Q. I served in the Army (active duty) from 1982 to 1986 and bought this time back. I have worked for the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service for six years and with the Army Corps of Engineers for 13 years for a total of 23 years. After my active duty, I served in the Army Reserve for two years (1987-88). Does the time I went on weekend drill for two years and the time I went on annual two-week training count as federal time? Can I buy back this time?
Browsing: Creditable service: CSRS
Q. I was allowed to go back into CSRS after an 18-year break in service even though I cashed out of it in 1991, with eight years of service. I can pay the redeposit back and have 12 years of service, if that is the wise thing, but I am waiting to see if I get a permanent job when this temporary job expires in 2014. Since I am only 54, I am beginning to wonder if I should have gone back into CSRS, because if I can’t find another federal job, and it is looking difficult with the budget…
Q. I started my employment as a CC military spouse in Germany in 1981 (no military service myself), then resigned (as we were directed) just before we returned to the U.S. in late 1983. I got picked up into a fed position in September 1984, which set the dates for leave and retirement as 1982. I had been told I was FERS at that time, and I have been contributing and planning toward that, along with attending the FERS retirement classes. However, when I received an estimate for retirement last year, I was told that I was CSRS Offset, with…
Q. I worked with the government for about five years with the Peace Corps and then I was a personal services contractor for about four years (2000-2004) with the U.S. Agency for International Development. I then joined USAID as a foreign services officer doing the same job I did as a personal services contractor. USAID credited my Peace Corps time. I would like my four years as a personal services contractor with USAID to count toward my retirement since I was doing the same job that I did as a foreign services officer. What can/should I do?
Q. I need your help in calculating my future annual or monthly annuity. I’m 57, birth year 1955. I’m waiting until I’m 62 to ask for my monthly annuity. I was hired in 1995 into the GS system. I left in 2008. Would my high-3 be my GS salary? It was averaged out using 1 percent of my high-3 to $560.48 x 15 years creditable service = $8,407.20 annual annuity divided by 12 months, which would be $700.60 a month. Is this correct? Am I still eligible for this monthly annuity, even though I left federal service? I have not…
Q: I am a 57-year-old CSRS employee with 35 1/2 years creditable service. I am eligible to retire now (since June 21, 2009) but enjoy the challenge of my job, so I have stayed on. I gave serious consideration to retiring Dec. 31, 2011, but I am not 100 percent certain that is what I want to do (my wife wants to work a while longer). Am I running a risk of losing any benefits by staying a while longer? What is the minimum amount of time required after mailing my retirement application, and the effective date I retire? A:…
Q. I am 61 years old and in the Civil Service Retirement System. I have paid back my military deposit, and don’t have enough quarters/credits under Social Security to qualify. I am anticipating retiring when I am 62-plus, and don’t plan on working to earn quarters/credits under Social Security. I have heard that I can request a refund of my military deposit after I retire; is this correct? If so, who handles that request? A. You were misinformed. You can’t get a refund of the deposit you made for your active-duty service. What’s done is done. If you retire at…
Q. I’m told employees stop getting the government contribution to their retirement at 41 years, 1 month, of service, but can get a lump sum when they retire. This doesn’t quite make sense to me. Is there any other option? I will reach this much service time in February 2012. I am age 67, in the Civil Service Retirement System, and plan on continuing to work. A. Here’s the story. When a CSRS-covered employee has worked for 41 years and 11 months, he’s earned the maximum annuity based on actual service that’s allowed under law: 80 percent of his high-3.…
Q. I have a question about early outs. I am 53 and have 25 years of Federal Employees Retirement System service. If an offer is made in 2012, will I be penalized for the number of years I am under age 62? Reading the past posts, I am confused. Also, are health benefits based on the non-postal rate for federal employees? Is unused sick leave added to the annuity or years of service in the coming year? A. Retiring CSRS employees are penalized for being under regular retirement age; retiring FERS employees aren’t. The premium rates for retired Postal Service…
Q. I am a Civil Service Retirement System/Federal Employees Retirement System offset employee with 31 years of service, and I have been offered Voluntary Early Retirement Authority and Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VERA/VSIP). I would like to know how a VERA/VSIP would affect my retirement. I have been depositing the maximum in my TSP account, and I see that the government is not required to match it. Does government matching or not matching my deposit depend on the agency I work for? A. To estimate what your annuity would be, use the formulas for each retirement system: FERS: 0.01 x…