Effective Dates: 10/06/2023 - Present Previous | Next

TN 33 (10-23)

RS 01702.205 OPM Age and Length of Service Retirement

A. INTRODUCTION

Pre-1957 MS will be used by OPM either to establish eligibility or to compute the annuity amount in the types of retirement shown in B., below; thus, pre-1957 MS wage credits are precluded.

A maximum annuity of 80 percent of the “high-3” average pay is reached with 41 years and 11 months of service (not counting unused sick leave). In the unlikely event that the annuitant had that much service not counting pre-1957 MS, the pre-1957 will still be credited since this permits the civilian service to be counted as excess service for contribution refund purposes.

If a claimant insists that pre-1957 MS was not used by OPM, or if the person retired under some special age or service provision (such as for air traffic controllers, law enforcement officers, etc.), SSA-655-U2 development will be required. Otherwise, deny wage credits for pre-1957 MS without development to OPM.

B. POLICY

1. Retirement for Age

An employee may voluntarily retire:

  • •

    at age 62 with at least 5 years of service;

  • •

    at age 60 with at least 20 years of service; or

  • •

    at age 55 with at least 30 years of service.

If OPM determines that an agency is undergoing a major reduction in force, an employee may also voluntarily retire under the terms of 2. below.

2. Discontinued Service Retirement

A Federal employee who is separated from the Federal service through no fault of their own (i.e., the job was abolished) is eligible for a retirement annuity:

  • •

    at any age with at least 25 years of service, or

  • •

    at age 50 with at least 20 years of service. The amount of this annuity is reduced if the employee is under age 55 at the time they retire.

3. Deferred Retirement Annuity

A former Federal employee who has at least 5 years continuous service and who has not withdrawn their contributions from the civil service retirement fund is eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62.

To Link to this section - Use this URL:
http://policy.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0301702205
RS 01702.205 - OPM Age and Length of Service Retirement - 10/06/2023
Batch run: 10/06/2023
Rev:10/06/2023