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An official website of the United States Government.

Retirement FAQs

Post-Retirement

  • Does employment income affect my survivor annuity? View more
    Generally, your income from employment with the Government or any other employer will not affect your survivor annuity.
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  • What requirements must I fulfill if I am married and decide not to provide a survivor benefit for my spouse when I retire? View more
    If you are married when you retire and you chose not to provide a spousal survivor benefit, you must obtain your spouse's consent to the election. The consent form, which is part of the application for (Civil Service (CSRS) [930 KB] or Federal Employees (FERS) [448 KB] Retirement Systems) benefits, must be completed before a notary public or other official authorized to take oaths. The spousal consent requirement may be waived if it is shown that the spouse's whereabouts cannot be determined. A request for a waiver must be accompanied by:
    • a judicial determination that the spouse's whereabouts cannot be determined, or
    • affidavits by the employee and two other persons, at least one of whom is not related to the employee, attesting to the efforts made to locate the spouse and the inability to do so. The employee should submit other documentary evidence, such as newspaper stories about the spouse's disappearance.
    The spousal consent requirement can be waived based on exceptional circumstances if the employee presents a judicial determination that exceptional circumstances warrant a waiver. The order must state that:
    • state that the case before the court involves a Federal employee who is retiring;
    • the employee's spouse was given notice and an opportunity to be heard in the matter;
    • the court considered 5 USC 8339(j)(1) and 5 CFR 831.618(b) as it relates to a waiver of the spousal consent requirements for a married Federal employee to elect an annuity without reduction to provide a survivor benefit to a spouse at retirement; and
    • the court finds that exceptional circumstances justify waiver of the spousal consent requirement.
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  • How is the Treasury Department spreading the word about the move to all-electronic benefit payments? View more
    The Treasury Department is fully committed to helping Americans be prepared for and make the transition to the electronic payment of federal benefits. The Treasury Department has launched the Go Direct public education campaign to communicate with Americans about the new electronic payments requirement. The campaign will do so with the help of nearly 1,800 national, local and regional partner organizations, as well as through events, media coverage, print materials and the Internet. Campaign materials and websites in English and Spanish also are available at www.GoDirect.org and www.DirectoASuCuenta.org.   (Visit www.GoDirect.org for more information about fees and the surcharge-free network.)  
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  • What is the Go Direct® campaign? View more
    The Go Direct campaign launched in 2005 as part of the U.S. Department of the Treasury's and the Federal Reserve Banks' effort to increase the use of electronic payments for federal benefits and to reduce the use of paper checks for federal benefit payments. With the help of organization partners, media and events, the campaign educates Americans by providing the tools and resources they need to enroll in, or transition to, electronic federal benefit payments.   (Visit www.GoDirect.org for more information about fees and the surcharge-free network.)
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  • How is the amount of each Cost-of-Living Adjustment determined? View more
    The U.S. Department of Labor calculates the change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI) for urban wage earners and clerical workers from the third quarter average of the previous year to the third quarter average for the current year. For Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or Organization and Disability Retirement System (ORDS) benefits, the increase percentage is applied to your monthly benefit amount before any deductions, and is rounded down to the next whole dollar. For Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) or FERS Special benefits, if the increase in the CPI is 2 percent or less, the Cost-of-Living Adjustment is equal to the CPI increase. If the CPI increase is more than 2 percent but no more than 3 percent, the Cost-of-Living Adjustment is 2 percent. If the CPI increase is more than 3 percent, the adjustment is 1 percent less than the CPI increase. The new amount is rounded down to the next whole dollar.
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  • Will I receive Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA)? View more
    Yes. Currently every survivor receives a Cost-of-Living Adjustment (COLA) effective each December first. It will be first reflected in the January payment which pays annuity for the month of December. We will send a Notice of Annuity Adjustment showing how much the benefit was increased. See more information about Cost-of-Living Adjustments.
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  • How is the reduction calculated? View more
    Under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), your annuity is reduction by 2.5 percent of the first $3,600 of the amount you choose as a basis for the survivor annuity, plus 10 percent of any amount over $3,600. Under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), your annuity is reduced by 10 percent for a full survivor annuity or 5 percent for a partial survivor annuity.
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  • How will my military service affect the monthly benefit for my survivors? View more
    While all military service may potentially be used in the computation of civil service survivor annuity benefits, military service performed after December 31, 1956, is subject to social security (FICA) taxes and is primarily creditable for social security benefits. However, military service performed after December 31, 1956, can be used for the computation of both the social security and civil service annuity benefit if you pay a deposit before retirement. Using military service to compute the civil service survivor annuity may also be affected by the waiver of military retired pay for civil service retirement purposes. If you are a retiree and have not waived your military retired pay, military service generally cannot be used in the computation of your benefit or that of your survivor's. If an employee has not waived military retired pay for civil service retirement purposes, and dies while still in Federal service on or after April 25, 1987, military service must be used to compute the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) survivor annuity if the military deposit has been paid. However, survivors may elect to exclude such service based on certain factors. Refer to our section on death benefits for additional information.
