Q. I was allowed to go back into CSRS after an 18-year break in service even though I cashed out of it in 1991, with eight years of service. I can pay the redeposit back and have 12 years of service, if that is the wise thing, but I am waiting to see if I get a permanent job when this temporary job expires in 2014. Since I am only 54, I am beginning to wonder if I should have gone back into CSRS, because if I can’t find another federal job, and it is looking difficult with the budget…
Browsing: redeposit
Q. I worked for the federal government for 13½ years under CSRS. I left federal service in 1990 and withdrew my contributions because I never expected to go back. However, I was recently offered a job in the federal government that is worth taking and know I would have to go under FERS. I was fairly young when I left the federal service, so I would work at least five more years before retiring. Can I buy back my previous 13½ years of federal service, and if so, would the deposit to buy back my time be based on what…
Q. I worked for the Postal Service from late 1979 until about 1991. I had a lot of personal and work-related problems and was also given a letter of termination. I decided to quit. I also tried to pursue a disability, but I dropped that because of stress and depression. I withdrew my retirement to pay an accumulation of four months of bills and rent that I was behind in. I vaguely recall reading that there was a buyback of retirement. Is this true? I am applying for Social Security benefits. I am only 58, but, due to health concerns,…
Q. I am 54 years old and was employed with a federal agency for 17 years from 1979 to 1996. Upon resignation to enter the private sector, I withdrew 100 percent of my CSRS contributions. If I return to full-time federal employment this year, do I have the option of buying back the creditable service of 17 years for the same amount that I withdrew in 1996? Secondly, would I be able to continue with CSRS rather than FERS upon re-employment? Would I be eligible to retire after eight more years of federal employment service? A. If you returned to…
Q. I am with the USPS and am in CSRS. I began working in 1973 and quit in 1977, at which time I withdrew my retirement money. I returned to the USPS in 1983 and am still there. Do I need to redeposit the money I withdrew to get credit for 33 years of service? If I do not redeposit the money, will my annuity be decreased? A. Because you got that refund before Feb. 28, 1991, you’ll get credit for that time in determining you total years of service. However, if you don’t redeposit that money, plus accrued interest,…
Q. I started employment with the Defense Department in September 1981 under CSRS. In 1995, I took advantage of a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay because my organization was downsizing. I also took a refund on my retirement account, which I tried to invest in buying a home and lost it. I was reinstated in the government in 2004 and came back as CSRS Offset. I also rolled my 401(k) from the job I had outside the government into the Thrift Savings Plan. I will be 65 on March 7, and was planning to retire in May. Because…
Q. I left federal service in 1988 after 13 years of service and took out my CSRS money, which was about $20,000 at that time. I have decided to return to federal service and want to be in CSRS Offset. I was told that repayment would include yearly interest and would be about $80,000. How is interest calculated? May I roll over either an IRA, Roth or my personal 401(k) into the CSRS Offset account to repay my debt and avoid paying taxes? What about the taxes on the $20,000 that I paid in 1988? Would they eliminate at least…
Q. I am with USPS and am in CSRS. I began working in 1973 and quit in 1977, at which time I withdrew my retirement money. I returned to USPS in 1983 and am still there. Do I need to redeposit the money I withdrew to get credit for 33 years of service? If I do not redeposit the money, will my annuity be decreased? A. Because you took that refund before Feb. 1, 1991, you’ll get credit for those years of service in determining your eligibility to retire. However, if you don’t redeposit that money, plus accrued interest, your…
Q. I withdrew $4,000 after leaving federal service. I returned and plan on retiring after 30 years of service. I intend to pay back the withdrawal. Can I repay after I retire to regain the years I lost when I withdraw? Or do I have to repay while I’m still employed in federal service? A. You have to complete the redeposit, plus accrued interest, while you are employed by the federal government.
Q. I have been working for the federal government for just over two years. I am planning on moving in the next few months. I have applied to federal jobs, as well as private-sector jobs and have, so far, heard back from the private-sector jobs. I read that the Thrift Savings Plan is vested at three years and that employees are entitled to retirement benefits after five years. If I were to leave the federal system at this point, would I be able to return to the system in the future and “restart,” as it were, at my two-year mark?…