CSRS Civil Service 

Retirement 

System 

Retirement 

Facts 

1 

Civil Service 

Retirement 

System 

RI 83-1 

March 1995 edition is usable Revised November 1997

United States 

Office of 

Personnel 

Management 

Retirement and 

Insurance 

Service 
Additional retirement information and all publications of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management listed in this pamphlet are available on the 

Internet. 

OPM Website — http://www.opm.gov/asd 
Table of Contents 

Page 

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

When You May Retire . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2 

How Annuities Are Computed . . . . . . . . . 4 

Credit for Military Service . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

Disability Retirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5 

If You Retire Before Age 55 . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

If You Die in Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6 

Providing for Your Survivors on Retirement . . 7 

If You Leave the Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8 

Making Payments for Previous Service . . . . . 8 

Alternative Form of Annuity . . . . . . . . . . 9 

CSRS Offset Employees . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9 

Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . 10 

i 
Introduction 

The information presented in this pamphlet is an 

overview of the major provisions of the Civil 

Service Retirement System (CSRS) for employees who are covered by this retirement plan. 

Other pamphlets in the CSRS Retirement Facts 

series provide more detailed information about 

various aspects of the plan. Titles of other pamphlets in the series are listed at the end of this 

pamphlet. If you are considering retirement 

within the next 5 years, ask your employing 

office for a copy of “Thinking About Retirement” 

(RI 83-11). 

1 
When You May Retire 

You may retire under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) at the following ages, and 

receive an immediate annuity, if you have at least 

the amount of Federal service shown: 

Type of 

Retirement 

Minimum 

Age 

Minimum 

Service 

(Years) 

Also see the “Special Requirements” 

on the next page. 

Optional 

62 5 

60 20 

55 30 

Special 

Optional 50 20 

Early 

Optional 

Any age* 

50* 

25 

20 

Discontinued 

Service 

Any age* 

50* 

25 

20 

Disability Any age 5 

* Annuity is reduced if under age 55. 

2 
Special 

Requirements 

None 

None 

None 

Special Optional - You must retire under special 

provisions for air traffic controllers or law 

enforcement and firefighter personnel. Air traffic 

controllers can also retire at any age with 25 

years of service as a civilian air traffic controller. 

Early Optional - Your agency must be undergoing a major reorganization, reduction-in-force, or 

transfer of function as determined by the U.S. 

Office of Personnel Management 

Discontinued Service - Your separation must be 

involuntary and not removal for misconduct or 

delinquency. 

Disability - You must be disabled for useful and 

efficient service in your current position and any 

other vacant position at the same grade or pay 

level within your commuting area and current 

agency for which you are qualified.* 

* Application must be prior to retirement, or within 

1 year of separation, except in cases of mental 

incompetence. 

3 
How Annuities Are Computed 

Your basic annuity is computed based on your 

length of service and “high-3” average pay. You 

also receive credit for unused sick leave if you 

retire on an immediate annuity. To determine 

your length of service for computation, add all 

your periods of creditable service, and the period 

represented by your unused sick leave, then eliminate from the total any fractional part of a month. 

Your “high-3” average pay is the highest average 

basic pay you earned during any 3 consecutive 

years of service. Generally, your basic annuity 

cannot be more than 80 percent of your “high-3” 

average pay, unless the amount over 80 percent is 

due to crediting your unused sick leave. 

Your yearly basic annuity is computed by adding: 

(a) 11⁄2 percent of your “high-3” average pay 

times service up to 5 years; (b) 13⁄4 percent of 

your “high-3” pay times years of service over 5 

and up to 10; and (c) 2 percent of your “high-3” 

pay times years of service over 10. 

Your basic annuity will be reduced if: (a) you 

retire before age 55 (unless you retire for disability or under the special provisions for law 

enforcement officers, air traffic controllers, and 

firefighters); (b) you didn’t make a deposit for 

service performed prior to October 1, 1982, during which no deductions were taken from your 

pay (non-deduction service after that date is not 

used in the computation of benefits if the deposit 

is not paid); (c) you didn’t make a redeposit of a 

refund for a period of service that ended before 

October 1, 1990; or (d) you provide for a survivor. 

Your annuity will be increased periodically by 

cost-of-living increases that occur after you 

retire. Your initial cost-of-living increase will 

be prorated based on how long you have been 

retired when that cost-of-living increase is 

granted. 

4 
Credit for Military Service 

As a general rule, military service in the Armed 

Forces of the United States is creditable for retirement purposes if it was active service terminated 

under honorable conditions, and performed prior 

to your separation from civilian service for retirement. Military service performed on or after January 1, 1957, is normally creditable for Social 

Security benefits at age 62. Individuals first 

employed before October 1, 1982, have the 

option of either (1) making a 7 percent deposit 

for post-1956 military service, thereby avoiding a 

reduction in their annuity at age 62, or (2) not 

making the deposit and having their annuities 

reduced at age 62 if they are then eligible for 

Social Security benefits. Employees first hired by 

the Federal Government on or after October 1, 

1982, must make the deposit or receive no credit 

at all for military service, including eligibility to 

retire. 

