FERS

Applying for

Immediate

Retirement

Under the

Federal

Employees

Retirement

System

Federal Employees

Retirement System

This pamphlet is for you if you

are currently a Federal employee

covered by the Federal Employees

Retirement System (FERS) and you

want to apply for retirement which

begins within 30 days after the

date of your final separation from

Federal service.

United States

Office of

Personnel

Management

Retirement

and

insurance

Service

SF 3113

Revised May 2001

Previous edition is not usable.
We provide retirement information on the

Internet. You will find retirement brochures,

forms, and other information at:

http://www.opm.gov/retire/

You may also communicate with us using

email at:

retire@opm.gov
Table of Contents

Introduction........................................................1

Eligibility............................................................2

Continuing Health Benefits and

Life Insurance Coverage

into Retirement..............................................6

Applying for Benefits ..........................................7

Payments............................................................9

Survivor Benefits ..............................................11

NSN 7540-01-385-7440

3113-103

i

Page
 Introduction

This pamphlet, along with form SF 3107, FERS

Application for Immediate Retirement, is for you

if you are currently a Federal employee covered

by the Federal Employees Retirement System

(FERS), and you want to apply for retirement

with an immediate annuity (annuity beginning

within 30 days after the date of final separation

from Federal service). This includes individuals

who transferred to FERS from the Civil Service

Retirement System (CSRS) and who are eligible

to have part of their annuity computed under

CSRS rules.

Do not use this pamphlet, or form SF 3107, FERS

Application for Immediate Retirement, if you are

applying for a deferred annuity. A deferred annuity begins more than 30 days after the date of

final separation. If you want to apply for a

deferred annuity, you should request an RI

92-19, FERS Application for Deferred or

Postponed Retirement, from the:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Federal Employees Retirement System

P.O. Box 200

Boyers, PA 16017-0200.

1
 Eligibility

Age and Service Requirements

The following chart outlines the requirements for

an immediate annuity under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS).

Type of

Retirement Minimum

Age

Minimum

Service

Special

Requirements

Optional 62 5 None

60 20 None

MRA* 30 None

MRA* 10 None (Note: Annuity is

reduced by 5% for each

year the employee is

under age 62.)

Any

age

50

25

20

You must retire under

special provisions for air

traffic controllers, law

enforcement or firefighter

personnel.

Any

age

50

25

20

The Office of Personnel

Management must have

determined that your

agency is undergoing a

major reorganization,

reduction-in-force, or

transfer of function.

Discontinued

Service

Any

age

50

25

20

Your separation must be

involuntary and not for

misconduct or delinquency.

Disability Any

age

18

months

You must be disabled for

useful and efficient service in both your current

position and any other

vacant position at the

same grade or pay level

for which you are qualified. Other requirements

must also be met.

*Minimum Retirement Age.

2
Minimum Retirement Age (MRA)

The Minimum Retirement Age depends on your

year of birth. To determine your MRA, refer to

the following table.

If you were born in Your MRA is

Before 1948 55 years

1948 55 years, 2 months

1949 55 years, 4 months

1950 55 years, 6 months

1951 55 years, 8 months

1952 55 years, 10 months

1953 to 1964 56 years

1965 56 years, 2 months

1966 56 years, 4 months

1967 56 years, 6 months

1968 56 years, 8 months

1969 56 years, 10 months

After 1969 57 years

3
Age Reduction

If you have 10 or more years of service and are

retiring at the Minimum Retirement Age, your

annuity will be reduced for each month that you

are under age 62. The reduction is 5 percent per

year (5/12 of a percent per month). However,

your annuity will not be reduced if you completed at least 30 years of service, or if you completed at least 20 years of service and your

annuity begins when you reach age 60.

You can reduce or eliminate this age reduction,

by postponing the beginning date of your annuity.

