Q. If I take an early retirement with FERS, can I ever be re-employed by the Defense Department once I am an annuitant?
A. Yes. However, what happens would depend on the circumstances. Your annuity could stop and you’d once more be a regular employee, only able to retire again when you met the age and service requirements. Or your annuity could continue and your salary would be offset by the amount of your annuity. (If you worked for one year full time, you’d be entitled to a supplemental annuity; if you worked for five years, you’d be entitled to a redetermined annuity.) Or if you were hired into a position that allowed you to receive both your annuity and the full salary of your position, you would receive no additional retirement credit when you left it. You’d have to check with your potential employer to determine what would happen in your case.