Q: I will be retiring in May 2011 at age 55 with 34 years of service in the Civil Service Retirement System. Four years of that time is added on from my military time, for which I did not make a deposit. If I work enough, will I be able to collect Social Security at age 65, not at 62? I only have 23 Social Security credits right now. A: If you retire before age 62 and won’t eligible for a Social Security benefit at that age, your CSRS annuity won’t be affected. However, if you become eligible for a…
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Q: I am a retiree under the Civil Service Retirement System. I had five years of military time which I did not make the deposit for and 26 years of federal service. I am not eligible for Social Security at this time. I have been told that if I return to work and qualify for Social Security, on my 62nd birthday my annuity will be recomputed and my five years of military service will be removed. Also, I was told my Social Security would be reduced to zero. Is all this true? A: The post-1956 military service rules are simple:…
Q: I plan to retire from federal service in a few years under CSRS. I will not receive Social Security benefits. My wife will retire at about the same time with Social Security benefits and a small state pension. I plan to elect a survivor annuity for my wife. If I die before her and she begins receiving the CSRS survivor annuity payments, will her monthly Social Security benefit be reduced due to the windfall elimination provision or any other factor? A: No, her Social Security benefit won’t be reduced. She will be able to receive her earned Social Security…
Q: My husband retired after more than 30 years with the U.S. Postal Service with CSRS. Prior to working for the postal service, he paid 39 quarters into Social Security. When he reaches 62, can he receive Social Security benefits, or does he need to have had 40 quarters. He does have an opportunity to pay more into his Social Security fund through a farm income (material participation), but isn’t certain if that will allow him to receive Social Security benefits. A: To be eligible for a Social Security benefit, he would have to have 40 credits. To qualify for…
Q: My husband started receiving his CSRS federal annuity in 2005 at age 55 after 35 years as a federal employee. He now also receives a small military pension. He is 60. He has plenty of quarters of Social Security, and still works and contributes to Social Security. What is meant by 30 quarters of substantial earnings? How do we know if he fits that definition? Also, if he chooses to delay applying for Social Security but instead opts for my Social Security spousal benefit (I will be eligible in seven years with plenty of quarters but no federal service),…
Q: I am a 63-year-old disabled woman. I was married in 1970 and divorced in 1990. My ex-husband was a police officer and did not pay Social Security taxes while he worked in law enforcement. He did pay into Social Security for a few years before he began working for law enforcement, but his pension would be very small. He is 64 and is still living. In 2000, I married for a second time. My husband is 73 and also disabled. He did work and paid into Social Security, his benefit amount is $1,651.40. In 1965, I began working for…
Q: I am under the Civil Service Retirement System and plan to retire within the next year after 31 years of service. I also have 40 quarters under Social Security from a previous job and plan to keep working as long as I can as a contractor paying into Social Security. If I wait until I am 70 to collect Social Security, I would have 21 years under Social Security. As I understand it, the windfall elimination provision will be adjusted by a percentage. If I continue to work past 70, would that percentage be continually recalculated, or is it…
Q: A Civil Service Retirement System employee recently retired and was told by a representative of the Social Security Administration that because he qualified for Social Security after he retired under CSRS he would not be affected by the windfall elimination provision. The rep said that he is only affected by the WEP if he had his 40 quarters during or before his CSRS employment. I can’t find any documentation supporting this. A: The SSA rep was confusing the windfall elimination provision with what’s often referred to as “Catch 62.” The WEP applies to the Social Security benefit of anyone…
Q: I am employed by the Defense Department under the Civil Service Retirement System. My service computation date is Dec. 17, 1977, and I will turn 62 on Nov. 16. Prior to entering civil service, I earned enough quarters to qualify for Social Security. I have not selected a retirement date, but I am considering Dec. 31 of this year or January 2011 to receive a payout from the National Security Personnel System. If I retire Dec. 31, I will be reimbursed for all of my annual leave, but after that reimbursement I would be limited to the maximum amount…
Q: I am a veteran who paid into Social Security while in service for seven years; I am now retired from federal service under the Civil Service Retirement System. Will I be entitled to Social Security payments? A: You will only be entitled to a Social Security benefit if you have earned 40 credits, which takes 10 years of covered earnings. Note: If you are eventually entitled to a Social Security benefit, you will be impacted by the windfall elimination provision. The WEP reduces the Social Security benefit of anyone who is receiving an annuity from a retirement system in…