Q. I was first employed by the Defense Department in October 1982 and placed in CSRS. During a reduction in force, I lost my position in July 1994. In 1996, I withdrew my CSRS contributions and had them rolled into an annuity with American Express (now Ameriprise).
In November 1998, I was rehired by DoD and became a FERS employee. When I was rehired by DoD, I took the funds I had earned at my previous (1994-1998) job’s 401(k) and rolled them into the same annuity with Ameriprise.
I am now nearing retirement age and plan to buy back the CSRS time I lost by withdrawing my funds.
Can any of the annuity I have with Ameriprise be rolled into repaying my CSRS without any penalty or tax burden? I would think that, at the least, the amount that I withdrew in 1996 and rolled into the annuity could be rolled back into the CSRS. I am not trying to increase the amount of the CSRS, only to repay what I withdrew, plus interest due.
A. You made your original CSRS contributions with after-tax dollars and the money was not taxed when it was withdrawn. Your redeposit must again be made with after-tax dollars, so you can’t do what you’re asking about.
