Q. I am anticipating retiring Jan. 3 after almost 40 years of continuous service for the Veterans Affairs Department. I recall, many years ago, retirees electing withdrawal of their cumulative contributions to the retirement fund and receiving a minimum penalty in their annuity. I am unable to find anything online relating to this option and my human resources people say they’ve never heard of it. When did we lose this option? On that subject, my earnings and leave do not reflect the total amount that I have contributed to the retirement fund, but only the amount contributed since conversion to…
Browsing: leave and earnings
Q. I have worked at a number of federal agencies over the past 35 years. My current leave and earnings statement only reflects my earnings and CSRS contributions at my current agency. How do I get the true total earnings I have had over my entire federal career? Is there a form or office I can contact. What is the correct procedure? I am planning to retire at the end of this calendar year. A. I checked with the Office of Personnel Management, and here is what they had to say: “First, the employee must have all of their SF-50s from…
Q. I am active Army with a terminal leave date of July 1. I am considering a GS-13 position with a start date of July 1 (I plan to work during terminal leave), but I have to negotiate a step increase. However, I’m being told I can’t use my leave and earnings statement as justification for my current pay. Is that the case? If so, why? A. Your leave and earnings statement is simply a one-month snapshot. In addition, it may be difficult for the folks you are negotiating with to separate the income that represents your job-based earnings from…
Q. My son was just hired as an apprentice ($15.78 per hour). His leave and earnings statement Code K shows he only contributes $10.10 per pay period. This can’t be correct, or is it? A. Yes, it is. As a FERS employee, he would contribute .008 percent to the retirement fund. If he receives $15.78 per hour and has an 80-hour workweek, his gross income per pay period would be $1,262.40, which would require that $10.10 be deducted from his pay.
Q. When I got hired into federal service, I made the Post-56 payment, and the amount of that payment showed on my leave and earnings statement in block 20. Later, I changed agencies, and block 20 became blank. I have my “paid in full” confirmation letter as proof of the payment. Should I be worried that block 20 is empty? A. No. Your “paid in full” confirmation letter is all you need.
Q. I worked for years for the Federal Aviation Administration, part of the Department of Transportation. My pay was handled by Employee Express, which sent me my leave and earnings statement and W-2s. In mid-June 2010, I left the FAA and went to work for the Missile Defense Agency, part of the Defense Department. My pay is now handled by Defense Finance and Accounting Services, which gives me my LES and W-2s. But the W-2 from DFAS covers only the second half of 2010. Where can I get the W-2 for my time at the FAA? I can’t get into Employee…
Q. Regarding the amount on each leave and earnings statement about my total CSRS contributions to date: My agency was BRACed in the 1990s, and I transferred to another. We were told at the time to keep track of our last LES from the old station as the retirement contribution amounts would not transfer on the LES. In the move, of course, I lost the old LES. At the new station, our pay system changed and we were told the same thing again. I noticed both times that the contribution amount was reset to zero. Is that information still true about the…
Q. I am a federal employee under CSRS. I started in August 1978. On my leave and earnings statement under cumulative retirement, it is only showing $51,067.73 for 33 years of service. I think there should be more. Is there any way to find out? A. If you have only worked for one agency, you can ask your payroll office to check it out for you. If you worked for more than one agency, you’ll have to go to the National Personnel Records Center at www.archives.gov/st-louis/civilian-personnel, where records of your prior service may have been sent.
Q. I am in the process of filing for FERS retirement. I currently have 30 years of civil service (GS-11), which includes three years and seven months of military service. I am being told by human resources that they cannot include the three years military time for Retirement Annuity Computation because I receive a check each month from the Veterans Affairs Department for a 30 percent disability rating (service-connected disability). Also, my leave and earnings statement (LES) shows that I have repaid the military time. I have sent human resources a letter from VA showing that I was removed from the temporary…
Q: I bought back four years of military service last month. If I can take this off my taxes for 2009, will it show on my W-2 forms and leave and earnings statement? A: No, you can’t take it off your taxes and it won’t show up on either your W-2 or your leave and earnings statement.