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July 16, 2021
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Inflation and the Great COLA Countdown of 2021

By | Benefits, Federal Pay, Retirement | No Comments

For the first time in recent memory, the annual cost-of-living adjustment for federal retirement benefits could increase significantly.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics announced this week that the Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W) increased 6.1 percent over the last 12 months. This figure is significant to federal retirees and those soon to retire, because it’s the basis for the annual retiree cost of living adjustment.

Annual COLAs are determined by comparing the average monthly CPI-W during the third quarter (July to September) of the current calendar year and the third quarter of the base year, which is the last previous year in which a COLA was applied. The effective date for COLAs is December, but the adjustment first appears in the benefits issued during the following January. This means that the 2021 COLA for federal retirees won’t be determined until the CPI-W announcement for the end of September, which will occur by mid-October.

The CPI-W will be influenced by the additional increase (or decrease) in prices for July, August and September. Based on the second quarter announcement, it’s shaping up to be a significant increase. The recent history of COLA increases includes 1.3 percent (2020), 1.6 percent (2019), 2.8 percent (2018), 2.0 percent (2017), 0.3 percent (2016), 0.0 percent (2015), 1.7 percent (2014), 1.5 percent (2013), 1.7 percent (2012), 3.6 percent (2011), 0.0 percent (2009 and 2010) and 5.8 percent (2008).

It’s important for those who are planning to retire from the federal government to understand how the annual COLA is applied to your retirement benefits. Let’s start with Civil Service Retirement System and Federal Employees Retirement System benefits. Eligible annuitants must be retired for at least one year to receive the full annual COLA, but the maximum increase is computed a little differently for FERS annuitants. One year starts with the December 2020 retirement benefit and ends November 2021. For example, if you retire on July 31, 2021 and your retirement starts on Aug. 1, you will be retired for four months during the 2021 rating period. You would receive 4/12 of the 2021 increase in your January retirement payment (which covers the month of December).

The difference for FERS retirees occurs when the increase is higher than 2%. When the increase is 3% or higher, the maximum boost for FERS retirees is 1% less than the full COLA increase. So, for example, if the 2021 COLA turns out to be 6%, FERS annuitants will receive 5%. In years when the rate of the COLA is between 2% and 3%, FERS retirees are granted a 2% COLA. The only time such a reduced (or “diet”) COLA doesn’t apply to FERS is when the COLA increase is 2% or less.

FERS COLAs apply only to the retiree’s basic annuity (not the FERS retirement supplement). For survivor annuitants, the COLA applies to both the basic survivor annuity and supplementary annuity. CSRS COLAs apply to all annuities, regardless of the age of the annuitant. FERS COLAs generally do not apply to annuitants who are under age 62 as of Dec. 1, 2021, with some exceptions.

For FERS employees who are planning to retire at the minimum retirement age of between 55 and 57 years old, this can be a significant issue if a trend of higher inflation continues. A 5% increase to a benefit of $1,000 per month would add $50 to the retirement benefit. Over time the lack of such a COLA would result in a significantly reduced buying power of the benefit.

For Social Security recipients, the COLA is also based on the full CPI-W third quarter adjustment. The increase in Social Security benefits is a little more complicated to calculate since it is based on the benefit payable at your full retirement age.

If you would like to have a free retirement review to know where your pension numbers look like, please feel free to Contact Us today and schedule your one-on-one call today.

July 8, 2021
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Former Temporary Workers Could Make Catch-Up Pension Contributions Under New Bill

By | Benefits, Federal Pay, Retirement | No Comments

A bipartisan group of lawmakers has introduced legislation to allow most federal employees who were initially hired as temporary workers to make catch-up contributions to defined benefit pensions so they can retire on time.

Reps. Derek Kilmer, D-Wash., and Tom Cole, R-Okla., on Wednesday introduced the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 4268), which would allow employees enrolled in the Federal Employees Retirement System who initially entered government as a temporary worker the ability to make catch-up retirement contributions to cover for the years when they were temps and unable to contribute to their retirement accounts.

Former temporary workers once had access to a similar provision to make “buy back” contributions to account for their time as temps under the Civil Service Retirement System, but the practice was phased out in 1989, after the implementation of FERS. As a result, federal workers who began as temporary employees must choose between accepting a lower defined benefit pension annuity or working additional years to receive their full retirement allowance.

