Q. I am a FERS employee with slightly less than five years’ creditable service. If I am the victim of a reduction in force before I reach the five-year point, will any unused leave be counted toward creditable service? A. No.
Browsing: unused leave
Q. I am planning to retire at the end of this year and may have both credit and compensatory leave balances at that time. Is my agency required to pay me for this unused leave, or is it optional? A. While comp time will be paid at the overtime rate in effect when it was earned, credit hours have no cash value and will be liquidated when you retire.
Q. I work for the Defense Department and plan on retiring at the end of this year. I’m retired from National Guard and have 240 hours of military leave. When I retire from DoD, will I be paid for the 240 hours of military leave along with my DoD leave? A. No. You’ll have to check with your branch of service to see if your military leave has any cash value.
Q. Am I correct that you can “add” accrued annual leave in the calculation of CSRS retirement percentages, even if the accrued and unused leave at retirement would increase your retirement percentage more than 80 percent? A. Yes. The 80 percent limit applies only to the earned annuity benefit, the one based on your years and full months of creditable service.
Q: I will be 60 in December 2013 but will not have 20 years of service until April 2014. I have 1,000 hours of sick leave. Can I use that leave beginning Jan. 1, 2014, to reach the April milestone? A: No. You must meet the actual age and earned service requirements to be eligible to retire. Unused sick leave can only be added after you meet those requirements.
Q: What are the rules concerning getting paid a lump sum for unused comp time (overtime credit) after retirement? Is there a limit on how many hours you can get paid for? Does the balance of annual leave have any effect on comp time balance? A: Compensatory time must be used within 26 pay periods. If you retire and have any compensatory time remaining, it will be paid at the hourly overtime rate in effect when you earned it. Such a payment is not affected by any lump sum payment for unused annual leave to which you may be entitled.
Q: I read on Fed Weekly that some congressional discussions occurred on the subject of allowing federal workers to transfer all or part of their unused sick and annual leave into their Thrift Savings Plan accounts. Are there any discussions on this topic and if so, do you know the status and if and when this would be implemented? A: While there may have been discussions, none of them have resulted in a legislative proposal being introduced in either chamber of Congress.
Q: I am an employee under the Civil Service Retirement System, 6C, facing mandatory retirement the second week of January 2012. I anticipate finishing 2011 with 448 hours of annual leave on the books. Jan. 1, 2 and 3 would be the ideal retirement dates. In 2011, Pay Period 26 ends on the last day of the year. I’m now looking at Dec. 31, a Saturday, as the retirement date on the paperwork in order to receive the full annual leave 448-hour lump-sum payment. Do you see any problem with that date given the information provided? Additionally, I would imagine…
Q: I want to retire Jan. 1, 2012. will I lose my 240 hours of accumulated leave? What is the use-or-lose date for 2011? A: In 2011, the leave year ends Dec. 31. However, even if you retire after that date, you won’t lose your 240 hours of annual leave; that’s the number of hours you can carry over from one year to the next. If you retire after Dec. 31, you would lose any hours of annual leave in excess of 240. Those are your use-or-lose hours.
Q: I understand Congress has a bill to allow federal employees, upon retirement, the ability to roll our unused annual leave into the Thrift Savings Plan. Has this been decided upon as of yet? A: No.