Postponing the Beginning Date of

Annuity to Reduce or Avoid the Age

Reduction

You can reduce or eliminate the age reduction if

you choose to have your annuity begin at a date

later than your MRA. You can choose any beginning date between your MRA and 2 days before

your 62nd birthday. However, you cannot begin

your annuity while you are reemployed. Your

agency retirement counselor can provide you

with the annuity rates with and without the age

reduction. If you decide to postpone the beginning date of your annuity, do not complete form

SF 3107, FERS Application for Immediate Retirement. Write to the Office of Personnel Management 60 days before the date you want your

annuity to begin and request an RI 92-19, FERS

Application for Deferred or Postponed Retirement. The address is:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Federal Employees Retirement System

P.O. Box 200

Boyers, PA 16017-0200.

4
If you choose to postpone the

beginning date of your annuity, you

should be aware of the following

Life Insurance

You cannot continue your life insurance

coverage unless you are receiving an annuity. Therefore, if you postpone the beginning

date of your annuity, your life insurance

enrollment will terminate. When your annuity begins, the life insurance coverage you

had when you separated from your employment will resume.

Health Insurance

If you postpone the beginning date of your

annuity, you will be eligible to temporarily

continue your health benefits coverage for 18

months from the date of separation from

your employing agency; however, you must

contact your agency within 60 days and pay

the total premium, plus a 2% administrative

charge. When your annuity payments begin,

you will again have the opportunity to enroll

in a health benefits plan under the regular

Federal Employees Health Benefits Program,

and the Office of Personnel Management

(OPM) will pay the government share of the

premium.

COLA’s

If you delay your annuity beginning date,

your annuity rate will not include any

cost-of-living adjustments (COLA’s) that occur

before you begin to receive the annuity. Once

your annuity begins, you will be entitled to

COLA’s on any portion of your annuity which

was computed under Civil Service Retirement

System (CSRS) rules. However, you will not

receive COLA’s on the Federal Employees

Retirement System (FERS) part of your benefit until you are 62.

5
Survivor Benefits

If you defer receipt of your annuity and die

before you begin to receive it, your spouse

can still receive FERS survivor benefits.

 Continuing Health Benefits and

Life Insurance Coverage into

Retirement

If you wish to continue your Federal Employees

Health Benefits (FEHB) and/or Federal Employees Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) coverage as a

retiree, you must meet the following basic

requirements. You must be retiring on an immediate annuity and you must have been enrolled

in the program for the five years of Federal service immediately preceding your retirement, or if

less than five years, since your earliest opportunity to enroll. FEHB coverage as a family member counts toward the five-year requirement.

Uniform Services Health Benefits Program

coverage also counts provided you are an

FEHB enrollee when you retire.

If you are eligible to continue your FEHB coverage, your agency will automatically transfer

your enrollment to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). You do not need to do anything

unless you want to make some change in your

coverage.

The pamphlet, RI 76-21, FEGLI Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Program, has more

information about eligibility to continue your

FEGLI coverage as a retiree and the cost of coverage. If you are eligible to continue your FEGLI

basic coverage, you must complete an SF 2818,

Election of Post-Retirement Basic Life Insurance

Coverage. Any optional FEGLI coverage you have

and are eligible to retain as a retiree will automatically be continued unless you make some

change. Our experience has been that many people cancel all or a portion of their life insurance

coverage at retirement due to its cost. Therefore,

you should let OPM know at retirement, if you do

not want to continue a portion of your life insurance coverage. You may also want to file an

6
SF 2823, FEGLI Designation of Beneficiary form.

(The designation of beneficiary form for your

FERS retirement contributions and any lump

sum of accrued annuity is SF 3102.)

Based on the documentation your employing

agency is required to submit with your retirement application, OPM will determine whether

you are eligible to continue your health and life

insurance coverage as a retiree. However, if you

have any questions about your eligibility, ask

your employing office for assistance before you

retire.

 Applying for Benefits

Form to Use

Use form SF 3107, FERS Application for Immediate Retirement, to apply for immediate retirement. You can obtain the form from your

employing agency.

Submitting the Application

Submit the completed application to your

employing agency. Give your agency at least 60

days notice before the date you intend to retire.

