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Table of Contents

Subchapter 41A CSRS

Part 41A1 General Information

Section 41A1.1-1 Overview ............................................................................................................. 1 

A. Introduction .................................................................................................................................. 1 

B. Topics Covered ............................................................................................................................ 1 

C. Organization of Subchapter .......................................................................................................... 2 

D. Statement of Authority ................................................................................................................. 2 

Section 41A1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements.................................................................. 3 

A. General ......................................................................................................................................... 3 

 B. Minimum Age and Service ........................................................................................................... 3 

C. Minimum Civilian Service ........................................................................................................... 4 

D. Separation from Covered Position ................................................................................................ 4 

E. "One-Out-of-Two" Requirement .................................................................................................. 4 

F. Employee Eligible for More Than One Type of Retirement ........................................................ 5 

G. Employee Eligible for a Deferred Annuity ................................................................................... 5 

H. Alternative Annuity Election ........................................................................................................ 5 

Part 41A2 Commencing Date of Annuity

Section 41A2.1-1 Commencing Date of Annuity........................................................................... 6 

A. General Rule ................................................................................................................................ 6 

B. Exception: Three-Day Rule ......................................................................................................... 6 

C. Examples Involving LWOP or Other Nonduty/Nonpay Status .................................................... 6 

Part 41A3 Withdrawal of Retirement Application

Section 41A3.1-1 Withdrawal of Retirement Application............................................................ 8 

A. General ......................................................................................................................................... 8 

B. Rule: Specify Effective Date ....................................................................................................... 8 

C. Rule: Withdrawal ........................................................................................................................ 8 

D. Exception: Declination ................................................................................................................ 8 

E. Cancellation of Separation by Third Party ................................................................................... 8 

Part 41A4 Procedures

Section 41A4.1-1 Procedures .......................................................................................................... 9 

A. General ......................................................................................................................................... 9 

B. Employee Responsibility .............................................................................................................. 9 

C. Agency Responsibility .................................................................................................................. 9 

D. OPM Address ................................................................................................................................ 9 
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June 2015 CSRS and FERS Handbook 

Subchapter 41B FERS

Part 41B1 General Information

Section 41B1.1-1 Overview ............................................................................................................ 10 

A. Introduction ................................................................................................................................. 10 

B. Organization of Subchapter ......................................................................................................... 10 

C. Statement of Authority ................................................................................................................ 10 

Section 41B1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements ................................................................. 11 

A. General ........................................................................................................................................ 11 

B. Minimum Age and Service .......................................................................................................... 12 

C. Minimum Civilian Service .......................................................................................................... 12 

D. Noncreditable Civilian Service .................................................................................................... 13 

E. Separation from Covered Position ............................................................................................... 13 

F. Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) .............................................................................................. 13 

Part 41B2 Commencing Date of Annuity

Section 41B2.1-1 Commencing Date of Annuity .......................................................................... 15 

A. Rule ............................................................................................................................................. 15 

B. Exception: Elected/Appointed Officials ..................................................................................... 15 

Part 41B3 Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 41B3.1-1 Miscellaneous Provisions .................................................................................. 16 

A. Retiree Annuity Supplement ....................................................................................................... 16 

B. Establishment of Separation Date................................................................................................ 16 

C. Withdrawal of Retirement Application ....................................................................................... 16 

Part 41B4 Procedures

Section 41B4.1-1 Procedures.......................................................................................................... 17

A. General ........................................................................................................................................ 17

B. Employee Responsibility ............................................................................................................. 17

C. Agency Responsibility ................................................................................................................. 17

D. OPM Address .............................................................................................................................. 18
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Subchapter 41A CSRS 

Part 41A1 General Information

Section 41A1.1-1 Overview

A. Introduction This subchapter covers voluntary or nondisability retirement (the terms can be 

used interchangeably). When employees have the age and years of service 

required to retire with no reduction in annuity, they may retire at any time.

B. Topics Covered 1. This subchapter covers the following items:

 CSRS eligibility requirements for voluntary retirement;

 Commencing date of the annuity;

 Withdrawal of a retirement application;

 Documentation necessary to process a voluntary retirement under this 

Chapter.

