Q: I am a Civil Service Retirement System Offset retiree (15 years in offset) and turned 62 in October. I [was] scheduled to receive my first Social Security benefit Dec. 22. I have contacted the Office of Personnel Management on several occasions requesting to know how much my annuity will be offset, but no one seems to know. My annuity still has not changed. Is it normal for OPM to be late in changing (offsetting) annuities of CSRS Offset retirees? How will overpayments of my annuity be handled? A: Because you aren’t due for your first Social Security benefit check…
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Q: I am a Civil Service Retirement System Offset annuitant hired in 1968. In 1985, our branch of government was taken over by the private sector. The private sector bought all of my federal service. In 2002, there was a reduction In force. I was eligible for an early retirement at age 51 and therefore receive two retirement checks: One for federal service and the other for my time purchased by the private sector. As a CSRS Offset employee, at age 62 I am subject to the Offset Social Security calculations but also have the same time purchased by the…
Q. I read some of your responses to questions regarding this subject and I’m still confused. So, here are my questions: I retired from the federal government with 36 years of service under the Civil Service Retirement System. My wife is qualified for Social Security when she reaches the appropriate age. Will she be able to draw her full Social Security benefits? Also, if I am qualified for Social Security, 40+ quarters paid in, will I be able to draw some minimum amount? Please explain your answers or provide a reference so I can look up the particulars. A. The fact…
Q. I worked as a civilian mariner for the Military Sealift Command from 1983 to 1998 and was covered by CSRS. I withdrew my CSRS contributions in a lump sum upon my departure and recently returned to work with MSC under FERS. Am I eligible for CSRS offset? Is there also a way I can refund my previous contributions? A. Unless I’m missing something, you should have been placed in CSRS offset with the option of electing to be covered by FERS. If I’m right, you were erroneously enrolled in FERS and can, if you want to, have that undone and…
Q: I am a CSRS offset employee and I am 58-years-old with 30 years service. If I were to retire, I understand I would receive my pension from CSRS until I reach 62, then I would start to receive the same amount, but it would come from Social Security and CSRS. My question is, if I am working after retirement from the U.S. Postal Service, and after reaching age 62, and I have earned more than the annual Social Security earnings limit which for 2010 is $14,160, would the Social Security portion of my pension be reduced by $1 for…
Q: Can you explain CSRS Offset to me. In January 2011, I’ll have 25 years in civil service and I am thinking about retiring next year at age 63. I have paid in a lot of social security over the years and very little civil service retirement. A: CSRS Offset employees are covered by CSRS and Social Security. When you retire, your CSRS annuity will be offset by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while covered by CSRS Offset. The amount you receive will be the same; however, it will come from two different places, OPM and the…
Q: I am a CSRS Offset federal employee with 18 years of service and I am now 53. I expect to retire at 65 with a total of 30 years of federal government service. Will my retirement be offset at the age of 65 with 30 years of service when I apply for Social Security? A: Yes, your CSRS annuity will be reduced by the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while employed under CSRS Offset. The total you receive will be the same, it will just come from two different places, OPM and the Social Security Administration.
Q: My husband and I are planning to retire from federal service the end of this year. I have 32 years under the CSRS and my husband is retiring under CSRS-Offset with 30 years of service. I have had no health issues so we have taken out additional life insurance on me to supplement him should I predecease him. However, he has had a number of recent illnesses causing life insurance to be more costly. Therefore, he plans to elect full survivor benefit for me. Can you please explain what impact the WEP and GPO will have on me drawing…
Q: I am a recent widow of a CSRS Offset employee. I, too, was a CSRS employee (not offset). The survivor benefit that has been calculated for me is equivalent to 28 percent of my husband’s retirement benefit when he died. This doesn’t seem accurate, although it may be. I’ve spent nearly a year with OPM and Social Security trying to identify where their numbers are coming from, with no success. Can you recommend an expert that I can contact to assist me? Nobody, not even Social Security, seems to know how the rules were applied and I am going…
Q: I retired at age 55 with 34-plus years of service. I quit after 13 years of civil service and returned to civil service after 3 1/2 years of private employment. I just turned 61. I paid Social Security for over 20 years. If I elect to request Social Security benefits at age 62, how will this affect my civil service pension? A: Because you are now covered by CSRS Offset, at age 62 your annuity will be offset by the amount of Social Security benefits you earned while covered by CSRS Offset. The net effect will be that you’ll…