Your agency will then complete the Schedule D,

Agency Checklist of Immediate Retirement Procedures and the SF 3107-1, Certified Summary of

Federal Service, which are included in the

SF 3107, FERS Application for Immediate

Retirement.

Your agency will complete the SF 3107-1, Certified Summary of Federal Service, and forward it

to you for your review and signature. You should

review it carefully before signing it. Any errors,

omissions, or discrepancies will delay the processing of your application, and may result in

incomplete credit for service in the initial computation of your annuity.

If you are applying for disability retirement, ask

your employing agency for a copy of the forms

package SF 3112, Documentation in Support of

Disability Retirement Application.

Your agency will forward the application to OPM.

7
What to do if your Address Changes Before

Processing is Complete

If your address changes before you receive your

claim number, write to us, giving your name,

date of birth, and your social security number. If

you have received your claim number you can

either telephone us or write to us to report your

new address. Please refer to your claim number

in any correspondence. You can phone us at

1-888-767-6738. Customers within local calling

distance to Washington, DC must contact us on

202-606-0500. If you prefer to write to us, you

should report your new address to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

ATTN: Change of Address

P.O. Box 440

Boyers, PA 16017-0440

In addition, notify your old post office of your

forwarding address.

What Happens After You File Your Retirement

Application

Your employing office will close out your records, using the Agency Checklist to assure that

all necessary steps are taken. When this process

(which includes paying you any unpaid compensation, such as for unpaid annual leave) has

been completed, the agency will forward your

application and records to the Office of Personnel

Management (OPM). You should receive a notice

from your former employing agency when your

application and records have been forwarded to

OPM. In most cases, the agency should forward

the retirement package to OPM so it is received

within 30 days after your separation. Until OPM

has received the application and supporting

documents, OPM does not know that you have

retired.

Note: Applications for disability retirement are

processed differently. Your agency normally will

forward your application, evidence supporting

your claim of disability and preliminary records,

to OPM for a disability determination based on a

8
review of both medical and non-medical evidence.

After it receives your application, OPM will

assign your claim number, which will begin with

the letters “CSA.” This number will be very

important to you as a retiree because you will

need to refer to it any time you write or call OPM

in connection with your annuity.

When we finish processing your application, we

will send you a statement explaining your benefits. We will also send you a pamphlet called

Information for FERS Annuitants, RI 90-8, which

contains information you will need after you

retire, including how to contact OPM to make

various changes (tax withholding, address,

health benefits, etc.), the effect of other benefits

(Social Security, Office of Workers’ Compensation Program [OWCP]) on your Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) benefit, the effect

of reemployment on your FERS benefit and benefits payable upon your death.

 Payments

Beginning Date of Annuity

The beginning date of most annuities is the first

day of the month after separation. However, disability annuities and annuities based on military

reserve technician provisions begin no later than

the day after pay stops and all other requirements for title to annuity are met. Annuities

based on involuntary separations begin on the

day after separation.

Payment and Accrual of Annuity

All annuities are payable in monthly installments on the first business day of the month

following the one for which the annuity has

accrued. For example, payments for the month of

June will be paid in your check dated July 1.

9
How to Have Annuity Payments Sent

to a Bank or Financial Institution

Public Law 104-134 requires that most Federal

payments be paid by Direct Deposit through Electronic Funds Transfer (EFT) into a savings or

checking account at a financial institution. However, if receiving your payment electronically

would cause you a financial hardship, or a hardship because you have a disability, or because of

a geographic, language or literacy barrier, you

may invoke your legal right to a waiver of the

Direct Deposit requirement, and continue to

receive your payment by check.

Direct deposit is a win-win situation all around.

You avoid the bother of traveling to a bank or

other financial institution to cash or deposit your

check. You may earn a few days extra interest

each month, and save travel costs and time. Both

you and the Office of Personnel Management

(OPM) are saved the worry that checks will be

lost in the mail. It also assures that payments

are deposited and available for your use, even

when you are away from home.

