Q. How do I find out if I made “substantial salary” over the 28 years I was in Civil Service? I worked off duty during that time and paid into Social Security but do not know if I qualify for the exemption. A. To find out if your Social Security-covered earnings were substantial, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/pubs/10045.html. There you’ll find the dollar amounts that qualify as substantial earnings for each year from 1937 to the present.
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Q. I spent a little less than 10 years in the Navy, leaving with an honorable discharge, having served in Vietnam. Within two years of leaving the service, I worked for the civil service for less than a year. I am now older than 62; am I eligible for civil or federal service retirement? I have paid into Social Security and am collecting. A. Since you weren’t vested in the civilian retirement system, you aren’t eligible for an annuity. You’ll have to check with your branch of service to see if you are entitled to any military benefits.
Q. My wife and I are retired. My wife has both a small civil service pension and Social Security. I had 30-plus years of Social Security earnings when I retired in 1998. If I survive my wife, will the reduced amount I would receive from her government pension affect my Social Security payment? I am asking about Government Offset Pension rules. A. The government pension offset applies only to the spousal Social Security benefit of someone receiving an annuity from a retirement system where he or she didn’t pay Social Security taxes, such as CSRS. It doesn’t apply to the earned Social Security benefit of…
Q: I am a retired naval officer and have been a civil servant for 15 years. When I ultimately retire from the civil service can I continue to receive my Navy retired pay as well as a civil service pension? A: Yes.
Q. I had interviewed for a competitive Civil Service position in another agency. If I were selected, could I transfer my 25 years of excepted Civil Service (including accrued leave) into that position? Both my current and prospective positions are GS-6. A. As a rule, the answer is yes. However, if you are offered a position in another agency, you should check with them to be sure it’s true in your case before accepting the position.
Q: In your Jan. 25 article “New year, same COLA,” you say that the Social Security withholding stays at $106,800, and that “if you are a Federal Employees Retirement System or Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee, any amount you earn above that amount won’t be subject to the 6.2 percent Social Security deduction.” However, I am a GS-810-14, Step 10, Forest Service employee under CSRS Offset and the National Finance Center withholds Social Security from my paycheck for the entire year. Withholding from my paycheck doesn’t cease at the $106,800 limit. This seems contradictory to what the article states.…