Q. I plan to work until my minimum retirement age, which is in eight years. I work part time (80 percent of the time) and will have worked for the government for 35 years (1986-2021). But my total service computation years will only be 27 when I reach my MRA. Will I be eligible for the MRA plus 30 because I worked for 35 years or only the MRA plus 10 (with the significant penalty) because I worked 27 years based on the service computation?
Browsing: annuity reduction
Q. I have a CSRS law enforcement retirement. I am 63 and have been retired for 13 years. I married under recent same sex Defense of Marriage Act ruling. Is there any way I can elect to sign up for reduced survivor benefits for my spouse, say 5 percent to 10 percent, to preserve her federal health benefits should I predecease her? A retired postal worker said such an option exists and would also require me to make a “reduced” survivor benefit deposit, as well.
Q. I am a very healthy 67-year old individual. I retired under FERS with 22 years of federal service in January. I did not plan my retirement well and I am now suffering the consequences. Is it possible to return to work for the federal government as a civil servant?
Q. I am a FERS employee. On Aug. 31, 2014, I will meet my minimum retirement age of 56 with 30 years in. If my agency offers Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay three to four months before the Aug. 31 date, will my annuity still be penalized because I did not reach the full 30-year mark? Or would I still get the full 30-year annuity and the Social Security gap pay? If not, what would be the reason for any FERS employee to take an early-out if there is any type of penalization?
Q. I am 52 years old with 32 years of service as a letter carrier in the Postal Service. Are early-outs offered at this time? If not, are there other options of retirement even with a penalty?
Q. I’ll have 30 years in when I reach my minimum retirement age on Nov. 30 under FERS. I was planning to retire on Jan. 11, 2014 so I could apply 100 percent of my sick leave toward service time. No Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay offer was made this year. What would the pros and cons be for me if I were to make the offer to go from a GS 12-9 to a GS 9-5 beyond making less money? I’d consider 27 hours a week working three nine-hour days.
Q. I will be eligible to retire in September. My agency is also offering a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay to qualified employees. In September 1995, I was part of a reduction in force. As a result, I eventually requested a refund of my retirement contributions. I was re-employed with the federal government in May 2001 under CSRS Offset and did not redeposit the refund. Will this affect the amount of my retirement annuity?
Q. I retired FERS in 2002, electing survivor benefits. My wife died in 2009, and benefits were closed off. I have now remarried. How do I reinstate survivor benefits for my current wife?
Q. In 1999, I voluntarily switched from CSRS to FERS after 22 years of CSRS service. Since 1999, I have been covered under FERS and paying Social Security. I plan to retire this year at age 67 after 36 years of service. I’ll have accumulated 54 calendar quarters of substantial and maximum earnings. At the time I elected to transfer from CSRS to FERS coverage, I was told that I’ll be exempt from windfall elimination provision deduction from Social Security benefits and that my spousal Social Security benefits will not be affected by the government pension offset. Is this correct?
Q. My father-in-law is 82 and has been retired from the federal government for approximately 20 years. He had survivor benefits for his wife, who passed away nine months ago. He is now engaged to a new woman and wants to marry her in a few months. He seems to think he must marry her within 18 months of the time his first wife passed for her to receive his survivor benefits. Is this true?