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# Service Credit

## Civilian Service

If you
              - Performed CSRS service where no retirement deductions were withheld from your pay, or
              - Received a refund of your retirement deductions

You can pay that money back to the retirement system. Payment generally affects the amount of your retirement.

If retirement deductions were not withheld during the period of service:

You can pay a deposit for the service. A deposit is the payment of the retirement deductions, plus interest that would have been withheld from your pay if you had been covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) during a period of employment when retirement deductions were not withheld from your salary. You are not required to make this type of payment.

### Deposit for Service Ending before October 1, 1982 and Covered by CSRS

You can make a deposit for creditable Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) service you performed before October 1982 during which retirement deductions were not withheld from your pay. You will receive retirement credit for all of this service whether or not you pay the deposit. However, unless you pay the deposit in full, your annual benefit will be reduced by 10 percent of the deposit amount due at retirement. Also, any annuity due your surviving spouse will be reduced proportionately. Interest is charged from the midpoint of periods of service through the date of the bill. If full payment is received within 30 days after the bill is issued, no additional interest is charged. Otherwise, interest will be computed after each payment at the rate of 3 percent for the interval since the most recent payment you have made. You may pay installments of $50 or more, but paying the full amount minimizes further interest charges. After each payment we will send you an updated account statement.

### Deposit for Service Ending on/after October 1, 1982 and Covered by CSRS

You can make a deposit for creditable Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) service you performed on or after October 1982 during which retirement deductions were not withheld from your pay. Unless you pay the deposit in full, you will not receive credit for the service in the computation of your annuity. Interest is charged from the midpoint of periods of service and is compounded annually. Interest is charged through December 31 of the year before the year in which the bill is being issued. If full payment is received by December 31 of the year in which the bill is issued, no additional interest will be charged. If not, interest will be computed once each year as of December 31 based on the unpaid balance at that time. Interest is applied at the rates described in the table below.

### If retirement deductions were withheld from your pay and later refunded to you

You can pay a redeposit for the service. A redeposit is the repayment of retirement deductions that were previously withheld and refunded to you, plus interest.

### Redeposit Service Ending before March 1, 1991 and Covered by CSRS

You can repay the refund you received for periods of civilian service ending before March 1, 1991 during which retirement deductions were withheld from your pay and later refunded to you. However, you will receive credit for all of this service whether or not you make the payment (unless you retire under the disability provisions of the law). Your annuity will be subject to permanent actuarial reduction based on the amount of redeposit and interest due and your age at retirement. The actuarial reduction will not be applied to any annuity due your surviving spouse. You can avoid the reduction by repaying the refund.

If the refund was paid before October 1, 1982, interest is charged up through the billing date. If full payment is received within 30 days after the bill is issued, no additional interest will be charged. Otherwise, interest will be computed after each payment at the rate of 3 percent for the interval since the most recent payment.

If the refund was paid on or after October 1, 1982, interest is compounded annually and charged through December 31 of the year before the year in which this bill is being issued. If full payment is received by December 31 of the year in which this bill is issued, no additional interest will be charged. If not, interest will be computed once each year as of December 31 based on the unpaid balance at that time. Interest is applied at the rates described in the table.

### Redeposit Service Ending on/after March 1, 1991 and Covered by CSRS

You can repay the refund you received for periods of civilian service ending on or after March 1, 1991, during which retirement deductions were withheld from your pay and later refunded to you. Unless you pay the redeposit in full, you will not receive credit for this service in the computation of your annuity. Consequently, your annuity, as well as any annuity due your surviving spouse, will be reduced. For refunds paid on or after October 1, 1982, interest is compounded annually and charged through December 31 of the year before the year in which this bill is being issued. If full payment is received by December 31 of the year in which this bill is issued, no additional interest will be charged. If not, interest will be computed once each year as of December 31 based on the unpaid balance at that time. Interest is applied at the rated described in the table.

### Procedures for Paying a Deposit or Redeposit

You should apply to make a payment by completing a Standard Form 2803, Application to Make Deposit or Redeposit. If you are within six months of retirement, you should submit your request to make the deposit or redeposit at the same time you submit your application for retirement. You can use a form or letter to do this. We will notify you of any amounts due so you can decide whether or not to make the payment. We cannot, however, authorize your regular annuity payments until we have your decision about the payment.

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## Military Service

Except for the earnings from 1999 and 2000, when the deduction rates were 7.25% and 7.4% respectively, the CSRS deposit for military service performed after 1956 is 7% of your military basic pay.

Procedures for paying the post-1956 military service deposit

You must make the payment before you stop working for the government. You should ask your local servicing personnel center for help in determining whether to make this payment. They can provide personalized assistance because they have your employment records

### Military under USERRA

The Uniformed Services Employment and Reemployment Rights Act of 1994 (USERRA) covers persons who perform duty in the “uniformed services”.  This includes not only the armed forces and the reserves but also the National Guard and the commissioned corps of the Public Health Service.   These individuals are entitled to be restored to the position he or she would have attained had the employee not entered the uniformed service, provided the employee:
              - gave the agency advance notice of departure except where prevented by military circumstances; and 
              - was released from uniformed service under honorable conditions; and 
              - served no more than a cumulative total of 5 years and 
              - applies for restoration within the appropriate time limits 

As with all military deposits, the agency must handle military deposits under USERRA.  The military deposit may be calculated based on military earnings or alternatively, the deposit can be calculated based on the retirement deductions the employee would have paid on the civilian salary during the same period, if it is less.

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## on this page

                  - Civilian Service
                  - Military Service