Q: I worked in a federal job as a temporary employee where no retirement deductions were taken out for seven years. I was then converted to a permanent employee. I am now 62 years old with 33 years of federal service and a service computation date of 1977. I am looking at retirement but I am reading about the requirement to pay a deposit back so that my annuity will not be reduced by 10 percent. How do I go about determining what that amount is, and how do I pay it back?
A: Because your period of nondeduction service occurred before Oct. 1, 1982, you have the option of making a deposit to get credit for that time in your annuity computation or having your annuity reduced by 10 percent of the amount you owe, plus accrued interest. You can find out how much you owe by completing Standard Form 2803, Application to Make Deposit or Redeposit, available from you personnel office or online, and sending it to the Office of Personnel Management. Once you have that information, you can figure out which is the best option.