Retirement FAQs Leaving the Government

If you are leaving your Federal job and want a refund of your retirement contributions, you can get an application from your personnel office, complete it, and return it to them. If you are no longer in the Federal service, you can acquire the appropriate application from our website. The applications are shown below:

• "Application for Refund of Retirement Deductions (CSRS)," Standard Form (SF) 2802
• "Application for Refund of Retirement Deductions (FERS), " Standard Form (SF) 3106 (The SF-3106A, "Current/Former Spouse's Notification of Application for Refund of Retirement Deductions under FERS," is included with this form.)

If you are still working, submit your application to your servicing personnel office. If you have left Federal service, submit your application to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

You can roll over lump sum payments representing your retirement contributions, including voluntary contributions, and applicable interest. An eligible payment can be paid either to you or directly to an individual retirement account or other employee sponsored plan. Your choice will affect the amount of taxes you owe. We are required to withhold Federal income tax from taxable payments over $200 at the rate of 20 percent. However, you may choose to take all or part of these payments in a direct roll over to an individual retirement account or an employer-sponsored retirement plan that accepts roll overs. The taxable portion can be rolled over into the Thrift Saving Plan. If you make this election, we will not withhold the Federal income tax from the taxable payments. You can open an individual retirement account to receive a direct roll over. You must contact the individual retirement account sponsor to find out how to have your payment made to your account. If you are unsure of how to invest your money, you may wish to temporarily establish an account to receive the payment. However, you may wish to consider whether or not you may move any or all of the monies to another account at a later date without penalties or limitations. If you choose to have the payment made to you and it is over $200, it is subject to the 20 percent Federal income tax withholding. The payment is taxed in the year in which it is received unless within 60 days after receiving it, you roll it over to an individual retirement account or retirement plan that accepts roll overs. You can roll over up to 100 percent of the eligible distribution, including the 20 percent withholding. To do so, you must replace the 20 percent withholding within the 60 day period. You will be taxed on any amount that you do not roll over. For example, if you roll over only the 80 percent of the distribution, you will be taxed on the remaining 20 percent. You can find more information about the taxation of payments from qualified retirement plans from the following Internal Revenue Service publications:

• IRS Publication 575, "Pension and Annuity Income",
• IRS Publication 590, "Individual Retirement Arrangements",
• IRS Publication 721, "Tax Guide to U.S. Civil Service Retirement System Payments", and
• Form 4972, "Tax on Lump Sum Distributions".

We will not withhold any amount for Federal income tax if your total taxable lump sum is less than $200. We will request a rollover election when you are eligible for a payment of $200 or more.

Your retirement contributions are not taxable, but interest included in the payment is taxable. You should contact the Internal Revenue Service for additional tax information.

Generally, since your coverage under these programs effectively ended when you left Federal service, you cannot continue the coverage into retirement when you receive a deferred annuity.

If you contributed to the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), you will get interest on the refund of those contributions if you worked more than one year. Interest is paid at the same rate that is paid for government securities. See the variable interest rates. If you contributed to the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) while you worked, interest will be included in the refund of those contributions if you have more than one but less than five years of service. Interest is paid at three percent.

Many forms are available at www.opm.gov/forms.  Most forms that active employees and annuitants will need are Standard Forms (SF) or Retirement and Insurance forms. If you need a replacement CSA 1099R statement, you can download from the Services Online site. You will need your CSA or CSF number and password. Or, you can call us at (888) 767-6738.  Or, you can send us an email at retire@opm.gov.  If you have questions or need additional assistance, please send an email to formsmanager@opm.gov.

At your request, using the form SSA-7004, the Social Security Administration will send you a Personal Earnings and Benefits Statement (PEBES) that will list your earnings from employment covered by Social Security and provide a Social Security benefit estimate assuming retirement at alternative ages, 62, 65, and 70. You should contact your local Social Security office to determine the effect of the Government Pension Offset and the Windfall Elimination Provision on your Social Security benefits.

To report a technical problem with OPM’s Insure website, please send an email to insure-webmaster@opm.gov.   To report a technical problem with Retirement Services Online, please send an email to rethelp@opm.gov. 

Employees participating in phased retirement will be paid for the part-time service they continue to provide the government and will receive additional credit for that service toward their full retirement.  These employees will also begin receiving annuity payments, consistent with the retirement benefits they were entitled to prior to entering phased retirement status, pro-rated for the portion of the workweek they spend in retirement.  When the Phased Retiree fully retires, the revised annuity calculation will provide pro-rated service credit for additional time worked during phased retirement. This law incents participants with valuable experience to phase into retirement by providing phased retirees with more income than they would earn working part time, and more income than they would earn by fully retiring. Once these individuals fully retire, they will be entitled to a greater annuity than if they had fully retired at the time of transition to Phased Retirement, but less than if they had continued employment on a full-time basis during the period of Phased Retirement.

Sick leave cannot be transferred to another employee except in circumstances where the employee qualifies for donated leave based on a medical emergency. When an employee retires sick leave is used in the computation of their annuity as follows: Unused sick leave will be used in the calculation of an employee's or survivor's annuity based on retirement with an immediate annuity or on a death in service. For employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), credit toward the annuity computation will be based on the full sick leave balance at retirement or death. For employees covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), credit toward the annuity computation will be based upon a percentage of the sick leave balance at retirement or death, depending on the date the entitlement to the annuity began-

• 50 percent in the case of an annuity entitlement based on a separation from service from October 28, 2009, through December 31, 2013; and
• 100 percent in the case of an annuity entitlement based on a separation from service occurring on or after January 1, 2014.

You can elect an alternative annuity if you retire on a nondisability annuity and have a life-threatening aflliction or other critical medical condition.  If you are married, your spouse must consent to your election.  Information can be found on this form.