2. This Chapter does not cover voluntary retirement under the following 

provisions: MRA + 10 under FERS; early retirement under an OPM 

authority, Phased Retirements or special group provisions. For more 

information regarding these provisions, see the following references:

 Chapter 42: Minimum Retirement Age Plus 10 years 

(MRA + 10) Retirement, for retirement under MRA + 10 

provisions.

 Chapter 43: Early Voluntary Retirement, for retirement under an OPM 

approved major RIF, reorganization, or transfer of function.

 Chapter 46: Special Retirement Provisions for Law Enforcement 

Officers, Firefighters, Air Traffic Controllers, and Military Reserve 

Technicians.

 Benefits Administration Letters (BALs) 14-108, 14-109, 14-111, 

14-208, 14-209, and 14-307 regarding Phased Retirement

3. This chapter does not cover Phased Retirement. Please see the information 

at http://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/phased-retirement/ for all 

current information on Phased Retirement.
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Section 41A1.1-1 Overview (Cont.)

C. Organization of 

Subchapter

The CSRS subchapter has four parts:

PART NAME OF PART PAGE

41A1 General Information 1

41A2 Commencing Date of

Annuity 6

41A3 Withdrawal of Retirement

Application 8

41A4 Procedures 9

NOTE: Subchapter 41B about voluntary retirement under FERS begins on 

page 11.

D. Statement of 

Authority

This subchapter is based on the laws and regulations cited below.

 United States Code: 5 U.S.C. 8333, 8336, and 8345

 Code of Federal Regulations: 5 CFR Part 831

 Public Law 103-66 section 11002
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Section 41A1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements

A. General An employee is eligible to retire voluntarily with an immediate annuity, 

without any reduction in annuity due to age, if all of the following conditions 

are met:

 Age and service requirements;

 Minimum civilian service requirement;

 Separated from a position subject to CSRS coverage; and 

 "1-out-of-2" requirement. (See Subsection E Below)

B. Minimum Age and 

Service

The employee must meet one of the age and service requirements below at 

separation:

AGE is at least... and CREDITABLE SERVICE

is at least..

62 5 years

60 20 years

55 30 years

NOTE 1: If an employee has the minimum 5 years of creditable civilian 

service, creditable military service may be used to meet the 

balance of the years of service necessary for an optional 

retirement.

> NOT NOTE 2: Public Law 104-208 gives employees who are involuntarily 

separated the right to use their annual leave to achieve initial 

eligibility for retirement and/or continued health benefits 

coverage.

NOTE 3: If an employee does not have the years of service for a discontinued 

service retirement (DSR) but is eligible for voluntary retirement 

and the nature of separation is involuntary, the commencing date 

of the annuity is the day after separation/last day of pay.

CAUTION: Accrued and unused sick leave may not be used to meet any of

the service requirements noted above.
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Section 41A1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements (Cont.) 

C. Minimum Civilian 

Service

An employee must have at least 5 years of creditable civilian service to be 

eligible for a voluntary retirement. Use the method outlined in Chapter 50 for 

service computation, rather than the service computation date (SCD) used for 

leave and reduction-in-force (RIF) purposes.

Creditable civilian service for this purpose includes:

 Service for which full CSRS deductions were taken, even if CSRS 

deductions were refunded and not redeposited;

 Service for which full Social Security taxes and reduced CSRS 

deductions were taken, even if CSRS deductions were refunded and 

not redeposited; and

 Nondeduction service (that is, temporary or intermittent service), 

whether or not a deposit for such service is made or deemed made 

under the alternative annuity provisions (for more information see 

Chapter 53, Alternative Annuity Elections).

NOTE: See Chapter 20, Creditable Service, for a full description of 

creditable service.

D. Separation from 

Covered Position

The employee must be separated from a position covered by retirement 

deductions.

E. "One-Out-ofTwo" 

Requirement

An employee must be covered by CSRS for at least 1 year within the

2-year period immediately preceding the separation on which the annuity is 

based. The 1 year of service does not have to be continuous. The year of 

service does, however, have to be covered service. An employee cannot meet 

the requirement by paying a deposit for nondeduction service.
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Section 41A1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements (Cont.)