Military deposits include interest unless they are 

paid within a grace period. Payments must be 

made to your employing agency before you separate. They cannot be paid to the U.S. Office of 

Personnel Management 

Disability Retirement 

If you retire for disability, you may be guaranteed a minimum annuity equal to the smaller of: 

(a) 40 percent of your “high-3” average pay, or 

(b) the regular annuity obtained after increasing 

your service by the time between your retirement 

and your 60th birthday. This guaranteed minimum applies if you are under age 60 when you 

retire and your earned annuity based on your 

actual service is less than this minimum. 

Exception: The guaranteed minimum does not 

apply if you are receiving military retired pay 

and/or compensation from the Veterans Administration in lieu of all or part of the military retired 

5 
pay. However, if your earned annuity plus your 

military benefit (or compensation) is less than 

what it would have been under the guaranteed 

minimum, the annuity is increased to bring it up 

to that level. 

If You Retire Before Age 55 

If you voluntarily retire during a major reorganization, reduction-in-force, or transfer of function, 

or if you are involuntarily separated and are 

younger than 55, your basic annuity will be 

reduced by one-sixth of 1 percent for each full 

month you are under 55. 

There is no age reduction if you retire under the 

disability provision or under the special provisions for air traffic controllers, law enforcement 

officers, and firefighters. 

If You Die in Service 

If you die after 18 months of civilian service your 

widow(er) will get an annuity, provided you were 

married for a total of 9 months. The 9-month 

requirement does not apply if your death is accidental or there is a child of the marriage. 

Generally, your widow(er) is entitled to 55 percent of the basic annuity earned by your creditable service and average salary. However, if it 

will produce a higher annuity, your widow(er) 

will receive 55 percent of the guaranteed minimum benefit described under “Disability Retirement.” 

Note: If you have a former spouse from whom 

you were divorced after May 6, 1985, he or she 

may receive, by court order, all or a part of the 

annuity that your widow(er) would otherwise get. 

Your unmarried children will also be entitled to 

annuities if you die in service. Their annuities 

will continue until they reach age 18—or age 22 

6 
if they remain in school full-time. The annuity of 

a child who is incapable of self support because 

of a disability incurred before age 18 will continue indefinitely unless the child becomes capable of self support. 

Providing for Your Survivors on 

Retirement 

If you are married when you retire, your annuity 

will be reduced to provide a full survivor annuity 

for your spouse (unless he or she consents to a 

lesser benefit). To provide for a survivor annuity, 

your annuity will be reduced by 2.5 percent of 

the first $3,600, plus 10 percent of the annuity 

over $3,600. The survivor annuity will be 55 percent of the amount of your annuity before this 

reduction. Note: If you were divorced after 

May 6, 1985, your former spouse may receive by 

court order, all or part of the survivor annuity that 

your current spouse would otherwise get. You can 

also elect a survivor annuity for a former spouse 

(but if you are married, you must get your 

spouse’s consent). 

If you are not retiring for disability, and are in 

reasonably good health, you can provide a survivor annuity for a person who has an “insurable 

interest” in you such as a relative who is in your 

care, or a current spouse who would not otherwise get a survivor annuity because of a courtordered award to a former spouse. To provide this 

benefit, your annuity would be reduced from 10 

to 40 percent depending on the difference in your 

age and the age of the person named. This reduction would be added to any reduction required to 

provide a survivor annuity for a spouse or former 

spouse. 

7 
If You Leave the Service 

If you leave Federal employment before you are 

eligible for an “immediate” annuity, you can 

either have your deductions returned or leave the 

money in the retirement fund. If you have completed at least 5 years of civilian service and you 

leave your money in the fund, you will be entitled to a “deferred” annuity at age 62. 

In making a decision whether to leave your 

money in the retirement fund or to receive a 

refund, you may want to find out whether getting 

a civil service annuity would affect the amount of 

any Social Security benefits you are eligible to 

receive. Ask your agency or a local Social 

Security office for “A Pension From Work Not 

Covered By Social Security” (Publication No. 

05-10045) and a copy of “Government Pension 

Offset”(Publication No. 05-10007). You may 

also receive copies of these publications by 

downloading them from Social Security’s 

Website at — http://www.ssa.gov or by calling 

(800) 772-1213. 

Making Payments for Previous 

Service 

If retirement deductions were not taken from 

your pay during certain periods of service, you 

will need to pay these deductions into the retirement fund to receive full credit for the service. If 

you had a refund of retirement deductions for 

prior service, you must repay this money into the 

retirement fund to receive credit for service in 

your retirement benefits. Exception: If you retire 

(other than on disability) while owing a redeposit 

of a refund for service that ended before 

October 1, 1990, you will not be required to pay 

the redeposit in order to receive credit for that 

refunded service. Instead, full credit for the 

refunded service will be allowed in computing 

your annuity, but the annuity will be actuarially 

reduced. (See Retirement Facts #7 and #9 for 

more detailed information.) 

