As a federal employee, the idea of retiring from federal employment can be frightening and confusing. Whether you have FERS, CSRS, eligibility, TSP, FEHB or general federal retirement related questions you need to educate yourself on your federal retirement benefits. Read the Retirement Guide

The Federal Employees’ Retirement System (FERS) is the current retirement system for US federal civilian employees. Eligibility for FERS retirement benefits is determined by your age at retirement, your number of years of creditable service, your ‘High-3’ income and in some cases, other special requirements. FERS eligible federal employees will also need to know how their Social Security benefits them.

Eligibility for Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirement benefits is determined by your age at retirement, your number of years of creditable service, your ‘High-3’ income and in some cases, other special requirements. CSRS eligible federal employees need to know how to maximize their CSRS federal retirement benefits.

The Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program offers federal life insurance coverage to over nine million federal civilian employees, retirees, former employees, family members and former spouses. FEGLI is voluntary and paid for through employee and employer contributions.

For federal employees your CSRS Annuity or your FERS Annuity will be a very large part of your federal retirement benefits. Because of the different federal annuity calculations it is recommended that people approaching federal retirement learn all they can about their potential annuity payments and ways they can maximize their federal annuities.

Social Security Benefits for federal employees are impacted by your length of service and also the federal retirement system that you are eligible for, FERS or CSRS. Because Social Security is such a vital part of many people’s retirement income this is a must read for federal employees approaching retirement.

Federal employees and retirees have unique financial planning needs and concerns. From selecting a financial planner who understands the federal retirement systems, to choosing the appropriate Health and Federal Life Insurance options, this section touches on each of the most important federal retirement topics so you can approach your federal retirement correctly.

A a survivor of a federal employee or federal retiree you will face many choices and options as you attempt to piece together the federal benefits you may be eligible for. Educating yourself on these federal benefits and the appropriate selections can be critical to ensure you receive everything that you are eligible for.

As you enter your federal retirement your Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) coverages, your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) selections along with your other federal benefits will all be pushed to the foreground as you are prompted to make decisions that will impact the rest of your life. FEGLI, FEHB, Medicare and other topics are approached in this section.

As you approach federal retirement you will need to use forms from your Agency employer and also OPM and others. This section will provide you with a the most commonly used federal retirement, federal insurance, and Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) forms.

2015 FEDERAL PAY TABLES  or GS Pay Scale (Links)