“Many federal employees begin their careers in temporary positions before transitioning to permanent status—so we need to have their backs,” Kilmer said in a statement. “This bill will ensure that all federal workers . . . have the opportunity to retire on time, regardless of how they started their careers.”

“Whether first hired under temporary status or not, civil service should be recognized, and these workers should have the option to pay toward retirement credit for the entirety of their employment,” Cole said. “I am proud to join in re-introducing the Federal Retirement Fairness Act that allows this buy-in benefit to give these civil employees earned time credit toward retirement.”

The bill already has the support of an array of federal employee groups, including the American Federation of Government Employees, the Federal Managers Association, and the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association.

“When a temporary employee converts to a permanent employee, the temporary service time is not considered when calculating the FERS retirement benefit,” NARFE National President Ken Thomas said. “This bill would allow the once temporary, now permanent employee to make a deposit of employee contributions to make their temporary service creditable towards retirement.”

“Seasonal and temporary employees who answer the call of duty deserve the same level of deference as the permanent employees they work with,” said Randy Erwin, national president of the National Federation of Federal Employees. “It is unconscionable to ignore temporary or seasonal labor upon becoming permanent employees given many of these employees risk their lives and health for these jobs, as thousands of wildland firefighters do each year . . . If they put the time in, they deserve to have it counted toward retirement.”

If you need assistance or want to get a Free Retirement review, please Contact Us today to schedule your retirement review.

July 2, 2021
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Leaving Government Now and Retiring Later

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The ins and outs of deferred or postponed retirement.

In her swearing-in ceremony, newly confirmed OPM Director Kiran Ahuja, had this to say about the major issues federal employees are facing: “From shaping how and where we work in the future to ensuring everyone is safe while working during this pandemic, and discussions regarding how we rebuild our federal workforce, there’s no shortage of conversations to be had and issues to tackle.”

Based on the increased number of emails I’ve been receiving requesting information about deferred or postponed retirement benefits, it appears that some employees may not be returning to their offices to help with this reshaping. Some are contemplating early retirement or transitioning outside of federal service to finish their careers.

Here’s one typical scenario:

I would like to get some information concerning deferred retirement. I have 20 years of federal service under FERS but I am only 49 years old. I am thinking of retiring now and defer my retirement pay until 57. Will there be a reduction in pay because I am retiring at 49 instead of waiting until 57? What forms do I need to complete to retire now?

Here’s another:

I’m writing because I am starting to talk with private sector employers and there’s a good chance I may pursue early retirement when I reach my minimum retirement age (56 years and 2 months). I currently have around 25 years of federal service. I would pursue the deferred/postponed retirement benefit and reinstate health insurance when I apply at age 60. I plan to use the insurance from whatever firm I join until 60 years old. My question is what do I want to do to make sure this happens before I leave the federal government, including what forms do I want to make sure I get copies of and retain? 

If you are under the Federal Employees Retirement System and considering a move outside of federal service before being eligible to retire with immediate retirement benefits or postponing your retirement, here are some things to know:

  • In order to qualify for a deferred retirement, you will need to complete a minimum of five years of creditable civilian service. Your benefit will begin the first day of the month after you reach age 62.
  • If you complete at least 10 years of creditable service, including five years of civilian service, then you are eligible for a deferred annuity beginning the first day of the month after you reach your minimum retirement age.
  • Your deferred annuity is based on the length of service and high-three average salary in effect when you separate from federal service. You will be entitled to a benefit computed at 1% of your high-three average salary for each year of service.
  • You will begin to receive cost of living adjustments on your deferred retirement benefits once you are over 62.
  • Former employees who receive a deferred or postponed annuity are not eligible for a retiree annuity supplement.
  • If you have already reached your MRA and you have at least 10 years of service, you can separate but postpone receiving your retirement benefit to avoid an age reduction.
  • Most of your insurance benefits such as health, dental and vision, and life insurance will end when you separate without applying for immediate retirement benefits.

There will be no forms to file until you are ready to apply for your deferred annuity. Your separation will be treated as a resignation, but form SF 50, Notification of Personnel Action, will note that you are entitled to a deferred or postponed retirement in the remarks section of the form.

