Q. Block 19 tells me what I have contributed to the retirement fund, but what happens to that money? How can I factor it into my retirement, or don’t I?
Browsing: FERS annuity computation
Q. Can I elect a survivor benefit in any amount, or does it have to be the 100 percent or 50 percent that is always talked about?
Q. I think I joined the federal workforce way too early. According to my service computation date, I will have reached 30 years on Aug. 8, 2018 — mere days after I turn 49 — and I’m guessing my earliest possible retirement date will be Dec. 31, 2018. Of course, this is all information I have gleaned from my research. My somewhat pessimistic guess is something will change that retirement date between now and then and kick it down the road beyond Dec. 31, 2018. What do you think?
Q. Can post-56 military time that is paid back count toward retirement eligibility under FERS? I know it counts as retirement credit, but I heard that paid-back military time does not count for eligibility. For example, a FERS employee has 15 years of military service that was paid back and has 13 years FERS service and is 55 years old. That person does not qualify for an immediate annuity in two years (30 years total) because 15 years was in the military. That person must wait until age 60 to qualify for an immediate annuity under FERS.
Q. I’m a FERS employee. Will active-duty time in the military be included when computing my annuity and used in determining the amount of my special retirement supplement?
Q. Employees are advised to select at least a minimal survivor benefit when selecting retirement options. I understand the base for the survivor annuity can be as low as 1 percent of the overall annuity. The cost of that survivor benefit could be as little as a few dollars a month, as its cost would be based on the 2.5 percent rather than the 10 percent portion of the formula. For example, if the full annuity was calculated as $40,000, 1 percent would be $400; the annual cost of that would be just $10. What are your thoughts?
Q. I retired in 2008 serving 30 years in the Air Force. I am now a five-year GS employee and have heard about buying back my military service. What are the advantages or disadvantages? I plan on retiring with 10 years under FERS.
Q. What percentage of my husbands annuity do I get when he dies? He is retired from the US Army Corps of Engineers. From what I am reading we would need to be married at least nine months, but I am having a hard time finding out much more. A. Assuming that (1) a former spouse isn’t already entitled to all or a portion of your husbands’s annuity; (2) you have been married to him for at least 9 months before he dies; (3) he applies for a survivor annuity within two years of your marriage; and (4) he pays to OPM a…
Q. If I complete 13 years of active duty in 2018 and tack on seven years of reserve duty until 2025, I will start receiving military retirement benefits for those 20 years at age 60. If I become a GS employee in 2018 and serve 20 years until I am 57, will I be able to receive my military retirement pension as well as my FERS pension? If I “make a contribution” (aka buy back those 13 years of active-duty service), will I have to forfeit the military retirement benefits because it will be rolled into the FERS?
Q. I have 30 years of service (FERS) and I will be 52 years old this November. If my agency offers a buyout at the end of 2016, would I be able to take it and retire then or must I wait til I am 56 (minimum retirement age) in order to receive an unreduced annuity?