E. "One-Out-ofTwo" 

Requirement

(Cont.)

In the following examples, assume the employee is 57 years old:

EXAMPLE SERVICE HISTORY ELIGIBLE TO 

RETIRE?

1

Career appt. 2-1-76

Separated 4-3-05

Career reinst. 9-4-13

Separated 9-30-14 Yes

2

Career appt. 2-1-76

Separated 4-3-05

Career reinst. 9-4-13

Separated 6-30-14

Comment: The employee is not eligible to

retire with an immediate annuity because 

he or she has less than 1 year of service 

during the 2-year period preceding the last 

date of separation.

No

F. Employee Eligible 

for More Than 

One Type of 

Retirement

A retiree whose separation was involuntary should be processed under 

discontinued service retirement procedures (see Chapter 44), even though the 

individual meets the age and service requirements for voluntary retirement. In 

addition, the annuity commencing date is the day after separation/last day of 

pay.

G. Employee 

Separated but 

Eligible for a 

Deferred Annuity 

Within 30 days of 

Separation

An employee who separates and is eligible for a deferred annuity commencing 

within 30 days of the date of separation should be processed under optional 

retirement procedures even though the individual does not meet the age and 

service requirements on the date of separation.

H. Alternative 

Annuity Election

Non-disability retirees who have a life-threatening affliction or other critical 

medical condition currently listed in 5 CFR 831.2207 may elect the alternative 

annuity. See Chapter 53, Alternative Annuity Elections, for more detailed 

information.
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Part 41A2 Commencing Date of Annuity

Section 41A2.1-1 Commencing Date of Annuity

A. General Rule Except as explained in paragraphs B and C below, voluntary retirement 

annuities commence the first day of the month after the employee separates 

from service and meets the age and service requirements.

EXAMPLE 1: Date of separation: October 15 

Annuity commences: November 1

EXAMPLE 2: Date of separation: April 27

Annuity commences: May 1

B. Exception: 

Three-Day Rule

The annuities of employees who serve in pay status for 3 days (or fewer) in the 

month of retirement commence on the day after separation or the day after pay 

ceases and the age and service requirements are met.

EXAMPLE: Date of separation: March 3

Annuity commences: March 4

For purposes of applying the 3-day rule, all days--including non-work days--

are used to determine how many days an employee is in a pay status during a 

month.

C. Examples 

Involving LWOP 

or Other 

Nonduty/Nonpay 

Status

If an employee is in a nonduty/nonpay status before retiring, his or her annuity 

commences the first day of the month after pay ceases and the age and service 

requirements are met, even though the employee had not yet separated from 

service. The 3-day rule also applies. These rules apply in all nonduty/nonpay 

situations: leave without pay, furlough, or suspension.

In examples 1, 2, and 3 below, assume that the employee already meets age 

and service requirements:

EXAMPLE 1: Last day in pay status: June 30

LWOP: July 1 through 16

Separation/retirement: July 16

Annuity commences: July 1

Comment: The general "first of the month" rule applies.
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Section 41A2.1-1 Commencing Date of Annuity (Cont.)

C. Examples 

Involving LWOP 

or Other 

Nonduty/Nonpay 

Status (Cont.)

EXAMPLE 2: Last day in pay status: July 2

LWOP: July 3 through 14

Return to duty: July 15

Separation/retirement and last day of pay: July 17

Annuity commences: August 1

Comment: The employee was in a pay status for 

5 days in July, so the general rule applies.

EXAMPLE 3: Last day in pay status: May 1

Furlough: May 2 through 10

Return to duty: May 11

Separation/retirement and last day of pay: May 12

Annuity commences: May 13

Comment: The employee was in a pay status for 

3 days in May, so the 3-day rule applies.

