Q. I retired in 2010 at age 53 after a 25-year career in a federal law enforcement position. I have obtained new employment in the private sector. In June 2013, I will reach my Federal Employees Retirement System minimum retirement age of 56. My estimated earnings during calendar year 2013 will be approximately $35,000. Is my special annuity supplement reduced/eliminated in June 2013 when I turn 56, or will the reduction/elimination become effective in 2014? A. The test is based on earnings in the previous year and the reduction is applied in the following year. In your case, excess earnings in 2013 would result…
Browsing: IRS
Q: A friend told me that her monthly Social Security benefit was reduced by $250 because of the profits made from the sale of a house that she inherited from her mother. Can this be true? A: The Social Security earnings limit only applies to earnings from wages or self-employment, and then only for those individuals who haven’t reached full retirement age. In the ordinary course of events, income received through the sale of a home wouldn’t be considered to be earnings. However, if she reported any portion of the proceeds as earnings on her federal income tax return (because…
Q: I am helping with my sister’s income taxes. On her 1099-R, Box 2A, the taxable amount is unknown. I don’t know how to report whether her survival annuity is taxable or nontaxable. A: While most of her annuity will be taxable, a portion will not. To find out how much of it will be tax-free, download a copy of IRS Publication 721, Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits.
Q: I retired at the end of 2007 but continued to work part time until February . I “failed” my first earnings test in June 2009, and my supplement was suspended that August. My earnings for 2009 were similar to 2008, but my earnings for 2010 will be below the threshold for a supplement reduction. When and how will my supplement get turned back on? A: According to the Office of Personnel Management, special retirement supplements are reviewed when it receives information on the annual survey they sent to retirees or from either the Social Security Administration or the Internal Revenue Service…
Q: I was told by an administrative person some 15 years ago that your initial retirement pay is not taxed until your retirement exceeds your cumulative retirement pay-in. Is this true? A: That hasn’t been true since the law changed in 1983. Before that time, retirees received the full amount of their retirement contributions before their annuities were taxed. Since then, a portion of each annuity payment is taxable. For information on how that amount is determined, read IRS Publication 721, Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement Benefits, available at http://www.irs.gov/publications/p721/index.html.
Q: Is Base Closure and Realignment restored leave taxable when distributed? My CPO is telling me yes but cannot cite any regulation. I recall from an earier question you answered that you said that BRAC leave had already been taxed when earned and therefore no withholding would be imposed on the payout. Can someone give me the chapter and verse? Our installation closes in 2011, and many of us have built up large BRAC balances. A: I think your memory is playing tricks on you. Annual leave isn’t taxable when it’s earned, nor is it taxable when restored. Annual leave…