Q. My father retired about 18 years ago at age 62. He was in CSRS, but he accumulated about $40,000 in TSP. He is now almost 80 and is near death and says he forgot about his TSP. I’ve been reading about TSP and how you must start making distributions at age 70 1/2. What can my mother do to recover this money? I found a form (TSP-70-A) that my dad might be able to fill out if he lasts another week or so.
A. You should review the notice at https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tsp-775.pdf and submit form TSP-70-A on behalf of your father. Unfortunately, there will be hefty penalties to pay for failing to make the required minimum distributions, when due.
