Q. I am a former employee that left employment with the federal government three years ago. I was under the old CSRS Offset system (23 years). I am 59 years old. It is my understanding that I can apply for my retirement at age 62. How do I go about doing that? Do I contact the Office of Personnel Management in Boyers, Pa.? Also, what forms do I need to complete? Is it possible to receive my retirement sooner than age 62? Do you have contact information for the OPM office? I also participated in FERS (Thrift Savings Plan only, no match).…
Browsing: OPM
Q. I am being considered for disability retirement in the coming months. My application is pending consideration from the Office of Personnel Management. I am a GS-14 FERS employee, 54 years old, with about 32 years of service. I have approximately $250,000 in the Thrift Savings Plan, and my allocations are as follows: 15 percent C, 15 percent S and 70 percent I. I realize that is somewhat aggressive, but it has been like that for about seven years or so, and I have been hopeful of the international home run. Regrettably, this hasn’t necessarily come to fruition. I will…
Q. I spent 22 years with the Postal Service and quit in 2010 to take another career. I was under FERS. Do I get a pension from the Postal Service, or is that what the Thrift Savings Plan is? And can I collect it at 55? A. Mike: If you left FERS service before the calendar year in which you reach age 55, you will be subject to the early withdrawal penalty rules. Reg: If you didn’t take a refund of your retirement contributions when you left, you can apply to the Office of Personnel Management for a deferred annuity…
Q. I worked for the federal government for over 28 years. I retired last year under Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay provisions June 30, 2012. I am considering re-employing/reinstating. Am I eligible to return to work on July 1, one year after retiring? Can I repay the VSIP in cash or in payments? I read once that you can make payments for up to 36 months upon re-employment but am not sure whether this is correct. I understand the VSIP must be paid back before I return to work. Upon re-employing with the government, will I be able to contribute to…
Q. I would like to roll over the money from one retirement account (my Thrift Savings Plan) to my CSRS retirement account, so as to avoid paying tax. How am I supposed to be able to do this since neither the TSP nor the Office of Personnel Management nor the Internal Revenue Service can give me an answer on if it is possible and if so, how? I would be paying service time from Sept. 10, 1973, to May 30, 1983, and from Aug. 25, 1997, to June 19, 1999. A. You’re not supposed to be able to do it…
Q. I am retired and made a voluntary contribution to CSRS and then rolled it over to a Roth IRA in 2012, prior to my retirement. Now I’m interested in what I need to do, if anything, on my 2012 tax returns regarding this rollover. Will the Office of Personnel Management be sending me a Form 1099-R? Any advice on how to report on my 1040 will be helpful. Pub 590 (tax year 2011) says that “you do not include in gross income any part of a distribution from a qualified retirement plan that is a return of contributions to the plan.” A. We…
Q. I retired from federal service last year. The Office of Personnel Management made a direct rollover of my Voluntary Contributions Program after-tax contributions to a Roth IRA, and a direct rollover of my interest earned on those contributions to my Thrift Savings Plan account. However, OPM will not issue 1099Rs documenting these two direct rollovers, forcing me to file Form 4852 “substitute for 1099-R” with my 2012 tax return. This form requires these two direct rollovers to be identified with a distribution code. Of course, the Internal Revenue Service instructions aren’t that clear about which code is appropriate for each direct rollover. It…
Q. I have a friend who has been receiving workers’ compensation benefits for about 25 years but is not yet separated from service and worked under CSRS. Can he apply to the Office of Personnel Management to receive the monies in TSP in a lump-sum payment without having to retire? Or will he have to apply for disability retirement first? A. As long as he is employed, the in-service withdrawal rules will apply.
Q. What factors determine whether it is better to pay insurance premiums with pretax dollars or waive that and pay with after-tax money? My thought is that by paying with after-tax money, taxable income is increased, thereby increasing the Social Security entitlement. How do you determine if that is more beneficial than the reduced tax liability now? A. The answer depends on your circumstances and a number of assumptions about the future. The issue is discussed on the Office of Personnel Management website at www.opm.gov/insure/archive/health/pretaxfehb/qanda/23.asp.
Q. I am an unmarried federal employee. I max out my contribution to the Thrift Savings Plan. I plan to work until at least 62, which will give me 21 years of service, or possibly until 65 with 24 years. As a federal employee in FERS and with TSP, what is the best way to provide income for two siblings when I die? I am not opposed to taking a reduction in monthly benefits if that is the best way to do so. My home will be paid off in 2014. I have no other debt and live on about…