EXAMPLE 4: Last day in pay status: September 2

LWOP: September 3 through 30

Employee becomes 55: September 20

Separation/retirement: September 30

Annuity commences: October 1

Comment: The employee was not eligible to retire until 

becoming age 55 on September 20. Therefore, the general rule 

applies, making the commencing date October 1.
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Part 41A3 Withdrawal of Retirement Application

Section 41A3.1-1 Withdrawal of Retirement Application

A. General Voluntary retirement is a personnel action that results in a voluntary 

separation; thus, the filing of an application for retirement is equivalent to 

submitting a resignation.

As a consequence, a retiring employee has the same rights that are available to 

employees involved in other voluntary actions with respect to establishing the 

effective date of the separation/retirement or withdrawing the application for 

separation/retirement.

B. Rule: Specify 

Effective Date

An employee may apply for voluntary retirement at any time and specify the 

effective date of the separation in the application, provided the eligibility 

requirements are met.

C. Rule: 

Withdrawal

Except as provided in paragraph D below, an agency must permit an employee 

to withdraw an application before the effective date of separation.

D. Exception: 

Declination

An agency may decline a request to withdraw an application before the 

effective date of separation only when it has a valid reason and explains that 

reason in writing to the employee. (From 5 CFR Part 715.)

E. Cancellation of 

Separation by 

Third Party

When an “appropriate authority” determines that the separation upon which 

payment has been based is an “unjustified or unwarranted personnel action” as 

these terms are defined in 5 CFR Section 550.804, an individual may withdraw 

his/her application for FERS benefits within 60 days of the decision. As 

provided in 5 CFR, Section 550.805, any FERS payments must be deducted 

from any back pay award (Reference: 5 CFR, Section 841.203(c)).
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Part 41A4 Procedures

Section 41A4.1-1 Procedures

A. General Chapter 40, Planning and Applying for Retirement, provides detailed 

instructions on the completion of the forms identified below and the 

information and guidance that must be given retiring employees.

B. Employee 

Responsibility

The employee must complete:

- Standard Form 2801, Application for Retirement (and Schedules A, B, 

and C when necessary)

If the employee has been separated 30 days or less before the application is 

filed, the application and other forms must be filed with the agency. If the 

employee has been separated more than 30 days, the application must be filed 

directly with OPM.

C. Agency 

Responsibility

The agency must:

- Provide the employee with an Application for Retirement (SF 2801) and 

any other necessary forms;

- Complete Certified Summary of Federal Service (SF 2801-1);

- Complete Agency Checklist of Immediate Retirement Procedures 

(SF 2801-Schedule D);

- The agency must provide documentation of an employee’s entire FEHB 

coverage history, we must have proof of coverage during the 5 years of 

service immediately prior to retirement (or if less than 5 years, during all 

service in which the employee was eligible for FEHB). Documentation of 

the employee’s FEHB status and eligibility to continue coverage into 

retirement must be included in the retirement application package along 

with a memorandum noting any circumstances that would help us 

determine the employee’s eligibility to continue coverage. The preferred 

documentation is to provide copies of all SF 2809s for at least the 5 years 

period prior to separation. When such documentation is incomplete, the 

agency should provide a memorandum as in accordance with BAL 14-

103, dated 03/30/2014. 

- Send the employee's Individual Retirement Record (SF 2806) to OPM 

with the retirement application attached, insuring that they are sent early 

enough to be received by OPM within 30 days of separation.

D. OPM Address Send all correspondence regarding voluntary retirement to:

Office of Personnel Management

Retirement Operations Center

Post Office Box 45
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Boyers, PA 16020
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Subchapter 41B FERS 

Part 41B1 General Information

Section 41B1.1-1 Overview

A. Introduction Subchapter 41B outlines the rules and policies applicable to voluntary 

retirement (with no reduction for age) under the Federal Employees Retirement 

System (FERS).

This subchapter explains how FERS differs from CSRS. It refers to the 

applicable CSRS rule or gives the FERS rule if it is different.

NOTE: Voluntary retirement under the MRA + 10 provisions is covered in 

Chapter 42, MRA + 10 Retirement.

B. Organization of 

Subchapter

The FERS subchapter has four parts.

PART NAME OF PART PAGE

41B1 General Information 12

41B2 Commencing Date of Annuity 17

41B3 Miscellaneous Provisions 18

41B4 Procedures 19

C. Statement of 

Authority

This subchapter is based on the laws and regulations cited below.