Form RI 92-19 is used to apply for a deferred or postponed FERS retirement benefit. There are instructions for this form available in companion pamphlet RI 92-19a. You should file the application directly with the Office of Personnel Management 60 days before you want your monthly annuity benefit to begin.

It’s a good idea to request a retirement estimate for a deferred or postponed retirement from your agency’s human resources office before leaving federal service. This will give you an idea of the value of this benefit at the time you are entitled to receive it.

If you are married when your annuity begins, it will be computed with a reduction to provide a maximum survivor annuity (50 percent of your unreduced annuity) for your spouse upon your death. You can choose to provide a partial survivor annuity (25 percent of your unreduced annuity) or no survivor annuity; however, you must get your spouse’s consent.

If you separate from federal service, but die before receiving your deferred or postponed retirement, there would be a survivor annuity payable to your spouse if they were married to you at the time of your separation and you had 10 or more years of creditable service (and did not apply for a refund of your retirement contributions). Your surviving spouse may elect to receive a lump-sum payment of your retirement contributions in lieu of a survivor annuity.

You should keep personal copies of certain documents filed in your electronic Official Personnel Folder, because you will lose immediate access to this folder after your separation. These include:

  • FERS Designation of Beneficiary Form (SF 3102)
  • SF-50 forms showing appointments into federal service, prior separations from federal service, changes in your work schedule, changes in your retirement coverage, and pay changes over the last (or highest) three years of service, because they will be used to compute your high-three average salary for your future retirement benefit.
  • FEGLI forms if you are retiring with an immediate retirement, including SF 2817 (Life Insurance Election) and SF 2823 (Designation of Beneficiary).
  • SF 2809 FEHBP election forms.

If you are considering employment related to your government work or possibly returning to federal service later on, you may want to maintain information regarding training, duty stations, security clearances, pay, and positions that were held during your career.

The pandemic has upended our lives and made us think about our priorities. There is a big difference between retiring with an immediate, unreduced, retirement based on a full career of federal service versus a reduced or postponed deferred retirement. So be sure to think it through before you make the leap out of government.

We can also run a free benefits analysis for you as well, just visit out simple contact us page to request yours today.

June 10, 2021
0

FERS Retiree Annuity Supplement

By | Benefits, Federal Pay, Retirement | No Comments

If you are a FERS employee and you retire on an immediate, unreduced annuity before reaching age 62, you will not only receive your basic annuity but an additional payment that represents the amount of Social Security benefit you earned while a FERS employee. It’s called the special retirement supplement (SRS).

An immediate, unreduced annuity is payable to any FERS employee who retires:
• at age 60 with 20 years of service,
• at his minimum retirement age (MRA—currently 56) with 30 years of service,
• at his MRA, if involuntarily retiring, for example during a RIF, or
• at his MRA, if retiring under the Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA)

Note: Employees who retire under the MRA+10 provision aren’t eligible for the SRS. Nor are deferred retirees or disability retirees.

The amount of the SRS is determined using a complicated formula that relies on data that isn’t available to you. A ballpark formula: multiply your Social Security benefit by your total years of FERS service then divide by 40.

There are three key things you need to know about the SRS: 1) It’s a fixed amount that’s established on the day you retire; 2) it isn’t increased by any cost-of-living adjustments (COLAs); and, 3) it ends when you reach age 62 and become eligible for a Social Security benefit.

The money used to pay the SRS doesn’t come from the Social Security Administration. Instead it comes from the Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund. That’s why it’s based solely on your actual FERS service. However, like a Social Security benefit, the SRS is subject to an annual earnings limit, above which the benefit is reduced.

There is an exception to that earnings limit rule: If you were employed under the special provision for law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers and you retired before your minimum retirement age, you can earn as much as you want without your SRS being reduced. However, once you reach your MRA, you’ll be subject to the earnings limit just like any other FERS retiree.

The SRS is subject to the annual earnings limit, just like your Social Security benefit. If you have earnings from wages or self employment that exceed the limit, your SRS will be reduced by $1 for every $2 that exceed that limit.  In 2020 that limit is $18,240.

