Q: I am a FERS employee with the United States Postal Service. When I retire will I be permitted to withdraw the funds in my annuity, my TSP, my accrued vacation and sick leave to be reinvested into private accounts so they can be inherited by our children upon the deaths of myself and my spouse rather than be sucked back into the government’s coffers? If so what forms would that require? A: You may withdraw your TSP account balance immediately after you retire, although the vested amount is yours to keep and not at risk of being “sucked” back…
Browsing: Postal Service
Q: I plan on retiring in 2015 from the Postal Service at the age of 56, with 31 years of service. I am FERS and will have about $400,000 in my Thrift Savings Plan account. Would it be wise to withdraw this money at the time of retirement to pay off my mortgage, son’s school loans and all remaining bills? This way, I will have no expenses and could live strictly off my Postal Service retirement and the Social Security Supplement. If I understand it correctly, I wouldn’t be charge a penalty because I would reach my minimum retirement age…
Q: I am 53 years old, and I was a U.S. Postal Service employee with 20 years of service under the Federal Employees Retirement System. I took disability retirement from the USPS in March after suffering injuries in Iraq as a reservist. If I take a full withdrawal from my Thrift Savings Plan account, will I pay a penalty to TSP, and at what percentage? How much will I have to pay in taxes? Will the USPS match my TSP balance? And how long must my money stay in a TSP account before I can make a full withdrawal without…
Q: I plan to retire from the Postal Service on Dec. 31, 2010. Any word on the suggested rolling terminal annual leave into TSP? A: Not that I’ve heard.
Q: I am a 56-year-old FERS retiree who accepted the early out incentive agreement with the Postal Service in November of 2009 and have not worked since. Would the $5,000 incentive payment I am to receive in November 2010 be eligible for a $5,000 IRA contribution for tax year 2010? A: No.
Q: I plan to retire from the U.S. Postal Service on Dec. 31. Any word on the proposal to roll over terminal annual leave into the Thrift Savings Plan? A: Not that I’ve heard.
Q: I am currently on military leave without pay from the U.S. Postal Service and have been on active duty with the Air Force for about 12 months. When I was with the USPS, I was contributing 5 percent to the Thrift Savings Plan and receiving the available agency matching funds. During my period of active duty, I have been contributing 10 percent to the TSP with no matching funds. What are the rules or regulations with regards to agency matching funds upon my return to the USPS? Specifically, would I be eligible for any agency matching contributions during the…
Q: I retired from the U.S. Postal Service on Oct. 31 and received a $10,000 incentive payment in December that was counted as part of my 2009 earned income. As part of the incentive package, I will receive another $5,000 this October. This has nothing to do with my retirement annuity, so will it again be counted as earned income for 2010? If so, I will be able to contribute it to my Roth IRA, correct? A: This is really a question for your tax preparer, but I expect that income to be reported for tax year 2010.
Q: I am a Federal Employees Retirement System employee with the Postal Service who plans to retire at the age of 60 with 27.5 years of service. I plan to take monthly withdrawals from my Thrift Savings Plan account to apply to my mortgage for ten years until I am 70 1/2 years old, rather than paying off my mortgage when I retire. My mortgage is a 30-year fixed at 4.75 percent. By leaving my money in the TSP and earning an estimated 8 percent while taking monthly withdrawals to make my mortgage payments, won’t I be ahead money at…
Q: If I retire from the Postal Service this next year, can I draw monthly payments from my TSP account before I am 59 1/2 without penalty? A: Yes, if you: 1. Retired during or after the year in which you reached age 55; or 2. Take them as series of Substantially Equal Periodic Payments under IRS rules; or 3. Meet one of the other exceptions to the penalty outlined in the notice you’ll find at www.tsp.gov/forms/octax92-32.pdf — Mike Miles