Q: After reading all the horror stories about the windfall elimination provision and Social Security demanding payback of erroneous payments, I’m writing to verify my Civil Service Retirement System Offset and WEP reductions. I have 22 years of CSRS service, from 1973 to 1995, put in 13-plus years of nonfederal work, and then was re-employed with the federal government as a CSRS Offset employee in 2008. I plan to retire at 62 with 27 years, 8 months of federal service, with about five years of that under CSRS offset. My personnel office says that I am not subject to the…
Browsing: CSRS offset
Q: I retired at age 57 as a Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee. I’ve enjoyed a private industry position but have learned that at age 62, my CSRS annuity will be reduced. I can retire through the Social Security Administration to recoup the reduced amount, but will be subject to an earnings limit which wipes out the entire SSA pension. Am I missing something? Are offset retirees subject to the SSA earnings limits? A: Yes, they are. The earnings test will reduce your Social Security benefit by $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit, which is $14,160…
Q: I am a civilian federal employee who started with the government in September 1986. Is it true that no retirement deductions were taken until Jan. 1, 1989? If this is true, how can I get credit for the two-plus years during which no deductions were taken? A: If you were hired into a position that required deductions from your pay, you would have been covered by Civil Service Retirement Offset (CSRS and Social Security) for the months preceding Jan. 1, 1987, when the Federal Employees Retirement System went online. Your CSRS Offset time would have been converted to FERS…
Q: I worked for the federal government from 1968 to 1986, then worked in the private sector from 1987 to 2005. I withdrew my retirement money when I left government service. If I return to federal service, should I opt to be placed in the Federal Employees Retirement System or Civil Service Retirement System? I assume it would make sense to re-deposit the money I withdrew and pay the interest? A: If you returned to work for the government you would be placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security) with the option of transferring to FERS. Even if you…
Q: I have over 30 years of federal service — military plus civil service. From 1977 to 1990, I was under the Civil Service Retirement System. Then I took a 2 1/2-year break from federal employment. When I came back into civil service, I was put under the Federal Employees Retirement System. When I returned to civil service after the 2 1/2-year break, shouldn’t I have remained under CSRS instead of being placed under FERS? A: As a rule, when you returned to work for the government, you should have been placed in CSRS Offset (CSRS and Social Security), with…
Q. I retired under CSRS at age 62. I do not qualify for Social Security benefits. My spouse retired at age 62 and collects Social Security. She never worked for the government and collects no other pension. When I die, and she starts collecting a CSRS survivor annuity, will she be affected by WEP? A. No.
Q. My father has been receiving VA compensation (50 percent) for injuries he received while in the Army. He retired from DoD in 2002 as a CSRS offset and receives retirement pay for that. His VA compensation injuries have gotten worse and he is going to ask to be re-evaluated by the VA. Does his compensation from the VA affect his CSRS retirement or is there an offset because I know that his Social Security will be offset when he reaches 62. A. His VA compensation will have no affect on his CSRS annuity. However, as you pointed out, because…
Q. In 1999 I applied for a refund from my CSRS retirement. I was told I was placed under the wrong retirement system for 15 years and should have been CSRS offset and consequently could not receive a lump sum refund under CSRS offset. When did they change the rules where you can not get a refund under CSRS offset? A. If you applied for a refund of retirement contributions and were in CSRS but should have been in CSRS offset, OPM would have been required to refund only the CSRS offset deductions; in other words, the portion that would have…
Q. My first federal employment was in 1/17/1983 as a temporary worker (NTE one year, 40 hour week). Since it was a temp position. only Social Security was assessed. I left for the private sector 9/21/1983 due to an impending RIF knowing full well we were the first to go. I then received and accepted an offer from the Postal Service and started 10/13/1984 ; I am still there. I was informed that there will be a new retirement system, but no one has any information on the details, so I was placed as CSRS Interim. FERS then became law…
Q. What are the conditions that govern federal employment after CSRS retirement? I am planning on retiring soon with 32 years and may have an opportunity to work part time for the agency I am currently employed with. (Department of Veterans Affairs). A. Unless you are hired into one of those rare positions that would allow you to receive both your annuity and the full salary of your new job, the salary of that job would be offset by the amount of your annuity. For example, if your annuity was $50,000 and the salary of your new job was $80,000,…