Browsing: SOCIAL SECURITY

Q. I’m a FERS retiree who is receiving the special retirement supplement. I’ll turn 62 in November. When will my SRS end? A. Your special retirement supplement will end on the earlier of 1.) the last day of the month in which you turn age 62 or 2.) the last day of the month before the first month on which you would be eligible for a Social Security benefit, whether you apply for it or not.

Q. I retired from the U.S. Department of Agriculture after 30 years of service under CSRS. Before going to work for the government, I worked on odd jobs in the private sector and earned 25 credits under Social Security. I need 15 more to qualify for a Social Security benefit. My wife has more than enough Social Security credits to qualify for a benefit. Could I borrow any of those excess credits from her? A. No, you can’t. You’ll have to earn them yourself.

Q. I’m a CSRS employee who is planning to retire. I’ll receive a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave in 2020. Can I have Social Security contributions deducted from this payment? It would be helpful if I could, because I only need a few more credits to be eligible for a Social Security benefit. A. No, you can’t. That’s because Social Security credits can only be earned through deductions taken from wages or self-employment.

Q. I have worked for the U.S. Postal Service for 43 years. I retired in 2011 with a CSRS pension. Prior to USPS, and afterwards, I worked under Social Security. I believe I have the required 40 quarters. Will the Windfall Elimination Program affect my getting Social Security and how will it affect my pension? A. While the Windfall Elimination Provision will have no affect on your CSRS annuity, your Social Security benefit will be affected by it. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who is receiving an annuity from a retirement system – like CSRS –…

Q. My agency was downsizing, so I accepted an early retirement offer at age 50. I was covered by CSRS Offset. When I turn age 62, do I have to apply for a Social Security benefit? A. No, you don’t have to apply for a Social Security benefit. However, whether you do or don’t, at age 62 your CSRS annuity will automatically be offset (reduced) by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset.

Q. I was a CSRS Offset employee who retired at age 55. Since then, I’ve been working in the private sector. I’ll soon turn 62 and plan on continuing to work and not applying for a Social Security benefit until I retire again. When will my CSRS Offset annuity be reduced? A. When you turn 62, it will be automatically reduced by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset.

Q. I am a FERS employee who is on disability from the U.S. Postal Service, plus I am getting Social Security Disability Insurance. What will happen when I reach 62 and start getting my pension from USPS? A. When you reach age 62, your FERS disability benefit will be recomputed as if you had worked to age 62. Therefore, your actual service will be added to the time you spent on disability. The total time will be multiplied by 1 percent (1.1 percent if you have at least 20 years of actual service and time spent on disability). That figure…

Q. My husband retired under CSRS in 2015 and had his annuity reduced to provide a survivor benefit for me. He was 59 when he died in 2018. Along the way he had paid into Social Security for enough years to qualify for a Social Security benefit at age 62. I also am a federal employee, under CSRS and still working. I was told that I’d be eligible to receive some of his Social Security benefits until I retire. Is this true? A. Yes, it is. As long as you are working, you are entitled to a Social Security survivor benefit based…

Q. If I retire on Dec. 31, 2019, and start drawing Social Security on Jan. 1, 2020, would there be an offset if the amount of the final annual leave payout exceeded the Social Security earnings limit for 2020? A. Probably not. That’s because of the Social Security Administration’s “first-year rule,” which applies to earnings for one year, usually the first year of retirement. It allows SSA to pay a full Social Security benefit for any whole month in which it considers you to be retired and when your earnings from wages or self employment are less than the annual…

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