Browsing: leave and earnings statement

Q. When do retirees receive the cumulative retirement amount reflected in block 19 of their leave and earnings statement, and in what increments? Isn’t this in addition to the annuity and Thrift Savings Plan amounts retirees will receive? A. The figure you see on your pay slip is the cumulative amount you have contributed to the retirement system. At retirement, a portion of that amount and the government’s contribution will be returned to you in your monthly annuity payment. To find out the proportions of each and how the federal tax code applies to them, go to www.irs.gov/pub/irs-pdf/p721.pdf. FYI, the…

Q. I’m in CSRS. In the 1980s, I worked part time for a few years, and my SF-50 shows part time, 32 hours a pay period. I saved all of my leave and earnings statements, which show that I actually put in 70 hours per pay period. How will this service be viewed for retirement calculation purposes? This situation doesn’t fit into an electronic calculator! A. The method used to compute part-time service is at www.opm.gov/retire/pubs/handbook/C055.pdf. Scroll to Part 55B2. Although this applies to FERS employees, as the result of a recent court case, it also now applies to CSRS.

Q. I entered civil service Dec. 29, 1984. After contributing to CSRS for two years and accumulating approximately $3,500 in the retirement block of my leave and earnings statement, I got paid one day and the LES reflected about $9 in the retirement block. I went to payroll to inquire as to where the $3,500 already contributed had gone. This was about 1987, so I don’t remember the exact verbiage, but it was something like “You have a long time before you retire. Why are you worrying about that?” The payroll office was not even aware of the new FERS,…

Q. I am a under CSRS. I maxed out (41 years, 11 months) in January. I am aware that CSRS deductions will continue and will be returned to me with interest upon my retirement. However, my leave and earnings statement does not indicate how much is being put into this account. The L & E statement also indicates that the government is also still contributing. Is this normal, or should I be seeing how much is in this account? A. Nothing changes when you reach the number of years and full months of service that would produce the maximum earned…

Q. I am rather new to civil service and am not well-versed at finding information on my FERS retirement account. I see deductions from my check on my leave and earnings statement and the current balance. However, I also see contributions made by the government on my behalf are going into my account. The balance for my contributions is clearly found; the balance on the account to include the contributions made by the government on my behalf is not. Combined contribution amounts should make the overall amount in my account considerably more than what it shows on my LES. Please…

Q. I resigned at the beginning of a pay period from my position with the Department of Defense due to a hostile work environment. When I received my leave and earnings statement, I noticed I was coded as being AWOL for the balance of hours remaining in the pay period, after I had actually resigned. When I inquired about this, I was told that if leave is not requested, then it is coded as AWOL. I replied by essentially asking, how could I have been AWOL if I had already resigned? I did not receive a reply. Is it possible…