Q. I will have 25 years of service soon but will only be 48. If the government offers early-outs, what will I be eligible for? Pension at one-quarter of my salary for the last three years? Health insurance? What if I get a part-time job? Will this affect my pension or annuity? Also, if I do an annuity on my Thrift Savings Plan, can I start that now? Will there be a penalty? Do I get this same amount for the rest of my life, or does it stop after a certain number of years? A. Reg Jones: Because you…
Browsing: penalty
Q. I have been reading your column and am confused. There have been references to receiving a full lump sum payment of Thrift Savings Plan money upon retirement with 30 years of federal service without the 10 percent penalty. Is this true if I am 51 years old, retirement-eligible with 27 years as a law enforcement officer plus five years regular retirement service? A. No. The relevant exemption to the early withdrawal penalty has nothing to do with years of service but with age. You must retire during the calendar year in which you reach age 55 for it to apply.
Q. I am under the FERS retirement plan. In four years, I will be 57 with 30 years. Will I be penalized in any way? Also, will I be able to tap into my Thrift Savings Plan? A. Reg Jones says: Because you will be retiring at your minimum retirement age with at least 30 years of service, you’ll receive a full, unreduced annuity. Mike Miles says: You’ll have access to your TSP account after retire without penalty.
Q. Can I retire from the Veterans Affairs hospital under FERS at age 55 with 25 years of service and withdraw my Thrift Savings Plan in lump sum. Or do I have to wait until I am MRA? Can I leave at 55 and defer my retirement until I reach my MRA at 56? A. Reg Jones says: You can’t retire until you reach your minimum retirement age, which is 56. If you retired then, your annuity would be reduced by 5 percent for every year you were under age 60 (5/12 of a percentage point per year). You could…
Q. I have been working for the federal government for 10 years. I have contributed the max for most of that time to the Thrift Savings Plan/FERS. After a divorce, I have been battling debt in the form of school loans, credit cards, etc. In an attempt to pay off the debt, I pay approximately $700 per month. I have attempted and requested to decrease the annual percentage rate on some items, with little success. I have a fair amount in my TSP. I am debating whether to withdraw just the amount I need to pay off the debt (20…
Q. My husband has 15 years active-duty military and is working now as a NASA employee. It will cost about $20,000 to buy back his 15 years. Can we roll over money from our 401(k) into FERS and avoid penalties and taxes on that money? A. No.
Q. I am a 54-year-old letter carrier with 24 years postal and nine years military. According to Senate bill S.1789, will I be eligible for early retirement? What about the Social Security supplement? How does this affect my Thrift Savings Plan? Can I get that also? A. You will have access to your TSP account for retirement income as soon as you separate from service. You will be subject to the early withdrawal penalty until you reach age 59½ unless you qualify for one of the exceptions listed on page 4 of the notice at https://www.tsp.gov/PDF/formspubs/tsp-536.pdf. Note that one of the…
Q. I am a 57-year-old retiree. I retired two years ago. Our daughter is getting married, and I would like to help her with $15,000 for the wedding coming up later this year. We have just over $100,000 in our Thrift Savings Plan account. We know we can only make a one-time withdrawal before we’re 59½ years of age without a penalty. So if we make a one-time partial withdrawal this year, we will not be able to make another withdrawal without penalty charges until after we are 59½. Would it be wiser to take out a $15,000 loan or make a partial TSP…
Q. It is my understanding that if you retired in the year you turned 55, you never pay 10 percent penalty on Thrift Savings Plan withdrawal, correct? A. Correct.
Q. I am under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I am 49 with 21 years of service. I am being told there will be a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority/Voluntary Separation Incentive Pay offered this fall and next spring. I will turn 50 during the VERA/VSIP timeline. If I take the VERA, will my government annuity be reduced by 5 percent per year? Will I be able to receive both my government annuity and my Thrift Savings Plan annuity as soon as I leave service? Is there a penalty in taking the TSP annuity now? Will I qualify to get the Social…