Applying for Retirement

• How does my personnel office process my application? View more
  Your personnel office must take the following actions to process your retirement application:

  • Complete the "Agency Check List of Immediate Retirement Procedures," Standard Form 2801, Schedule D (CSRS) or 3701, Schedule D (FERS);
  • Prepare and obtain your signature on the "Certified Summary of Federal Service," Standard Form 2801-1 (CSRS) or 3701-1 (FERS);
  • Verify any service not fully documented in your OPF; [Note:If documentation is missing, verification may be obtained by contacting federal record centers. If the personnel office is unable to obtain verification, we will complete verification upon receipt of your retirement application and records. This process will cause a delay in processing of your claim.]
  • Certify and transfer your coverage under the Federal Employees' Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program to OPM;
  • Transfer your enrollment under the Federal Employees' Health Benefits (FEHB) program to OPM;
  • Prepare Standard Form (SF) 50, "Notification of Personnel Action."; and
  • Send all of your retirement materials to your payroll office.
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• How long does it take to process my retirement application? View more
    As of February 2012, our average processing time is 5 months from the date we receive your final paperwork from your human resources and payroll offices.  Of the current pending claims workload, 47 percent are less than 2 months old and 25 percent are older than 6 months.   If we need additional information from you or your former employing agency, your claim will take longer to process.  Additional time will also be needed if we need to contact you to make a benefit election, such as a decision to make a service credit deposit, or if we need to contact an external agency, such as SSA for an offset calculation.
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• How does the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) process my claim? View more
  OPM takes the following steps to process your claim for retirement benefits.

  • Obtains missing information from your retirement documents;
  • Determines your eligibility for an annuity and continued health and life insurance coverages;
  • Computes the amount of your annuity;
  • Sends you materials concerning:
    • your survivor benefit election;
    • the alternative form of annuity;
    • rollover to an IRA; or,
    • if you are a FERS MRA+10 retiree, your annuity commencing date.
  • Authorizes your annuity payment by the Department of the Treasury; and
  • Sends you an annuity statement.
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• Where should I apply? View more
  If you are still working, submit it to your employer. If you have been separated from federal service for more than 30 days, submit your application to the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM).
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• Who should I call if I have any questions about my claim number? View more
  If you need to contact us before you receive your claim number, first contact your former payroll office to find the date your records were transferred to OPM. Your payroll office should provide you with the number and date of the Register of Separations and Transfers. You will also need your Payroll Identification Number.
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• Who processes my application? View more
  Both the personnel and payroll office in your agency and OPM are responsible for processing your annuity claim.
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• What is CSRS? View more
  CSRS stands for the Civil Service Retirement System. CSRS was created in 1920 and was the only retirement plan for most Federal civilian employees until 1984. CSRS is a defined benefit retirement plan that provides retirement, disability, and survivor benefits. Agencies deduct a set percentage of your basic pay (7% for most employees) and contribute a matching amount to CSRS. The basic annuity is computed based on your length of service and the highest average basic pay you earned during any 3 consecutive years of service (know as the "high-3" average pay). For most employees, the CSRS basic benefit is computed by adding:

  • 1% of your high-3 average pay times service up to 5 years, plus
  • 1% of your high-3 average pay times years of service over 5 and up to 10, plus
  • 2% of your high-3 average pay times years of service over 20.
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