FERS Retirement Calculator

The basic FERS annuity uses High-3 Average Salary, years of creditable service, and a multiplier. The standard multiplier is 1% per year. If you retire at age 62 or later with at least 20 years of service, the multiplier rises to 1.1%. Special category employees such as law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers use 1.7% for the first 20 years and 1% thereafter.

High-3 is the highest average basic pay you earned during any 36 consecutive months of federal service. For most employees, this is the final three years before retirement. It includes basic pay and locality pay, but excludes overtime, bonuses, and most premium pay. Check OPM guidance for the exact pay types included in your situation.

Yes. Unused sick leave is converted to creditable service when your annuity is computed. OPM uses a factor of 2,087 hours per year. Sick leave credit can increase the service figure used in the pension formula, but it does not make you eligible to retire earlier.

MRA+10 allows you to retire at your Minimum Retirement Age with at least 10 years of service, but your annuity may be reduced if you begin benefits before age 62. The reduction is 5% per year under age 62, applied by full months as 5/12 of 1% per month. The reduction is avoided with 30 years of service, or with 20 years of service when benefits begin at age 60.

The FERS Supplement is an extra payment that may be paid to eligible federal employees who retire before age 62. It is not Social Security and stops at age 62. This calculator uses an approximate method: your estimated Social Security benefit at 62 multiplied by your FERS service years divided by 40. The result is only an estimate and can be reduced by earned income in some cases.

A full survivor benefit usually reduces your annuity by 10% and provides your spouse with 50% of your unreduced annuity after your death. A partial survivor benefit usually reduces your annuity by 5% and provides 25%. Choosing no survivor benefit leaves your own annuity unreduced but provides no spouse benefit.

Yes. The advanced Military Buyback Years field is meant for military time for which you have paid a deposit. Do not enter military time that has not been credited through the buyback process.

A deferred retirement is for employees who leave federal service before qualifying for an immediate annuity and collect later. A postponed retirement is for employees who already qualify for an immediate annuity but delay beginning it, often to reduce the MRA+10 age penalty. Postponed retirement may also allow FEHB coverage to resume later, while deferred retirement generally does not.

No, not reliably. This calculator uses FERS formulas. CSRS and CSRS-Offset have different multipliers and eligibility rules. If you are in one of those systems, use the system selector for a warning and verify your estimate with OPM or your HR office.

Yes. FERS is a predictable pension, but most federal employees should view it alongside Social Security and TSP. This calculator now includes a projected monthly income section that combines FERS, Supplement, Social Security, TSP, and other income.

FERS cost-of-living adjustments help protect the purchasing power of your annuity, but eligibility and timing depend on your retirement type. This page explains COLA at a high level. For a formal calculation, check OPM guidance and your retirement records.

High-3 generally includes basic pay and locality pay. It excludes overtime, bonuses, cash awards, travel reimbursements, and most premium pay. OPM looks at every possible 36 consecutive months of service and uses the highest average.

Unused sick leave is converted using a factor of 2,087 hours per year. For example, 520 hours is about 3 months, 1,040 hours is about 6 months, and 2,087 hours is about 1 year. Sick leave credit increases the pension calculation but does not make you eligible to retire earlier.

No survivor benefit leaves your annuity unreduced but provides no spouse benefit. Partial survivor benefit usually reduces your annuity by 5% and provides 25% of the unreduced annuity. Full survivor benefit usually reduces your annuity by 10% and provides 50%.

Yes. The FERS Special Retirement Supplement is subject to an earnings test before age 62. If your earned income exceeds the annual limit, the Supplement can be reduced or eliminated. This calculator estimates the Supplement but does not apply the earnings test.

Start planning 12 to 18 months before retirement. Verify service, High-3, leave balances, and retirement system with HR 6 to 12 months out. Prepare forms and beneficiary choices around 90 days before retirement, then complete the final review before your official retirement date.

No. This is an educational estimate. Your official annuity is determined by OPM and your agency using your official personnel and pay records. Before making a retirement decision, verify your service computation date, leave balances, and retirement system with your HR office.

Yes, 20 years of creditable service at age 60 is an immediate FERS retirement age and service combination. It also avoids the MRA+10 age reduction that can apply to earlier retirement. If you retire at 62 or later with at least 20 years of service, the standard multiplier rises from 1.0% to 1.1%.

Unused annual leave is typically paid out as a lump sum, subject to agency limits and current law. Annual leave is not converted to creditable service in the same way as unused sick leave. Check with HR before retirement to plan the timing of your departure.

Contact your agency HR or benefits office to request a military deposit estimate. You generally need your DD-214 and the dates of active military service. Paying the deposit makes that military time creditable for FERS eligibility and annuity calculation. Do not enter unpaid military time in the calculator.

The FERS Special Retirement Supplement is paid to certain eligible FERS retirees before age 62. It is not Social Security and ends at age 62. Social Security is a separate benefit you may claim separately, generally from age 62 or later. The calculator estimates the Supplement but does not estimate your Social Security claiming strategy.

Start with your service computation date, personnel actions, recent pay and leave statements, military service records or DD-214 if military buyback applies, beneficiary forms, TSP statements, and any prior federal service records. HR and OPM may also need marriage and dependent documents if you elect a survivor benefit.

Review it whenever your High-3 salary, service credit, retirement system, leave balance, or planned retirement date changes. At minimum, update it annually and again 12 to 18 months before retirement, when you should begin verifying official records with HR.