Q. I am 50 and I have been in government for 27 years. I am going to apply for a deferred retirement at age 60 or 62. I thought I read somewhere that the “high-3” was consecutive. If I was a GS-13 and due to BRAC had to come back into the government at a much lower grade, could I still use my high-3 including grades 11-13 or am I required to use the last grade I held?
A. Yes. Your high-3 is the highest three consecutive years of average basic pay (78 pay periods), regardless of when they occur in your career.