March 23, 2021
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Social Security Early Retirement -

What is Full Retirement Age for Social Security Benefits

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Full retirement age—also called normal retirement age—is the age when Americans receive full Social Security benefits. Your full retirement age varies depending on the year you were born. Contrast this with the so-called early retirement age of 62, when people may start receiving partial Social Security benefits.

Social Security Full Retirement Age

The Social Security Administration sets a full retirement age to standardize benefit calculations and ensure fairness. Originally, Social Security’s full retirement age was set at 65 for all beneficiaries, but the Social Security Amendment of 1983 gradually raised the full retirement age to 67.

Increasing the full retirement age preserved revenue in the system and addressed a looming shortfall” as American life spans lengthened and more people were claiming Social Security benefits for longer.

Today, your Social Security full retirement age depends on what year you were born. For everyone born in 1960 or later, it will be standardized at age 67:

 

Year You Were Born Full Retirement Age
1943-1954 66
1955 66 and 2 months
1956 66 and 4 months
1957 66 and 6 months
1958 66 and 8 months
1959 66 and 10 months
1960 or later 67

Full Retirement Age vs Early Retirement Age

While understanding your full retirement age is a key part of the puzzle, it’s different from when you may start claiming Social Security benefits. That’s your early retirement age, which is 62 regardless of what year you were born. And while all Americans may start receiving benefits when they turn 62, doing so will decrease the amount of each monthly payment.

Here’s a bit of the Social Security Administration’s official jargon, which is essential for getting a complete picture of your benefits. Full retirement age is how old you must be to receive your full primary insurance amount (PIA), or the base-rate Social Security benefit you’re eligible for given your lifetime earnings history.

How Full Retirement Age Impacts Your Social Security Benefits

When you claim Social Security benefits early—before your full retirement age—your total monthly benefit is decreased by a small percentage of your PIA for each month until your full retirement age. Conversely when you delay claiming benefits until after your full retirement age, it boosts your monthly benefit payment by a small percentage of your PIA—up to the year you turn 70.

Your Social Security benefit is reduced by around half a percent for each month between the date when you claim benefits early and your full retirement age. At the very most, you could see a reduction of up to 30% of your PIA by claiming benefits before reaching full retirement age. A PIA of $2,000, for example, could be cut to $1,400 if you take your benefit as soon as you are eligible, rather than waiting for full retirement age.

On the other hand, delaying Social Security benefits until after your full retirement age could garner you a larger monthly benefit.

“For every month after full retirement age, you add two-thirds of 1% per month up until you attain age 70,” says Carroll. This means an increase of up to 8% per year that you delay taking benefits between full retirement age and age 70. For a beneficiary with a full retirement age of 66 and 6 months, a PIA of $2,000 could be increased to $2,600 by waiting to take benefits until age 70.

Just keep in mind that other types of Social Security retirement benefits, like survivor and disability benefits, have different cutoff ages. Social Security survivor benefits, which provide a monthly payment to the surviving spouse based on their deceased partner’s work history, can start at 60, or 50 if the survivor themselves is disabled.

Social Security’s full retirement age also matters in these cases, because if you live to claim Social Security, any benefit reductions or gains you lock in will impact the amount survivors receive on your passing.

Social Security disability benefits do not have any specific retirement age, since disability can strike at any age.

Should You Take Social Security at Full Retirement Age?

There are tons of factors to consider in deciding when to start your Social Security benefits.

For people with serious health problems, it might make sense to start benefits early. Someone who was disabled before full retirement age and can no longer work might consider forgoing a higher monthly benefit to start collecting monthly Social Security benefits immediately. Meanwhile, maximizing Social Security benefits is a strategy that’s most relevant for people who expect to live longer than average.

Consider a hypothetical beneficiary who lives to 79, which is the average American life expectancy:

  • If they started collecting Social Security at age 62, with a $1,400 monthly payment, they would receive a lifetime total of $285,600 in benefits.
  • If they waited until their full retirement age, they’d receive a $2,000 monthly benefit, for a lifetime total of $300,000.
  • If they waited as long as possible to claim benefits—to age 70—they would get a monthly benefit of $2,600, or a lifetime total of $280,000.

For this hypothetical American, no matter when they choose to start receiving Social Security benefits, the differences in lifetime total benefits isn’t very large. Deciding when to start Social Security isn’t always as simple as aiming to maximize your monthly payment.