When you elect direct deposit, you will continue

to receive other information at your mailing

address. Complete Section H of SF 3107, FERS

Application for Immediate Retirement, to have

your payments sent to a financial institution or

to request a waiver of the direct deposit requirement. If you change to this option or change

accounts after your payments begin, you should

call us at 1-888-767-6738. Customers within

local calling distance to Washington, DC must

contact us on 202-606-0500. If you prefer, you

can send form SF 1199A, Direct Deposit Sign-Up

Form, to OPM. You can obtain the form where

you bank. Both you and your bank need to complete the form. Include your claim number on the

form. It’s a good idea to leave your old account

open until you have verified that a payment has

been deposited in your new one.

10
Federal Income Tax Withholding

If we do not receive a W-4 form from you indicating the rate at which (or a specific dollar

amount) you want federal income tax withheld,

tax will be withheld from your annuity at the

rate for a married person with 3 exemptions. If

you want to have the tax withheld at the rate

currently being withheld from your salary,

attach a copy of the W-4 form on file with your

employing agency, to your application for retirement. If you do not want federal income tax

withheld from your annuity payments, indicate

this in Section H of SF 3107, Application for

Immediate Retirement.

 Survivor Benefits

Married Applicants

The maximum survivor benefit available is 50%

of your unreduced annuity. Your annuity is

reduced by 10% to provide this benefit. If you are

married when your annuity begins, it will be

computed with a reduction to provide maximum

survivor benefits for your spouse upon your

death. You can elect to provide a partial survivor

benefit (25% of your unreduced annuity, with a

5% reduction in your annuity) or no survivor

benefits; however, you must get your spouse’s

consent to elect either of these options.

SF 3107-2, Spouse’s Consent to Survivor Election, which is part of form SF 3107, FERS Application for Immediate Retirement, must be

completed by your spouse and forwarded to the

Office of Personnel Management (OPM) along

with your application for retirement.

If your spouse is covered under your Federal

Employees Health Benefits plan and you do not

elect survivor benefits for your spouse, your

spouse will not be eligible to continue this health

benefits coverage after your death.

Waiving the Spousal Consent Requirement

OPM may waive the spousal consent requirement

if you show that your spouse’s whereabouts cannot be determined. A request for waiver on this

basis must be accompanied by:

11
 a judicial determination that your spouse’s

whereabouts cannot be determined; or

 affidavits by you and two other persons, at

least one of whom is not related to you,

attesting to the inability to locate the current spouse and stating the efforts made to

locate the spouse. You must also give documentary evidence, such as tax returns filed

separately, or newspaper stories, about the

spouse’s disappearance.

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) may

also waive the spousal consent requirement if

you present a judicial determination regarding

the current spouse that would warrant waiver of

the consent requirement based on exceptional

circumstances. (Illness or injury of the retiring

employee is not justification for waiving the

spousal consent requirement.)

Electing a Survivor Annuity for a Former

Spouse

To elect a survivor annuity for a former spouse,

you must have been married to the person for a

total of at least 9 months. A former spouse who

remarries before reaching age 55 is not eligible

for a former spouse survivor annuity.

You may elect to provide a survivor annuity for

more than one former spouse. The total of the

survivor annuities must equal either 25% or 50%

of your unreduced annuity. Also, if you are married, you must have your spouse’s consent to

choose this option, because any benefit elected

for a former spouse limits what can be elected

for your current spouse. The maximum combined

survivor benefits that can be elected for your current and former spouse(s) is 50% of your benefit.

Electing a Survivor Annuity for a Current

Spouse When a Court Order Gives a

Survivor Annuity to a Former Spouse

If a court order has given a survivor annuity to a

former spouse, you still may make your election

concerning a survivor annuity for your current

12
spouse as if there were no court-ordered former

spouse annuity. By electing survivor benefits for

your current spouse at retirement, you can protect your spouse’s rights in case your former

spouse loses entitlement in the future (because

of remarriage before age 55, death, or under the

terms of the court order). Another option that

you should consider is outlined on page 14

under “Electing an Insurable Interest Annuity for

a Current Spouse When a Court Order Gives a

Survivor Annuity to a Former Spouse.” The following paragraphs explain in more detail how

your election at the time of retirement can affect

your current spouse’s future rights if the court

has given a survivor annuity to a former spouse.

