Browsing: high-3 calculation

Q. I took a downgrade when I moved to another state. My high-3 was at a GS-9 Step 6 in 2006. Will my high-3 calculation be based on what I made for three consecutive years at the salary I was getting in 2006, or will it be based on GS-9 Step 6 the year I retire? In other words, will the cost-of-living raises be included in the retirement calculation? A. Your high-3 will be based on your highest three consecutive years of average pay, regardless of when that occurs in your career.

Q: I know it won’t matter for at least the next several years, but when we receive a pay raise at the beginning of the year, how long do we need to be at the new salary for it to be a part of the computation of our high-3? A: A high-3 is simply the average of the three highest consecutive years of base pay, whenever they occur. Assuming that your most recent 36 months are the basis for your high-3, for every additional month you work at the same or higher pay rate, one month will be dropped from…

Q: I can retire in February with 31 years of service under the Civil Service Retirement System as a part-time/flex employee in the U.S. Postal Service. My “high-3” years were from 2006-2009. Will they use these years to calculate my annuity? Is it always the last years? Is it always three consecutive years, or is it the highest consecutive three years? As a PTF, my hours changed yearly as to how many offices I worked in. Also, when I was hired in 1979, I never heard of “buying back” or anything related. Since I made no deposits, or didn’t know…

Q: I understand that under the Civil Service Retirement System, we can use unused sick leave toward federal service time that is used to determine the amount of time considered under the CSRS retirement pay formula.  Also, I understand that under CSRS, the maximum time allowed is 42 years, which translates to 80 percent of the average salary in a worker’s “high-3” years. My questions are, if someone is covered by CSRS, if they add up their military and civil service time and get 42 years, can unused sick leave be added to the 42 years to get more than…

Q: I am an employee with U.S. Customs and Border Protection in a covered 6(c) law enforcement position. I have 19 6(c) law enforcement years for retirement purposes. I am also in the National Guard. If I enter the active-duty Army and take leave without pay for the next five years, which years would be included to make up my “high 3” for retirement purposes under the Federal Employees Retirement System? Is the high-3 calculation based on actual money earned (i.e., the three years prior to entering active duty with the military), or is it based on my paygrade and…