To help you figure out the right solution for your personal financial and health situation, consider meeting with a financial advisor to run the numbers and determine if starting Social Security benefits at full retirement age is right for you. And remember to factor in your loved ones in this decision as your choice may ultimately affect them.

If your spouse is the lower earner and will eventually receive your Social Security benefit [as a survivor benefit], keep in mind that your filing decision (early vs. later) will impact the amount of monthly benefits they will receive after you are gone.

February 1, 2021
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Most “401k” Federal Savings Plan Funds Stumble to Start 2021

By | Benefits, Federal Pay, TSP | No Comments

All but two of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program lost ground for January.

The federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program got off to a rocky start in 2021, as most of its portfolios ended January slightly in the red.

The small- and mid-size businesses of the “401k” Federal Savings Plan ’s S Fund were the top performers, gaining 2.85% last month. The G Fund, made up of government securities, also increased 0.07%.

But the common stocks of the C Fund fell 1.01% in January, while the international (I) fund lost 1.09%. The fixed income (F) fund fell 0.71%.

All of the “401k” Federal Savings Plan ’s lifecycle (L) funds, which shift to more stable investments as participants get closer to retirement, also lost ground last month. The L Income Fund, for people who already have begun making withdrawals, fell 0.10%; L 2025, 0.24%; L 2030, 0.32%; L 2035, 0.35%; L 2040, 0.37%; L 2045, 0.39%; L 2050, 0.41%; L 2055, 0.44%; L 2060, 0.44%; and L 2065, 0.44%.

 

January 28, 2021
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Billions Flow Out of “401k” Federal Savings Plan Due to COVID and More

By | Benefits, Retirement, TSP | No Comments

Officials at the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program said this week that nearly $3 billion exited the “401k” Federal Savings Plan this year as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.

The CARES Act authorized “401k” Federal Savings Plan participants to take loans from their accounts of up to double the normal amount, and it waived requirements that participants be 59 1/2 years old, cite a specific financial hardship or take a 10% tax penalty.

At the January meeting of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board, which administers the “401k” Federal Savings Plan , Participant Services Director Tee Ramos outlined how federal employees and retirees made use of these flexibilities.

Over the course of the programs, which both expired last year, “401k” Federal Savings Plan participants took out 3,043 CARES Act loans over the normal $50,000 cap, for a total of $229 million. And 119,720 participants withdrew money using the CARES Act flexibilities, totaling $2.9 billion. Despite these figures, assets in the “401k” Federal Savings Plan grew in 2021.

“Plan assets were up to $710 billion in December, and the total number of participants reached 6.2 million,” Ramos said. “Hardship withdrawals and loan volumes were 18% lower than the prior year, likely driven by the availability of CARES Act withdrawals and loans.”

In other retirement news, a bipartisan group of lawmakers last week reintroduced legislation that would eliminate two provisions of the Social Security program reviled by many federal retirees. The Social Security Fairness Act (H.R. 82), introduced by Reps. Rodney Davis, R-Ill., and Abigail Spanberger, D-Va., would eliminate the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset from the Social Security Act.

The windfall elimination provision reduces the Social Security benefits of retired federal, state and local government employees who worked in private sector jobs in addition to a government job where Social Security is not intended as an element of their retirement income, like employees in the Civil Service Retirement System. And the government pension offset prevents government retirees from collecting both their own pension like the CSRS annuity and Social Security benefits derived from their spouse’s work in the private sector.

“Virginians shouldn’t be penalized for careers in public service—and that’s why eliminating the government pension offset and windfall elimination provision is so important,” Spanberger said in a statement. “Many central Virginians—including teachers, first responders and public employees—are negatively impacted by these outdated provisions that unfairly reduce the Social Security benefits they’ve earned.”

In a statement, National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association National President Ken Thomas endorsed the legislation.

“For decades, NARFE has supported full repeal of the windfall elimination provision and the government pension offset, and applauds introduction of a bill . . . to do just that,” Thomas said. “These policies have unfairly punished retired public servants through reduced Social Security benefits for far too long. This bill would provide much-needed relief for the millions of retirees and survivors currently affected by this inequitable practice and will improve fairness for future retirees.”