Q. I have 37 years civil service with the government (CSRS) and plan to retire either Dec. 31, 2012, or Jan. 1, 2013. If I do not use any of my use-or-lose leave and I retire Jan. 1, 2013 will I get paid for the use-or-lose leave for 2012 and 2013 in one lump sum? How is this sum taxed? A. Lump-sum payments for unused annual leave are taxed as earned income. FYI: The 2012 leave year ends Jan. 12, 2013. If you retire Dec. 31, 2012 (a Monday), or Jan. 1, 2013 (a Tuesday), you wouldn’t be retiring at the…
Browsing: lump sum
Q. What is the best month and day to retire? I should have 240 hours at the end of December, which could be carried over to the next year. If I retire in December, would I not only receive the 240 hours but 208 for the next year. If I retire Jan. 1 of the next year, would I receive the 240 in the hole plus the 208 I would accrue for the new year? I am trying to get 400 hours. How can I do this? I know it takes a while for the retirement benefits to arrive and I…
Q. I am a Civil Service Retirement System employee planning to retire Dec. 31. I will receive a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave in 2012. I understand that this payment will be subject to federal and state (where applicable) taxes but that other deductions (health care, retirement and Thrift Savings Plan contributions) are not taken. Do I have the option to have a Social Security contribution taken from this payment? (I need seven credits to get to 40 credits/[quarters]) and this would seemingly represent an opportunity to acquire four of them if it is an available option). Is there…
Q. If I retire on Dec. 31 with 30 years at age 57 with a buyout, when will I receive my final paycheck, lump-sum buyout payment and my first FERS retirement annuity and supplement pay? A. Only your agency payroll office can tell you when you’ll receive your final paycheck and lump-sum buyout payment. And only the Office of Personnel Management knows when you’ll receive your first annuity interim payment, which won’t include the special retirement supplement. You’ll only get that when you receive your first full annuity payment, which will include any amounts you are owed for both benefits. There…
Q. My husband worked for the Department of Veterans Affairs for 12 years and went out on disability retirement at age 55. He recently passed away at age 60. As he did not reach the age of 62, he was never converted to a regular Federal Employees Retirement System retirement. I am told I may be eligible for a lump-sum benefit/refund of any monies paid into FERS. Is this worth applying for, or were his FERS contributions used to pay his disability retirement for the past five years? A. Assuming that you were married to him for at least 18 months…
Q: I am an employee under the Civil Service Retirement System, 6C, facing mandatory retirement the second week of January 2012. I anticipate finishing 2011 with 448 hours of annual leave on the books. Jan. 1, 2 and 3 would be the ideal retirement dates. In 2011, Pay Period 26 ends on the last day of the year. I’m now looking at Dec. 31, a Saturday, as the retirement date on the paperwork in order to receive the full annual leave 448-hour lump-sum payment. Do you see any problem with that date given the information provided? Additionally, I would imagine…
Q: Suppose a CSRS employee has more than two months unused Annual Leave and plans to retire soon. I understand employees can get a lump sum payout for unused A/L. Yet it seemed one can alternatively request permission to take two months of A/L starting at the time he wants to quit and officially retire after spending the A/L. In that way, he sacrifices the lump sum payout to gain two extra months of service credit which boosts his CSRS pension. Self-calculations indicate that is a significant boost, but it seems most people opt for lump sum. So there may…
Q: If I retire at the end of fiscal year 2010 — on Sept. 30 — can I delay cashing out my annual leave balance until 2011, when I would be in a lower income tax bracket? A: No, you can’t. Lump-sum payments are automatic and are made when your finance office completes the close-out of your employment records. As a rule, the payment is made at the same time your final paycheck is issued.
Q: I resigned my GS position (involuntarily) from an abusive work section situation in Utah and received a lump-sum payment. I have since acquired a new federal job. When I go to the Employee Benefits Information System Web site, it states 180 hours of leave, but the amount says “n/a.” So, I guess it is a one-time payment? A: Yes, it is a one-time payment. When you left government, you exchanged your accumulated hours of annual leave for cash. The site you went to reflects the fact that on the day you left government, you had a balance of 180 hours;…
Q: I’m thinking of retiring and wondering if there is anything that precludes an individual from retiring one day and coming back to work as a federal employee the next? A: Not that I’m aware of. However, there are some things you need to keep in mind. If you were to take early retirement, when you returned to work your annuity would be canceled and you would be treated as any regular employee with the same age and service. And you wouldn’t be eligible to retire again until you met the age and service requirements. On the other hand, if…