FERS Retirement Decision Guides
Federal retirement is full of irrevocable choices. These guides give you the framework, the math, and the scenarios you need to make each one confidently.
All decision guides
FERS MRA+10 vs MRA+30: Which Retirement Path Fits You?
MRA+10 slashes your annuity by 5% per year you are under 62. For most feds with 25-29 years of service, postponing retirement until the penalty disappears is wo...
Read guide Decision GuideCSRS vs FERS: What's the Real Difference?
CSRS pays a much richer annuity formula (up to 80% of high-3) but you pay more into it and get no Social Security or TSP matching. FERS pays less from the pensi...
Read guide Decision GuideDeferred vs Postponed Retirement Under FERS
Postponed retirement is for MRA+10 employees who separate and delay their annuity start to reduce or eliminate the age penalty. Deferred retirement is for anyon...
Read guide Decision GuideDivorce and Your FERS Pension: What You Need to Know
FERS benefits split through court orders that OPM must honor. The pension requires a "court order acceptable for processing" (COAP). TSP splits through a retire...
Read guide Decision GuideFERS Disability Retirement: A Step-by-Step Guide
To qualify, you must have 18 months of creditable service and a medical condition that prevents you from performing your current position , not total and perman...
Read guide Decision GuideVERA and VSIP: Should You Take the Early Out?
VERA waives the normal age requirement for early retirement; VSIP adds a cash incentive up to $25,000 at most agencies (the DoD cap is $40,000 under the 2017 VS...
Read guide Decision GuideWhen Should a Federal Employee Retire? A Decision Framework
The best retirement date is usually the one that maximizes your annuity without unnecessary delay , often tied to a leave year boundary, a high-3 increment, or ...
Read guide Decision GuideThe FERS Supplement Earnings Test: Rules, Math, and Traps
If your earnings from work exceed $23,400 (2025), OPM reduces your Supplement by $1 for every $2 of excess earnings. At $35,400 in earnings, your Supplement is ...
Read guide Decision GuideFEHB to Medicare: Your Transition Playbook
Most federal retirees who kept FEHB into retirement should enroll in Medicare Part A (it is free and has no downside). Part B is the real decision: it costs $18...
Read guide Decision GuideFERS Survivor Benefit Election: Full, Partial, or None?
A full survivor annuity pays 50% of your unreduced annuity to your spouse if you die first, and costs you 10% of your annuity for life. The cost is real; so is ...
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