 1980, and ended Dec. 3, 1989. My federal service began Dec. 4, 1989, and I am still employed by the Federal Aviation Administration. I am under the Federal Employees Retirement System. On Nov. 27, I will have 30 years of continuous service if you include the military time. Does that qualify me for the any-age minimum retirement age under FERS with 30 years of government service? A: Because you are covered by FERS, those years of active-duty military service would only be considered to be creditable service for retirement purposes if you have…
Q: I will be retiring soon with more than 42 years of service. I have 8 3/4 months of saved up sick leave using the formula of 174 hours equals one month. I have earlier this year taken a few sick days. Can I convert the days I took to annual leave so as to restore my sick leave and give me nine months of sick leave to help increase my pension? A: You’ll need to check with you agency to see if they would be able to adjust your leave records and substitute annual leave for the sick leave that you actually…
Q: What is this Special Retirement Supplement check? I have been retired since 2002 from the Veterans Affairs Department and receive my retirement pay from the Civil Service Retirement System. A: There isn’t any check. The Special Retirement Supplement approximates the Social Security benefit earned by employees who were covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System and is included in their annuities. It’s intended to bridge the gap between the age at which they retire and age 62, when they become eligible for a Social Security benefit.
Q: I am a firefighter under the Federal Employees Retirement System holding a secondary position with a service computation date of 2003. I retired from the Air Force after 20 years of military service. I have a number of questions. Would it be prudent for me to buy back my military time, which would allow me to retire early from civil service? If I do buy back my military time and retire, would I lose my military retirement check? Part of my retirement is a 40 percent service-connected disability from the Veterans Affairs Department. The other half is from the…
Q: As a federal firefighter covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System, I have to retire at age 57. I have been told that that under FERS, we get a Social Security supplement and as such we are limited in what we can earn after retirement. Is this true? I know that when one retires and draws Social Security, one is limited to $14,160 per year in earnings from other sources. Is this the case when we are forced to retire at 57? A: Yes, it is. In 2010, if you were to earn more than $14,160 from wages or…
Q: Could you tell me if the payout on Base Closure and Realignment Leave and the payout for annual leave is the same? I was told that the BRAC payout is taxed at a higher rate. A. Both are taxed at the same rate. The IRS considers lump-sum payments to be regular income, with deductions being taken out for federal taxes and, where applicable, state taxes and Social Security.
Q: If I retire Dec. 31, a Friday, my first annuity check would begin on Feb 1, 2011. However, I would lose credit for any leave accumulated in that last pay period because I did not work the full pay period, which ends Jan. 1, 2011. Is this correct? A: If Friday, Dec. 31, would be the last day of a pay period and you retire at the close of business, you would get credit for any annual and sick leave you earned during that pay period.
Q: I a Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee and I am trying to decide whether to retire Dec. 31, 2010, or Jan. 1 2011. I am in the Senior Executive Service and will have over 800 hours of annual leave for a lump-sum payout. If I retire Dec. 31, is that lump sum considered part of 2010 income or 2011? I believe I will not pay Social Security tax on the lump sum if it falls in 2010, since I usually have this covered by September of each year. A: Your lump-sum payment is considered to be earned income…
Q: Is the $14,160 earning limit on early retirement gross, or net? I am self-employed and have expenses. I do not net more than $14,000. A: The earning limit is the gross amount of your income, not the net.