CSRS Civil Service 

Retirement

System

Retirement 

Facts 

8

Credit for

Unused

Sick Leave

Under the

Civil Service

Retirement

System

United States

Office of

Personnel

Management

Retirement and

Insurance

Service

RI 83-8

Previous edition is usable Revised November 1997
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

Credit for Unused Sick Leave . . . . . . . . . . 3

Table for Converting Unused Sick Leave

into Additional Service . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Additional Information . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

i
Introduction

This pamphlet has general information about how

sick leave is credited in an annuity under the

Civil Service Retirement System. For more 

detailed information on credit for unused sick

leave at the time of retirement, you should contact your current employing or personnel office.

1
Credit for Unused Sick Leave

As an employee under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), if you (1) retire on an 

immediate annuity or (2) die leaving a widow,

widower, or former spouse entitled to a survivor

annuity, your service will be increased by the

days of unused sick leave to your credit under a

formal leave system. The days of unused sick

leave that are added are used only in counting

your number of years and months of service for

annuity computation purposes. The sick leave

cannot be used in computing your “high-3" average salary or for meeting the minimum length of

service for retirement eligibility.

In general, if your leave system charges 8 hours

of sick leave for 1 day’s absence, 8 hours of 

unused sick leave constitutes 1 day of credit.

Days are converted to months and years on the 

basis of a 2087 hour work year. To compute the

additional credit for sick leave at retirement, add

the months and days of sick leave to the months

and days of all periods of actual service.

For example:

Actual service 30 years, 4 months, 16 days

*Sick leave at retirement: 4 months, 24 days

 Total credit: 30 years, 9 months, 10 days

Only years and full months of service are used in

the annuity computation. Odd days are dropped.

In the example, the 10 days would be dropped.

You can use the conversion table to find the additional service time credit provided by unused sick

leave. If your regular tour of duty is other than an

average of 8 hours per day, you cannot use this 

table; you should check with your personnel or

payroll office on how to convert unused sick

leave into additional service.

* Using the table, 835 hours of sick leave converts to 4 months

and 24 days of credit.

3
Table for Converting Unused Sick Leave Into

Additional Service

Months 0 1 2 3 4 5

0

1

2

3

4

5

0

6

12

17

23

29

174

180

186

191

197

203

348

354

360

365

371

377

522

528

533

539

545

551

696

702

707

713

719

725

870

875

881

887

893

899

6

7

8

9

10

35

41

46

52

58

209

215

220

226

232

383

388

394

400

406

557

562

568

574

580

731

736

742

748

754

904

910

916

922

928

11

12

13

14

15

64

70

75

81

87

238

244

249

255

261

412

417

423

429

435

586

591

597

603

609

760

765

771

777

783

933

939

945

951

957

16

17

18

19

20

93

99

104

110

116

267

273

278

284

290

441

446

452

458

464

615

620

626

632

638

789

794

800

806

812

962

968

974

980

986

21

22

23

24

25

122

128

133

139

146

296

302

307

313

319

470

475

481

487

493

644

649

655

661

667

817

823

829

835

841

991

997

1003

1009

1015

26

27

28

29

151

157

162

168

325

331

336

342

499

504

510

516

673

678

684

690

846

852

858

864

1020

1026

1032

1038

How to Use This Table

Find the number in the table closest to the number of hours of

your unused sick leave. In the horizontal column you will find

the number of months and in the vertical column the remaining number of days.

4
Table for Converting Unused Sick Leave Into

Additional Service

6 7 8 9 10 11

1044

1049

1055

1061

1067

1073

1217

1223

1229

1235

1241

1246

1391

1397

1403

1409

1415

1420

1565

1571

1577

1583

1589

1594

1739

1745

1751

1757

1762

1768

1913

1919

1925

1931

1936

1942

1078

1084

1090

1096

1102

1252

1258

1264

1270

1275

1426

1432

1438

1444

1449

1600

1606

1612

1618

1623

1774

1780

1786

1791

1797

1948

1954

1960

1965

1971

1107

1113

1119

1125

1131

1281

1287

1293

1299

1304

1455

1461

1467

1473

1478

1629

1635

1641

1646

1652

1803

1809

1815

1820

1826

1977

1983

1989

1994

2000

1136

1142

1148

1154

1160

1310

1316

1322

1328

1333

1484

1490

1496

1502

1507

1658

1664

1670

1675

1681

1832

1838

1844

1849

1855

2006

2012

2018

2023

2029

1165

1171

1177

1183

1189

1339

1345

1351

1357

1362

1513

1519

1525

1531

1536

1687

1693

1699

1704

1710

1861

1867

1873

1878

1884

2035

2041

2047

2052

2058

1194

1200

1206

1212

1368

1374

1380

1386

1542

1548

1554

1560

1716

1722

1728

1733

1890

1896

1902

1907

2064

2070

2075

2081

For example: 441 hours equals 2 months and 16 days. 

Another example: 1452 hours equals 8 months and 11 days.

(If the number of hours falls between two figures shown on

the table, use the next higher figure.)

5
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:

• Retirement Facts #1 -The Civil Service 

Retirement System (RI 83-1)

• Retirement Facts #2 - Military Service Credit 

Under the Civil Service Retirement 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)

• Retirement Facts #10 - Voluntary Contributions

Under the Civil Service Retirement System 

(RI 83-10)

6
• Retirement Facts #11 - Information for Separating CSRS Employees Who Are Not Eligible for

an Immediate Annuity (RI 83-13)

• Retirement Facts #12 - Information About 

Reemployment for CSRS Annuitants (RI 83-18)

• Retirement Facts #13 - CSRS Offset Retirement

(RI 83-19)

• Retirement Facts #14 - Law Enforcement and 

Firefighter Civil Service Retirement System 

Retirement (RI 83-20)

Pamphlets applicable to employees in both the

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)

For employees who are eligible to transfer to the

Federal Employee Retirement System:

• FERS Transfer Handbook (A Guide to Making

Your Decision) (RI 90-3)

7
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)

8
Notes

9
Notes

10
Notes

11
Retirement & Insurance Service

Serving over 10 million customers, Federal employees,

annuitants, and their families