Q: I know that I can retire at 30 years of service and 55 years of age. At the present time I have more than 30 years of service; however, I am under 55. I am 50. I would like to know: 1. For every year above 30 years of service do I get 2 percent more or only at 30 years and age 55? 2. If so? If I decided to retire say at 52 or 53 with 34 years would that balance out to a full retirement? A: Here’s the formula used to compute the annuities of Civil…
Browsing: high-3
Q: I am a substantial contributor to Social Security through the military reserves, and I worked six years as a teacher. I also have 26 years of CSRS service and five years of CSRS OFFSET for a total of 31 years of service. My high three is $107,800. I am 61 years old and could retire now. I understand how the security portion of the offset will be calculated but I do not understand how the substantial contribution portion will be handled through the military and as a teacher. A: Substantial earnings under Social Security are substantial earnings, no matter…
Q. I retired from the Air Force after 23 years and have been receiving retired pay since 1996. I’ve been working under FERS now since January 1999 and hope to retire at age 59 in 2014 under the MRA+10 provision. Someone recently told me I would have the option to somehow combine the two retirements into one. He stated that for some people it means more money and for some less, so it has to be weighted individually. Are you aware of any such option and are their any issues to be wary about? A. You can get credit for…
Q. I am currently on approved Leave Without Pay due to a work injury and I am receiving federal compensation benefits. I am nearing regular retirement age and I am concerned about my high-3 retirement calculation. I have been on LWOP for 3 years. Will the salary I would have earned during these years be used in my calculation? I also understand that a new law may increase by retirement calculation for lost TSP contributions. A. As long as you are on LWOP and receiving compensation, that time will be treated as if you were still on the job, both…
Q: Regarding your answer concerning retirement and locality pay: I will retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System with 30 years in February 2012. Does locality pay count as part of your high-3? A: Yes, it does.
Q: I am covered by the Civil Service Retirement System with 41 years of service. I was all set to retire this year when they finally phased in the locality pay. There is a clause for those retiring between January 2010 and December 2012 that says we can have the locality pay included in our base pay for annuity purposes. It is my understanding that I would have to work the full three years and then pay the additional CSRS withholding for my high-3 to have locality pay included all three years. What if I want to retire at the…
Q: I am hoping to retire with 20 years as a 6c law enforcement officer. I have approximately 10 additional years of federal service (noncovered). Will the annuity for these noncovered 10 years be computed at a 2 percent rate? Will the rate be the high-3 of those 10 years (noncovered) or the high-3 of the covered service? A: If you have 20 years of covered service as a law enforcement officer, the special, more generous annuity computation will be used to compute that part of your annuity (0.025 x your high-3 x 20 years). Any years of service over 20, whether covered or not, will…
Q: I am a federal employee under the Civil Service Retirement System. My wife was a Federal Employees Retirement System employee who left the government after 10 years (1985 to 1995). Is she eligible for a pension, and, if so, at what age? Should I leave her contributions in the retirement system or withdraw them? A: Because your wife had at least five years of creditable service and left her contributions in the retirement fund, she will be eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62. That annuity will be based on her length of service and her highest three…
Q: I am a GS-1811 law enforcement officer covered under the early retirement provisions of 6(c) and a Civil Service Retirement System employee. Can my four years of active-duty military service, for which I have made a redeposit into CSRS, be used to reach the 35 years (or 80 percent max annuity under CSRS) of total credited federal service (i.e., 31 years of actual federal LEO civilian service plus 4 years of military service equal 35 years of service annuity)? A: Your first 20 years of law enforcement service will be calculated using the enhanced formula: 0.25 x your high-3…