Q. I am a FERS retiree. I switched from CSRS in the late 1990s and receive $850 monthly in Social Security. My wife, who was a stay-at-home mom, will turn 62 this year. Under her earnings (she barely met the 40 quarters), we estimate she will be entitled to $375 per month. I am being told by a previous co-worker that my wife can delay her Social Security until 66, when the amount will be significantly higher, but she can draw as my spouse, receiving $425 per month. Is this correct? A. Yes. For more information, go to www.socialsecurity.gov/OACT/quickcalc/spouse.html.
Browsing: CSRS
Q. I was employed by the Navy as a contracting officer. After 41 years with the government, I officially retired and was drawing a monthly annuity check from OPM from my CSRS retirement plan. My former Navy employer offered me a contracting position, and I returned to the Navy as a Department of Defense re-employed annuitant, which means I still collected my CSRS annuity check monthly and was paid by the Navy. As a re-employed annuitant, I was told I had to pay into FICA (Social Security) and was not allowed to pay into CSRS because I had officially retired.…
Q. I will be retiring in 2013 at my MRA, 56, with 34 years of service, 28 in the USPS and six in the military (I bought back my time). I am a FERS employee and thus will be eligible for the special retirement supplement. My OPM pension will be $2,000/month. My Social Security benefit estimate is $1,300/month. Will I receive any of those benefits? A. Having a CSRS component in your annuity won’t affect the amount of your special retirement supplement, which is paid by OPM and based on the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while a…
Q. I’m receiving a survivor annuity from my husband, who passed away in 2003. He was in CSRS from the Postal Service. I’ve been in FERS for 26 years from the Postal Service. When I retire and start receiving my pension, will I still receive my husband’s annuity? A. Yes.
Q. I retired from the USG (CSRS) on March 31. I began receiving an interim payment May 1. The Office of Personnel Management issued my retirement packet to a claims analyst July 24. So I assume I have a ways to go before finalization. When I receive my official retirement packet from OPM, will my withheld pay (difference in interim amount vs. full) be paid with interest? A. No.
Q. When I retired in 2003 from civil service with the Air Force, I didn’t get good counsel, so I didn’t do survivor benefits for my spouse. He is on my self and family Blue Cross insurance. If I precede him in death, will he still be able to continue with my Blue Cross insurance as single? A. No, he won’t. For him to be able to continue that enrollment, he would have to be receiving a survivor annuity. Note: It’s not too late for you to provide one for him. To find out what’s involved and the cost, go…
Q. I retired Aug 31. They have my out date as Sept 7. Will I be paid back pay for retirement for the month of September, or not get retirement pay for September? Also, is there a site where I can find out if I get retirement cost-of-living adjustments and how much? I see info on retirement COLA being raised by a percentage but no chart on actual amount. A. Regardless of your retirement system — CSRS or FERS — you wouldn’t be on the annuity roll until October, and your first annuity payment wouldn’t be due until November. The…
Q. I am a CSRS fed, planning on retiring at the end of 2012. Is there any difference in benefits leaving either Dec. 31, 2012, or Jan 2, 2013? I know that if I retire Dec. 31, my cost-of-living adjustment in January 2013 will be 11/12 of the consumer price index. If I retire Jan. 2, 2013, won’t my January 2013 CPI also be 11/12? In both cases, won’t my annuity begin in January 2013? I’m also planning on cashing in my annual leave and wanted the lump sum applied to the 2013 tax year. I believe either date would…
Q. My husband worked for the federal government for about 40 years under CSRS, and he is now receiving a generous monthly pension. I worked various part-time jobs over the years, and I currently work for the federal government. When I retire, I will have worked less than 20 years under FERS, so I will be entitled to a small federal pension, and Social Security. Our primary source of income is my husband’s CSRS retirement. If my husband should predecease me, I know I will receive a widow’s pension of approximately 55 percent of what he is currently receiving. Would…
Q. I retired from federal service after 26 years. I became a rehired annuitant with a waiver for several years and could not participate in any retirement service. I am now returning to federal service without a waiver and without a break in service knowing my income will be reduced by my retirement annuity. Will I return to CSRS or FERS retirement system in this new capacity? If I stay for more than one year, will my final retirement annuity be refigured? A. You will be placed in CSRS, the retirement system from which you retired, with the option of…