Q. I am a returning civil service employee, first hired in August 1982 under CSRS. I was employed for 16+ years, then left for 13 years of military service. I am getting rehired in a federal position. Will I be reinstated under full CSRS or CSRS Offset? I did not take a refund, I am collecting a military retirement, and paid Social Security since 1975. I intend to work for five years. Will I be subject to the windfall elimination provision? A. You will be placed in CSRS Offset because you had a break in service that exceeded one year.…
Browsing: substantial earnings
Q. I worked 30 years under CSRS and when the judge for whom I worked retired, our office was “abolished,” and the law clerk and I lost our jobs. I then worked in the civilian sector for six years. I returned to federal court under CSRS Offset for 1½ years. Because of part-time jobs and the six years I worked in the civilian sector, I was eligible for Social Security. I retired after 31½ years of CSRS and the necessary quarters for SS. When SS sent projections before I turned 62, it indicated I would receive about $700 a month…
Q. I’m a traditional CSRS employee with 34 years and no break in federal service. I also have paid into Social Security with 15 years of substantial earnings. I plan to continue to work until age 70 in CSRS. My Social Security full retirement age is 66. When I apply for Social Security benefits, can I work full time and collect Social Security? And will the windfall elimination provision decrease my Social Security benefits while I am employed? A. Yes to the first question and yes to the second if you have fewer than 30 years of substantial earnings under…
Q. I retired under CSRS in 1995 at age 48. My pension was reduced by 14 percent because I retired seven years before my minimum retirement age of 55. I found that I had to get a job to supplement my income. I have finally met the 40-quarter requirement for Social Security but cannot determine what my benefit would be. The Social Security Administration says I will be getting around $500 a month, but a friend of mine says the amount will be cut in half because I already get a federal pension. If that is true, then I cannot…
Q. I am a 59-year-old Army civilian and have 30 years of service as of early August. I had left government service and did not withdraw my contributions from CSRS. I came back to the government after a more-than-five-year absence in the private sector. Hence the CSRS Offset status. Instead of retiring, could I resign and apply for my retirement at a latter age, say 62 or later? Between now and that time, I would be working in the private sector again contributing to Social Security. I still do not understand why the CSRS pension is reduced by Social Security…
Q. I have 40 quarters of private-sector experience to qualify for Social Security. I will be 61 years old in October. I want to start collecting my Social Security at age 62. I am in CSRS. I had 30 years on June 3. Will I be able to get my full benefit of Social Security at age 62 and still work in my federal job? Also, I have had problems figuring out how much I will eventually get from Social Security when I retire due to the windfall elimination provision. I have all of my earning statements from the Social…
Q. I’m a current CSRS employee with 34 years’ federal service and also have 15 years of “substantial earnings” for Social Security. My plan is to continue to work until age 70 under the CSRS retirement system. At age 66, can I apply and draw full Social Security retirement benefits? Is it correct that the WEP reduction will take effect only once the individual retires from federal service? I read that WEP does not affect an individual who continues to work and is drawing Social Security benefits. A. Yes, you can begin receiving your unreduced Social Security benefit when you…
Q. I have been a retired NSA employee since 2000 and have a CSRS annuity paid to me monthly. My husband, age 62, and is now collecting Social Security. I also have enough quarters of private-sector employment to permit me to collect Social Security. Am I eligible to collect spousal Social Security monthly? A. Because you are receiving an annuity from CSRS, a retirement system where you didn’t pay Social Security taxes, any Social Security spousal benefit to which you are entitled will be affected by the government pension offset provision of law. The GPO will reduce that benefit by $2 for…
Q. I worked for 20 years as a federal employee at the Postal Service under the CSRS retirement plan. Before, during and after that period, I also worked in the private sector and paid Social Security taxes on those earnings. In addition, I served 10 years in the active military before and after my employment at the post office. When I applied for my annuity from federal service, I received a letter saying that my annuity would be reduced at age 62 whether I applied for Social Security benefits at that time or not. However, over the next three years, I continued to receive the same benefit. I…
Q. Can the windfall elimination provision completely wipe out earned Social Security? If that is the case, is there a legal way to avoid paying Social Security taxes when I retire and work outside of the government with the realization that I will never be able to recoup what I’ve already paid into the system along with future payments. I worked many secondary jobs when I first started in the government and receive the usual notices from Social Security telling me that I am eligible based on that, but my limited understanding of WEP leads me to believe that I…