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…
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Q. I understand that if you exceed the special retirement supplement earnings limit for the year you retire, you will not be eligible for the special retirement supplement for the rest of that year. Is this correct? I will be eligible to retire Jan. 22, 2015. I would like to carry into the 2015 year 240 hours of annual leave. There are two pay days in 2015 prior to Jan. 22. Most likely, the lump-sum payment for 240 hours of annual leave and January wage earnings will exceed the special retirement supplement earnings limit for 2015. If I put all…
Q. I was active-duty Navy (1980-84), then active Coast Guard (1991-2000). I received a tentative offer for employment with Army a few weeks ago (I’ve been a contractor since 2000). All required documents are submitted. Now I wait. How do I buy my 13 years active duty into FERS? Can I use my existing 401(k) to pay this? How much would it cost me? I also found out that, as of Jan. 1, the deduction for retirement went up to 3.1 percent. I guess a tentative offer before Dec. 31 doesn’t count for hired, so my pay is decreased. Adding…
Q. I’m a Postal Service employee under FERS, eligible for the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority. If I take the early-out, I’ll have 26 years and nine months of service and I’ll be 55 years of age at the time of last day of service. I’ll be 56 in June. I understand that if I take the early-out, I don’t have to have 30 years of service to get a percentage of the special retirement supplement, based on 26 years of service (that would put me at about 65 percent of what I would get from Social Security at age 62,…
Q. I have six years in the Navy. I understand I can pay back/down those years for maximum retirement benefit. I’m 48 years old, have no savings and started this job to get on with planning for the future. I am a GS-7, step 1. I’m planning on contributing at least 5 percent a month of my pay, and I understand the Veterans Affairs Department will match 4 percent. I’d like to retire at 62ish. Here is a copy of my latest leave and earnings statement: ———————————————————————- Pay Period: 12-22 Name: ALLEN, TROY J Gross Pay 1,586.40 Federal Tax Amt Withheld 179.76…
Q. I am 46 with 22 years of service, and have been told that I will soon receive a letter of directed reassignment to a job in my same grade far outside my commuting area. When the letter arrives, if I should decline to move to the new position, what are my options for drawing retirement? How about insurance? Severance pay? What about my 401(k) in the Thrift Savings Plan? My performance ratings are not an issue. A. Reg: Because you wouldn’t meet the age and service requirements to retire, you’d only have one option. If you didn’t take a refund of…
Q. I’m an electronic technician with the Postal Service and applied for a electronic technician position with the FAA. If I were offered the job, would my time carry over? If my current pay is between the pay scales, is it matched to what I currently make? Since I’m already a federal employee, I wouldn’t need to go through probation again, right? Where can I find out the pay scales and how much annual and sick leave are accrued? Should I know or consider any other information? A. Your years of service, leave accrual rate and TSP investments would transfer…
Q. I am 48. I was active-duty enlisted Navy from 1983 to 1993, so I have 10 years’ active duty. I got out as an E-6 with an honorable discharge. I am also 10 percent disabled, which happened when I applied for the CAVET program. I live in California. I took an early-out special separation bonus lump sum to get out after 10 years. President Reagan was drawing down the forces at the time and offered the early out. I don’t see any money because I understand I have to pay back the SSB lump sum. I have been working…
Q. I am an unmarried federal employee. I max out my contribution to the Thrift Savings Plan. I plan to work until at least 62, which will give me 21 years of service, or possibly until 65 with 24 years. As a federal employee in FERS and with TSP, what is the best way to provide income for two siblings when I die? I am not opposed to taking a reduction in monthly benefits if that is the best way to do so. My home will be paid off in 2014. I have no other debt and live on about…
Q. I’m 50 and have 21 years of federal government service under FERS. If my agency offers Voluntary Early Retirement Authority next year, which I expect it will, I’ll probably accept. My high-3 average is $100,000, I’ll have 22 years of service, and my Thrift Savings Plan is around $200,000. 1. Can I receive my FERS annuity ($22,000/year) as soon as I officially retire, without penalty? 2. Can I receive FERS supplemental annuity from when I’m 57 (minimum retirement age) to 62? 3. Can I receive my Social Security from as early as 62 (or, if I choose, 67 or 70)? A. 1. Yes. 2.…