Q. I think I will be retiring Dec. 31, 2015 (under FERS) since my minimum retirement age is 56, and will reach it on Dec. 21, 2015. I will have 31½ years in federal civilian service. Can I start my Thrift Savings Plan monthly allotments right away (I have over $390,000 as a balance as of today) to supplement my 31 percent of salary from FERS retirement and special retirement supplement? A. Yes, you will be able to begin withdrawing from your TSP account as soon as TSP receives notice from your agency.
Browsing: Minimum Retirement Age
Q. I am 50 years old and plan to resign in within two years. I will more than 10 years of service, but my minimum retirement age is 56. Sometime after I turn 56, I plan to submit for a deferred retirement, even though I know I will take a penalty of 5 percent each year under age 62. The Thrift Savings Plan states that “if you are age 55 or older in the year you separate or retire, the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty tax does not apply.” Does this apply to deferred retirements, as well? A. There is no…
Q. I have an opportunity to retire under a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority. I have 30+ years of FERS service, non-law enforcement. My age will be 53 years and 11 months if I retire under this VERA offering. At what age will I have full access to my Thrift Savings Plan without the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty by “taking substantially equal payments over my life expectancy.” At what age will I have full access to my TSP without the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty by NOT “taking substantially equal payments over my life expectancy.” If immediately upon retirement I…
Q. I am a FERS employee and will have 30 years of service at age 56, my minimum retirement age. Thus, when I retire at 56, can I start withdrawing from my Thrift Savings Plan without any tax penalty? Or do I have to wait until 59½ to start withdrawing from my TSP to avoid any tax penalty? A. In the circumstance you describe, your TSP withdrawals will not be subject to the early withdrawal penalty.
Q. I took the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority on Jan. 31 at my minimum retirement age. I had 26 years at the Postal Service under FERS. After 16 years of marriage, I became a widow. The only income I have is my annuity and the special retirement supplement from the Office of Personnel Management. Will I be eligible to receive Social Security benefits from husband at 60, and will they end at 62? When I turn 62, my supplement will end. I have $190,000 in the L2020 fund. Would it be beneficial to me to start receiving money from my…
Q. I work for the Postal Service. I have 30 years of service. I will have to take a discontinued retirement today. I will turn 55 in December. My minimum retirement age is 56. I understand from a previous question that I qualify to receive my Thrift Savings Plan without penalty because I am retiring in the year that I will turn 55. Will I be able to start withdrawing this money from TSP without penalty when I retire? Or in December, when I turn 55? Or at my MRA of 56? A. Your MRA has nothing to do with…
Q. I am a federal law enforcement officer. I recently read an article that discussed the downside of the Roth TSP for federal law enforcement officers and firefighters. Is this true? ************* Many of you are probably unaware of the serious pitfalls you will encounter if you opt to contribute to the Roth TSP. For a federal law enforcement officer or firefighter, the Roth TSP is a poor choice. It wasn’t until this week that a reader posed a question to me that caused me to realize what a bad idea the Roth TSP is for many of us. The idea behind…
Q. I will have 30 years of service and be 54 years old when I take early retirement in January. Since I will turn 55 in August 2014, will I be able to withdraw without penalty from my TSP even though my minimum retirement age is 56? A. As long as you separate from covered service during or after the calendar year in which you reach age 55, you will avoid the early withdrawal penalty on withdrawals taken after you separate. Your MRA has nothing to do with it.
Q. How will Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay affect my retirement benefits (annuity supplement, pension and Thrift Savings Plan withdrawals)? I am a Defense Department civilian, age 58, with 21 years of service under FERS. A. Mike: You will have access to your TSP account, under the usual rules, without penalty following your separation. Reg: Your annuity would be computed under the standard formula: .01 x your high-3 x your years and full months of service. There wouldn’t be any age penalty because you were retiring before age 62. And, since you have already reached your minimum retirement age,…
Q. After entering my Thrift Savings Plan earnings in the Employee Benefits Information System profile, it shows my TSP annuity is $2,000 per month if I retire at age 56 (my minimum retirement age). What is the $2,000 based on? Is it $2,000 until I die, or only until I reach a certain age? A. It could be your life, your joint life with a partner, or a minimum of 10 years, depending upon which annuity option you choose.