Q: I am 65 years old and will be 66 in January. I am contemplating retirement from the federal government. I worked in the private sector for more than 20 years and switched over to the government in 1985. I am under the Civil Service Retirement system. I was informed by a co-worker that my Social Security benefits, which I am counting on heavily to support my family, will be reduced substantially because I am under CSRS. Is this true? A: Your Social Security benefit would only be affected if you have fewer than 30 years of Social Security-covered employment.…
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Q: I retired at age 57 as a Civil Service Retirement System Offset employee. I’ve enjoyed a private industry position but have learned that at age 62, my CSRS annuity will be reduced. I can retire through the Social Security Administration to recoup the reduced amount, but will be subject to an earnings limit which wipes out the entire SSA pension. Am I missing something? Are offset retirees subject to the SSA earnings limits? A: Yes, they are. The earnings test will reduce your Social Security benefit by $1 for every $2 you earn above the limit, which is $14,160…
Q: My husband has been working for the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years. He is 53 years old. He is entitled to Federal Employees Retirement System benefits at age 56, but he wants to retire now due to health issues. Can he do that? A: The only way he could retire before reaching his minimum retirement age would be if he was approved for disability retirement. To find out if he is eligible, he’d have to file for disability retirement and, at the same time, file for Social Security disability benefits. His personnel office can help him do that.
Q: I have been working for the government for the past seven years under the Federal Employees Retirement System and expect to retire in 13 years at age 67. Prior to my government service, I worked in the private sector and paid into the Social Security system for 35 years. Am I to assume that I will be receiving both a full FERS and Social Security benefit when I retire? A: Yes. You will receive your FERS annuity based on your years of FERS-covered employment and a Social Security benefit based on all your Social Security-covered employment, not just that under…
Q: I am a civilian federal employee who started with the government in September 1986. Is it true that no retirement deductions were taken until Jan. 1, 1989? If this is true, how can I get credit for the two-plus years during which no deductions were taken? A: If you were hired into a position that required deductions from your pay, you would have been covered by Civil Service Retirement Offset (CSRS and Social Security) for the months preceding Jan. 1, 1987, when the Federal Employees Retirement System went online. Your CSRS Offset time would have been converted to FERS…
Q: My husband passed away Jan. 25, 2009, and I’m receiving his Social Security benefits, as well as benefits from the U.S. Postal Service. If I remarry, will I lose the benefits from the USPS? I know I will still collect his Social Security. A: Unless you were to remarry before age 55, your survivor annuity wouldn’t be affected. If you did remarry before age 55, that annuity would be suspended. It could only be restarted is the marriage were ended by annulment, divorce or the death of the new spouse.
Q: I retired with Civil Service Retirement System at 50 years old with 25 years’ law enforcement service. I’ve been self-employed for the past three years and reached my 40 quarters, including my pre-federal employment. I make a decent self-employment income now at around $90,000, and pay substantial Social Security quarterly payments. My concern is that basically the offset is going to take away most of my Social Security pay at 62/65. That said, are my payments to Social Security still mandatory? I realize my quarterly taxes are, and the IRS distributes them accordingly. A: Deductions for Social Security are…
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement System employee who will be retiring in June 2011 at the age of 66 years, 3 months. At that time, I will have 20 years of federal service. I have the option of taking Social Security benefits when I turn 66 in March or waiting until I actually retire in June. My inclination is to take the benefits when I turn 66 when there is no penalty, since I will be at full retirement age. Am I correct in this decision or am I missing something? A: You are correct. Once you have…
Q. I am currently on LWOP and receiving compensation through the Office of Workers; Compensation. I am employed by the Department of Labor, and am 60 years old. I have applied for Social Security benefits for the purpose of applying for federal disability retirement, which I did approximately one month ago. I would like to know if I can relocate while in my present status and how do I learn if my application for retirement is accepted? A. You are free to relocate while your application for benefits is being adjudicated. However, you’ll need to make sure that your agency, OWCP,…
Q. I am turning 67 and planning to apply for Social Security benefits based on my own record of more than 37 years. I currently am receiving a CSRS annuity from my deceased husband who died in February 1982 while still working. Will the GPO affect my Social Security benefit amount? A. No, it will not. The government pension offset applies only to the Social Security benefit of someone who is receiving an earned annuity from a retirement system where he or she didn’t pay Social Security taxes.