8 
Alternative Form of Annuity 

Some retirees can choose to receive an Alternative Form of Annuity, if they have a life-threatening illness or other critical medical condition. 

Under this option, you receive a reduced monthly 

benefit, plus a lump sum payment equal to all 

your unrefunded contributions to the retirement 

fund. The amount of reduction in your monthly 

benefit depends on your age at the time you 

retire and the amount of your retirement contributions. Your election of an Alternative Form of 

Annuity will not affect the potential survivor 

annuity payable to your spouse or children. However, you must have your spouse’s consent to 

make this election. 

You cannot choose the Alternative Form of Annuity if you are retiring under disability rules or if 

you have a former spouse who is entitled to courtordered benefits based on your service. In addition, you may not elect the Alternative Form of 

Annuity unless you have a life-threatening medical condition. 

CSRS Offset Employees 

You are a “CSRS Offset” employee if you are 

one of the employees covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and Social Security at the same time. You will be eligible to 

receive a CSRS annuity just as if you were covered by CSRS alone, except that the annuity payment will be reduced when you become eligible 

for Social Security benefits (usually at age 62). 

The amount of the reduction will be the amount 

of the Social Security benefit attributable to your 

service after 1983 that was covered by both 

CSRS and Social Security. A survivor annuity 

based on your service will be reduced for any survivor Social Security benefits in the same manner. 

For more information about CSRS Offset benefits, read Retirement Facts #13 “CSRS Offset 

Retirement.” 

9 
Additional Information 

You may obtain copies of the pamphlets listed 

below from your personnel office, from OPM’s 

Website (http:\\www.opm.gov\asd), or from OPM 

ONLINE (OPM’s electronic bulletin board) at 

(202) 606-4800. To access OPM ONLINE, your 

communications software should be set to the following: 

Baud: Up to 28,800 

Parity: None 

Data bits: 8 

Stop bit: 1 

The pamphlets in the Retirement Facts Series, 

which provide more detailed information about 

the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), are: 

The pamphlets in the CSRS Retirement Facts 

Series are: 

• Retirement Facts #1 - The Civil Service Retirement 

System (RI 83-1) 

• Retirement Facts #2 - Military Service Credit Under 

the Civil Service Retirment System (RI 83-2) 

• Retirement Facts #3 - Deposits and Redeposits 

Under the Civil Service Retirement System 

(RI 83-3) 

• Retirement Facts #4 - Disability Retirement Under 

the Civil Service Retirement System (RI 83-4) 

• Retirement Facts #5 - Survivor Benefits Under the 

Civil Service Retirement System (RI 83-5) 

• Retirement Facts #6 - Early Retirement Under the 

Civil Service Retirement System (RI 83-6) 

• Retirement Facts #7 - Computing Retirement 

Benefits Under the Civil Service Retirement System 

(RI 83-7) 

• Retirement Facts #8 - Credit for Unused Sick Leave 

Under the Civil Service Retirement System 

(RI 83-8) 

• Retirement Facts #9 - Refunds Under the Civil 

Service Retirement System (RI 83-9) 

10 
• Retirement Facts #10 - Voluntary Contributions 

Under the Civil Service Retirement System 

(RI 83-10) 

• Retirement Facts #11 - Information for Separating 

Civil Service Retirement Service Employees Who 

Are Not Eligible for an Immediate Annuity 

(RI 83-13) 

• Retirement Facts #12 - Information About 

Reemployment for Civil Service Retirement System 

Annuitants (RI 83-18) 

• Retirement Facts #13 - Civil Service Retirement 

System Offset Retirement (RI 83-19) 

• Retirement Facts #14 - Law Enforcement and 

Firefighter CSRS Retirement (RI 83-20) 

Pamphlets applicable to employees in both Civil 

Service Retirement System and Federal Employees Retirement System are: 

• Court-Ordered Benefits for Former Spouses 

(RI 84-1) 

• Work-Related Injuries and Fatalities — What You 

and Your Family Need to Know About Your 

Benefits (RI 84-2) 

• Life Events and Your Retirement and Insurance 

Benefits (For employees) (RI 84-3) 

• Thinking About Retirement? (RI 83-11) 

Publications for employees who are under the 

Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) 

are: 

• FERS Brochure (An Overview of Your Benefits) 

(RI 90-1) 

• FERS Facts #1 - Information for Separating FERS 

Employees Who Are Not Eligible for an Immediate 

Annuity (RI 90-11) 

• FERS Facts #2 - Information About Reemployment 

for FERS Annuitants (RI 90-18) 

11 
For employees who are eligible to transfer to 

FERS: 

• FERS Transfer Handbook (A Guide to Making Your 

Decision) (RI 90-3) 

Pamphlets on the Federal Employees Health and 

Life Insurance Programs are: 

• Federal Employees Health Benefits Guide 

(RI 70-1) 

• Temporary Continuation of Coverage (TCC) under 

the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program 

(RI 79-27) 

• Federal Employees Group Life Insurance Booklet 

(RI 76-21) 

12 
Notes 

13 
Notes 

14 
Notes 

15 
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