Q. I’ve been talking with people who are already federal employees. Some of them are covered by FERS and others by CSRS. If I’m hired, will I automatically be enrolled in FERS or will I be able to choose which system I’ll be in? A. You won’t be offered a choice. All federal employees first hired on or after Jan. 1, 1987, and most employees first hired after Dec. 31, 1983, are automatically covered by FERS.
Q. I’m planning to retire from the U.S. Postal Service in October. I have no spouse who would be eligible for a survivor annuity. However, I do have a daughter. I would like for her to get my retirement pay. I worked hard for it and I don’t want it going back to the post office as unclaimed income. A. While you cannot name your daughter to receive a survivor annuity, you could elect to provide her with what is known as an insurable interest annuity, but only if you are in good health when you retire. If you make…
Q. I’ve reached my minimum retirement age and have 29 years under FERS. I have more than 2,400 hours of sick leave. Will the sick leave time be added to my actual service and make me eligible to retire? A. No, it won’t. Sick leave is only added after you have reached the right combination of years and service to retire on an immediate annuity.
Q. Is time spent at a military service academy creditable for civilian retirement if the employee did not graduate? A. Yes, time spent at one of the military academies is creditable, even if you didn’t graduate. The only exception to that rule is for foreign nationals who are receiving training under an agreement with a foreign government.
Q. I am a reserve solder with 29 years of active duty and have six years until I am eligible for mandatory retirement. Upon completion of my current deployment, I will likely go back to a government civilian job. My understanding is that I can buy back all my years and do an additional 5-plus years of civilian service and retire with both checks intact. I can collect my military retirement when eligible and still work in a civilian capacity until I completely retire from the workforce. Is that correct? A. Only active duty service which meets the definitions found…
Q. Are temporary civil service position (Tenure-0 , Position Occupied-1) creditable service toward leave accrual? A. According to OPM, “A temporary employee with an appointment of less than 90 days is entitled to accrue annual leave only after being currently employed for a continuous period of 90 days under successive appointments without a break in service.”
Q. I’m going to retire and will receive a lump-sum payment for my unused annual leave. How is that payment calculated? Is it accumulated hours x current hourly wage? Is this considered unearned income? How is it taxed? A. Your lump sum annual leave payment would be based on the hourly rate of basic pay you would have received if you had remained on the job. If you retire before an annual pay adjustment becomes effective, any hours before that change will be computed at the old rate and those after the change at the new rate. Any step increase…
Q. I’m a FERS employee and plan to retire at minimum retirement age, which is 56. However, I’ll have fewer than 30 years of service. Is the 5 percent per year penalty based on each year short of 30 years, or is it based on each year short of age 62? A. The MRA+10 provision allows FERS employees to retire at their minimum retirement age with fewer than 30 years of service. If you retire under that provision, your annuity will be reduced by 5 percent for every year (or 5/12 of 1 percent per month) that you are under…
Q. I have been working under FERS. I plan to retire in 13 years at age 67. Before coming to work for the government, I worked in the private sector and paid into the Social Security system for over 30 years. Will I receive both a full FERS and a full Social Security benefit when I retire? A. Yes. You’ll receive a FERS annuity based on your years of FERS-covered employment and, because you will have reached your full Social Security retirement age, a Social Security benefit based on all your Social Security-covered employment.
Q. My husband wasn’t married at the time of retirement in 1993. When we got married, he didn’t provide a survivor benefit for me. Now we’ve been married for 18 years. If he dies will I be able to get a monthly benefit check? If not, can he do something about that now? A. Unfortunately, it’s too late. To provide you with a survivor annuity, he would have had to agree to a reduction in his annuity to pay for that benefit within two years of the date of your marriage.