Q. I am a under CSRS. I maxed out (41 years, 11 months) in January. I am aware that CSRS deductions will continue and will be returned to me with interest upon my retirement. However, my leave and earnings statement does not indicate how much is being put into this account. The L & E statement also indicates that the government is also still contributing. Is this normal, or should I be seeing how much is in this account? A. Nothing changes when you reach the number of years and full months of service that would produce the maximum earned…
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Q. I am a recent retiree covered under CSRS who elected a full survivor benefit for my spouse. She is covered under Social Security and has a significant Social Security benefit that she will qualify for when she reaches full retirement age. If I die before her and she is receiving Social Security based on her own earnings record, will her survivor benefit under CSRS be subject to the Government Pension Offset? A. No.
Q. My service computation date is July 15, 1978. I turn 55 on May 10, 2013. Would it be wise to continue to work until I am 60? I am in CSRS. A. “Would it be wise?” This is a question that only you can answer. All I can tell you is that your annuity would be increased by 2 percent of your high-3 for every additional year you work.
Q. I have 47 years of service under CSRS; I do not plan on retiring for at least three more years. Will I be able to receive more than the 80 percent of my salary, as the law mandates, or can percentage be added to my time? A. While 80 percent is the maximum amount of an earned annuity, you’ll receive a refund of all the retirement contributions you made after you worked for 41 years and 11 months and be offered the option of purchasing additional annuity that, like unused sick leave, isn’t subject to the 80 percent limit.
Q. I am a 63½-year-old CSRS retiree with more than 32 years’ service. I spent five years with the Navy (1969-74) and paid back my military time before I entered the federal service in 1979. When I retired in 2007, I had 25 Social Security credits. I have been employed in the private sector since January 2008. I have more than 40 credits. My wife started collecting her Social Security benefits last year at age 62. Will my Social Security benefits be affected by the windfall elimination provision or the government pension offset? Will my CSRS pension and my wife’s…
Q. I am 58 and will be retiring from the Defense Logistics Agency soon with 30 years of CSRS service. Before my government service, I earned 34 Social Security credits. I plan to work part time after CSRS retirement to earn the six credits needed for a small (windfall elimination provision) SSA pension. While the money won’t be much, is it important to get 40 Social Security credits to become eligible for a spousal survivor benefit from my wife’s SSA benefits? A. Because you’ll be receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes,…
Q. When retiring under 30 years/MRA under FERS, can the 30 years’ creditable federal service needed to qualify to receive the FERS special retirement supplement include years employed by the federal government under CSRS and/or military service or do the 30 years need to be FERS employment only? A. The special retirement supplement is based solely on the time that you were a FERS employee.
Q. I am getting ready to submit my retirement papers. I’m under CSRS, so I haven’t paid into Social Security. My husband receives Social Security disability. If I leave him a survivor annuity, will his Social Security disability be affected? If so, how much? A. No, his Social Security disability annuity won’t be affected.
Q. My husband and I are civil service retirees. We elected not to provide survivor benefits to each other upon retirement several years ago. Is this irrevocable? I recently read something about the possibility of changing this election if the government declared an open season. I’ve never heard of that occurring for survivor benefits. If this is true, does such an open season happen often? If could reverse our decisions, what type of lump sum or penalty would we incur to elect to provide the benefits? A. There is no such thing as an open season for survivor benefits. The…
Q. I started working with the Department of Justice on Jan. 3, 1983, as a part-time/full-time student. I was hired as a full-time government employee in May 1983. Does this qualify me to be covered under CSRS? I am covered under FERS. I want to be under CSRS, as there are more benefits. A. No. To learn why, go to www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C010.pdf and scroll to Section 10A.1-2.