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  • Where can I find more information on my family's health benefits? View more
    You can find this information on our Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) web pages.
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  • Will my survivors receive cost of living increases? View more
    Cost of living allowances are determined by Congress.  The amount and whether a COLA is given depends on legislation passed by Congress.
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  • What is a full survivor benefit? View more
    If you retire under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), the maximum survivor benefit payable is 55 percent of your unreduced annual benefit. If you retire under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), the maximum survivor benefit payable is 50 percent of your unreduced annual benefit.
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  • Are recurring monthly benefits payable to survivors of someone whose death occurs after leaving Federal employment and before retirement? View more
    Under these circumstances, there are no recurring monthly benefits payable under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS). If there is an unpaid balance of retirement contributions by the former employee, the person(s) eligible for payment under the order of precedence should complete the "Application for Death Benefits," Standard Form (SF) 2800 [806 KB] and attach any other forms and/or evidence as the application or circumstances require. Attach a copy of the employee’s death certificate and send the application to us at this address. Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)- If the former employee was covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), the current spouse may be eligible for a monthly benefit if…
    • The current spouse was married to the deceased at the time of his/her separation from Federal civilian service, and
    • The current spouse was married to the deceased for a total period of at least nine months (the nine month requirement does not apply if the death was accidental or if the current spouse is the parent of a child born of the marriage.)
    If there is an unpaid balance of retirement contributions by the former employee and no one is eligible for a monthly survivor benefit, the person(s) eligible for payment under the order of precedence should complete the "Application for Death Benefits," Standard Form (SF) 3104 [741 KB] and attach any other forms and/or evidence as the application or circumstances require. Attach a copy of the employee’s death certificate and send the application to us at this address.
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  • How much does a benefit recipient have to pay for the Direct Express® card? View more
    Most services are free. There is no cost to sign up for the card and there are no monthly fees or overdraft fees. While there are fees for a limited number of optional transactions, it is possible to use the card for free.   Free services include:
    • Purchases at retail locations. 
    • Cash back with purchases.
    • Optional notification by phone, email or text message of deposits.
    • Optional low balance alert when account balance falls below a certain level.
    • Access to the website 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    • Unlimited balance inquiries at ATMs, by phone or online.
    • Access to the toll-free customer service number 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
    • Cash withdrawals through bank or credit union tellers.
    • One free replacement card per year.
    • One free ATM cash withdrawal for each deposit posted to the card account each month, provided that one of the approximately 50,000 surcharge-free network ATMs is used.
      Optional services available for a fee include
    • More than one ATM withdrawal per deposit ($0.90 per withdrawal).
    • ATM owner fees called "surcharge fees" may apply if one of the approximately 50,000 surcharge-free network ATMs is not used.
    • Mailing a monthly paper statement ($0.75 per month).
    • Transfer of money from the card account to a personal United States bank account ($1.50).
    • Card replacement after one free replacement card per year ($4.00 per card). If you request expedited delivery, there is an additional charge of $13.50. There is no additional charge for standard delivery.
    • Purchases at merchant locations or ATM cash withdrawals outside of the United States.
    Visit www.GoDirect.org for more information on fees and the surcharge-free network.
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  • How do I get a refund of my Federal or state tax withholdings? View more
    OPM can refund Federal and/or state income tax withholding ONLY for the current year.  To request a refund, you can email us at retire@opm.gov or call us at 1-888-767-6738.  Remember to provide your CSA or CSF claim number or full SSN.  We can issue a refund of the monies withheld in the current year ONLY.  If you want a partial reimbursement, let us know the exact amount (no percentage) AND provide the exact period (for example 5/10/2011 to 12/31/2011).  Normally, the refund is issued as a separate payment. We cannot refund tax withholding for previous tax years.    To request a refund of your withholdings for previous tax years, please contact the IRS at 1-800-829-1040 for Federal tax withholding refund and your State Revenue Office for state tax withholding refund.  If we are not currently withholding State tax, you must call your State Tax office for a refund.  Find  your State Revenue Office here. 
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  • What happens if people do not sign up for an electronic payment option? View more
    People who do not choose an electronic payment option at the time they apply for federal benefits or by March 1, 2013, will receive their payments via the Direct Express® card so they will not experience any interruption in payment.   (Visit www.GoDirect.org for more information about fees and the surcharge-free network.)  
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Total Count: 157, Number of Pages: 11, Page: 7

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