Q. I was in the active duty Air Force for nine years, three months. I then worked as a GS-06 firefighter for seven months. I left federal civil service to take a job with a state government fire department. I am now 43 years old and will be taking a job as a GS-12 Military Reserve Technician as a fire chief and will be in FERS. I will buy back my years on active duty and want to retire at no older than 57. Will I qualify for the 1.7 percent retirement? If made to retire from military service, will…
Browsing: special retirement supplement
Q. I am a retired FERS employee and I am considering employment with a railroad. If I take the position, will my supplemental annuity be reduced? The railroad employees do not contribute to Social Security. A. Yes, you special retirement supplement will be reduced or suspended if your earnings from wages or self employment exceed the annual Social Security earnings limit, which in 2011 is $14,160.
Q. I am thinking of retiring soon at age 60 with 20 years’ service. I know I am entitled to the special retirement supplement until age 62 but I am also a widow and want to start collecting my spouse’s Social Security. Can I collect both at the same time? The spousal SSA is three times the amount of the special retirement supplement so I cannot afford to put off collecting until age 62 his SSA benefit. A. Yes.
Q. I am 50 years old with 25 years of service (FERS). There is talk of an early retirement being offered later this year. If I were to take an early retirement would I receive the Social Security supplement? A. You wouldn’t be eligible to receive the special retirement supplement until you reach your minimum retirement age. Since you were born between 1953 and 1964, your MRA is 56.
Q. I am a FERS employee. I have paid back four years military time and 2.5 years temp time before 1989. Will these years be used in the FERS supplement calculation? A. No. Only actual time as a FERS employee will be used in the computation of your special retirement supplement.
Q: I am 57 with four years of military buyback and 18 years of uninterrupted federal service. I am confused about eligibility for the special retirement supplement. Some say I am eligible if VERA is implemented, others say eligibility requirements state that only those eligible for an “unreduced” retirement are eligible, which of course would exclude MRA+10 retirees like myself. Please clarify for me. A: Those who retire under the MRA+10 provision aren’t eligible to receive the special retirement supplement. Those who meet the age and service requirements for early retirement and accept an offer to do that are eligible,…
Q. I am a mailman covered by FERS. I was born in 1957 and have almost 28 years of service. It looks like the Postal Service will soon force some retirements . Can I get my Social Security portion at a reduced annuity payment to help with my monthly income? With roughly $1,200 from the first phase from the Post Office and then a roughly $200 retirement health care benefit payment, I’ll need all the help I can get. A. Your options are limited. If you accept an offer of early retirement, you’d have to wait until you reach your minimum…
Q. If Congress moves to increase the eligibility age to receive Social Security, say from 67 to 70, could that have an effect on the age a retiree could receive the SRS? A. I’ve put your question in my Currently Unanswerable file. If there’s a change in the law that provides an answer, you’ll probably get the news as fast as I will.
Q. I am over 50 with more than 20 years of service, but under my minimum retirement age of 56. If voluntary early retirement is offered, do I also receive the FERS annuity supplement if I am under 56? Does the supplement calculation also include years working in the private sector and also paying into Social Security during those years? A. If you retire under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, you won’t be eligible for the special retirement supplement until you reach you minimum retirement age. The SRS will be based solely on your time as a FERS employee.
Q. I am being involuntarily separated from Nonappropriated Fund service due to my position being abolished. I retained Federal Employees Retirement Service when I became an NAF employee. I am 55 years old with more than 10 years of creditable service and will be Minimum Retirement Age+10 eligible when I turn 56. Will I be penalized 5 percent for every year under the age of 62 if I apply for MRA+10 retirement? My retirement will be a result of being involuntarily separated. Will I be eligible for any Social Security benefits? A. If you are separated before you reach your MRA, you…