If a court order gives a survivor annuity to a

former spouse, your annuity will be reduced to

provide it. If you elect a survivor annuity for

your current spouse (or another former spouse),

your annuity will be reduced no more than it

would be to provide a survivor annuity equal to

50% of your unreduced annuity. Your current

spouse will be eligible for any portion of the

benefit not ordered for the former spouse.

If you die before your current and former

spouses, the total amount of the survivor annuities paid cannot exceed 50% of your annuity and

the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) must

honor the terms of the court order before it can

honor your election. The former spouse having

the court-ordered survivor benefit would receive

an annuity according to the terms of the court

order. If the court order gives the entire survivor

annuity to the former spouse, your widow(er)

would receive no survivor annuity until the former spouse loses entitlement. Then your widow(er) would receive a survivor annuity according to your election. If the court order gives less

than the entire survivor annuity to the former

spouse, your widow(er) would receive an annuity

no greater than the difference between the courtordered survivor annuity and 50% of your annuity. However, if the former spouse loses entitlement to the survivor annuity (through remarriage before age 55, death, or under the terms of

the court order), your widow(er) would then

receive the survivor annuity you elected.

13
For example, if there is a court-ordered former

spouse survivor annuity that equals 40% of your

annuity, you elect a maximum survivor annuity

for your current spouse, and you die before the

former spouse’s entitlement to a survivor annuity ends, the former spouse would receive a survivor annuity equal to 40% of your annuity and

your widow(er) would receive a survivor annuity

equal to 10% of your annuity. However, if the

former spouse later loses entitlement to the survivor annuity, your widow(er) would then receive

a survivor annuity equal to 50% of your annuity.

Electing an Insurable Interest Annuity for

a Current Spouse When a Court Order

Gives a Survivor Annuity to a Former

Spouse

If a former spouse’s court-ordered survivor annuity will prevent your current spouse from receiving a survivor annuity that is sufficient to meet

his or her anticipated needs, you may want to

elect an insurable interest annuity for your

spouse. You must provide documentation that

you are in good health in order to choose this

benefit. The amount of the benefit and the

amount of the reduction in your annuity to provide it are explained on page 15 in “Electing an

Insurable Interest Survivor Benefit for an Individual Other Than Your Spouse”.

If you elect an insurable interest survivor annuity for your current spouse, your current spouse

must sign form SF 3107-2, Spouse’s Consent to

Survivor Election, which is part of SF 3107,

FERS Application for Immediate Retirement, consenting to receive the insurable interest annuity

instead of a regular survivor annuity. (Choose

item a. in Part 1 of the SF 3107-2).

If you elect an insurable interest survivor annuity for your current spouse and your former

spouse loses entitlement before you die, you

may request that the reduction in your annuity

to provide the insurable interest annuity be converted to the regular survivor annuity reduction.

Your current spouse would then be entitled to

the regular survivor annuity. If your former

14
spouse loses entitlement after you die, your

widow(er) can substitute the regular survivor

annuity for the insurable interest survivor

annuity.

If for any reason the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) cannot allow your insurable interest

election for your current spouse, your current

spouse will be considered elected for the maximum regular survivor annuity.

Electing an Insurable Interest Survivor

Benefit for an Individual Other than Your

Spouse

You can elect to provide a survivor benefit for an

individual who may reasonably expect to derive

financial benefit from your continued life (such

as a close relative). You must provide documentation that you are in good health in order to

choose this type of annuity. If you choose this

type of annuity, the amount of the reduction in

your annuity will depend upon the difference

between your age and the age of the person

named as the survivor annuitant, as shown in

the table below. The survivor’s rate will be 55%

of your reduced annuity.

Age of the Person Named in

Relation to that of Retiring

Employee

Reduction

in Annuity

of Retiring

Employee

Older, same age, or less than 5

years younger

10%

5 but less than 10 years younger 15%

10 but less than 15 years younger 20%

15 but less than 20 years younger 25%

20 but less than 25 years younger 30%

25 but less than 30 years younger 35%

30 or more years younger 40%

15
You can elect this insurable interest survivor

annuity in addition to a regular survivor annuity

for a current or former spouse.

Termination of the reduction in your

annuity to provide a survivor benefit

Current Spouse

The reduction in your annuity to provide a survivor annuity for your current spouse stops if

your marriage ends because of death, divorce, or

annulment.

Former Spouse

The reduction in your annuity to provide a survivor annuity for a former spouse ends if the former spouse dies, if the former spouse remarries

before reaching age 55, or under the terms of the

court order that required you to provide the survivor annuity for the former spouse when you

retired. (Modifications to the court order issued

after you retire do not affect the former spouse

survivor annuity.)

Insurable Interest

The reduction in your annuity to provide an

insurable interest annuity ends if the person you

name to receive the insurable interest annuity

dies or if the person you name is your current

spouse and you change your election because a

former spouse has lost entitlement to a survivor

annuity. The reduction also ends if, after you

retire, you marry the insurable interest beneficiary and elect to provide a spousal survivor annuity for that person. If you marry someone other

than the insurable interest beneficiary after you

retire and elect to provide a survivor annuity for

your spouse, you may elect to cancel the insurable interest reduction at that time.

16
Changing the Survivor Election After

Retirement

If it is within 30 days of your first regular

annuity payment

You may change your election if, not later than

30 days after the date of your first regular

monthly payment, you file a new election in writing. You should write to:

U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Federal Employees Retirement System

P.O. Box 200

Boyers, PA 16017-0200.

Your first regular monthly payment is the first

annuity check payable on a recurring basis

(other than an estimated payment or an adjustment check) after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has computed the regular rate of

annuity payable under the Federal Employees

Retirement System (FERS) and has paid the first

regular annuity amount.

When the 30-day period following the date of

your first regular monthly payment has passed,

you cannot change your election, except under

the circumstances explained in the following

paragraphs.

If it is more than 30 days from the date of

your first regular monthly payment, but

less than 18-months from the beginning

date of your annuity

If you are married at retirement, you may change

your decision not to provide a survivor annuity,

or you may increase the survivor annuity

amount. You must request the change in writing

no later than 18 months after the beginning date

of your annuity.

In addition, you must pay a deposit representing

the difference between the reduction for the new

survivor election and the original survivor election, plus a percentage of your annual annuity.

This percentage is 24.5% of your annual annuity

(at retirement) if you are changing from no survivor benefit to a full survivor benefit, and

17
12.25% if you are changing from none to a partial benefit or from a partial benefit to a full

benefit. Interest on the deposit must also be

paid.

Electing Survivor Benefits for a Spouse

Acquired After Retirement

If you get married after retirement, you can elect

a reduced annuity to provide a survivor annuity

for your spouse, if you contact the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to request the benefit

within two years of the date of the marriage. You

may elect either a full survivor annuity (50% of

your unreduced annuity) or a partial survivor

annuity (25% of your unreduced annuity). If you

remarry the same person you were married to at

retirement and that person consented to either

no survivor annuity or a partial survivor annuity, you cannot elect a survivor annuity greater

than the amount provided in your original election.

There will be two reductions in your annuity if

you elect to provide the survivor benefit. One will

be the reduction to provide the survivor benefit.

The amount of the reduction depends on whether

you have elected to provide a full survivor annuity (10% reduction) or a partial survivor annuity

(5% reduction). The reduction to provide the survivor benefit will be eliminated if your marriage

ends.

The other reduction in your annuity is a permanent actuarial reduction to pay the survivor

benefit deposit. The deposit equals the difference

between the new annuity rate and the annuity

paid to you for each month since retirement, plus

6% interest. The reduction is determined by

dividing the amount of the deposit by an actuarial factor for your age on the date your annuity is reduced to provide the survivor benefit. The

actuarial reduction will not be eliminated from

your annuity if your marriage ends.

18
Notes

19
Retirement & Insurance Service

Serving over 10 million customers, Federal employees,

annuitants, and their families.