- United States Code: 5 U.S.C. 8410, 8412, and 8464

- Code of Federal Regulations: 5 CFR Parts 841, 842, and 846
12 CSRS Voluntary Retirement Based on Age and Service FERS 

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Section 41B1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements

A. General An employee is eligible to retire voluntarily with an immediate annuity, 

without any reduction in annuity due to age, if all of the following conditions 

are met:

 Service requirement;

 Minimum civilian service requirement;

 Separation from a position subject to FERS coverage; and 

 Minimum Retirement Age (MRA).

NOTE: There is no "1-out-of-2" requirement under FERS as there is under 

CSRS. Thus, an employee who elects to transfer to FERS does not 

have to be under FERS for one year to be eligible to retire. It is 

possible for an employee's separation for retirement to occur on the 

same day (but not before) the FERS election becomes effective, 

provided that the employee meets the other requirements.

Likewise, an employee who had FERS coverage in his or her last period of 

service could retire at any time after being reemployed if he or she has the 

required age and service.

B. Minimum Age 

and Service

1. The employee must meet one of the age and service requirements below at 

separation:

AGE is at least... and CREDITABLE SERVICE

is at least..

62 5 years

60 20 years

MRA 30 years

2. If an employee has the minimum 5 years of creditable civilian service, 

creditable military service may be used to meet the balance of years of 

service necessary for a voluntary retirement.
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Section 41B1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements (Cont.) 

B. Minimum Age 

and Service 

(Cont.)

3. Under FERS, post-1956 military service cannot be used to meet the 

service requirement unless the employee makes the military service 

deposit before retirement. The deposit may not be deemed paid under the 

alternative annuity provisions.

NOTE: Public Law 104-208 gives employees who are involuntarily 

separated the right to use their annual leave to achieve initial 

eligibility for retirement and/or continued health benefits coverage.

CAUTION: Accrued and unused sick leave may not be used to meet any of 

the service requirements noted above.

C. Minimum 

Civilian Service

An employee must have at least 5 years of creditable civilian service to be 

eligible for a voluntary retirement.

Creditable civilian service for this purpose includes:

 Service for which full FERS deductions are made even if FERS 

deductions were refunded and not redeposited,

 Nondeduction service (that is, temporary or intermittent service) 

performed prior to January 1, 1989, if a deposit for such service is made 

or deemed made under the alternative annuity provisions;

 A period of service that was creditable under the Foreign Service 

Pension System (FSPS), if the employee waives credit for such service 

under FSPS and makes a payment to the retirement fund equal to the 

amount that would have been deducted from pay (plus interest) had the 

employee been subject to FERS coverage during such period of service; 

and 

 Full-time service as a volunteer or volunteer leader with the Peace Corps 

or VISTA performed at any time prior to separation, if a deposit has 

been made for the service. Credit is given for satisfactory volunteer 

service with these organizations (excluding training time) without regard 

to when the service was performed or the individual's eligibility for 

Social Security benefits. The deposit rules changed with the passage of 

Public Law 103-82, the National and Community Service Trust Act of 

1993 and Domestic Volunteer Service Act Amendments of 1993. (See 

Chapter 21, Service Credit Payments for Civilian Service, for detailed 

information on Peace Corps or VISTA volunteer service credit 

payments.) 

 Service for which full Social Security taxes and full or reduced CSRS 

deductions were taken, even if CSRS deductions were refunded and not 

redeposited 
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Section 41B1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements (Cont.) 

C. Minimum 

Civilian Service 

(Cont.)

For individuals eligible for a CSRS annuity component:

 Nondeduction CSRS service (that is, temporary or intermittent service), 

whether or not a deposit for such service is made or deemed made under 

the alternative annuity provisions;

 Service for which full CSRS deductions were taken even if CSRS 

deductions were refunded and not redeposited.

NOTE: Refer to Chapter 20 for a full description of creditable service. Please 

note that as of the date of this update to Chapter 41, Chapter 20 has 

not been updated to incorporate changes the National Defense 

Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 made to the service credit 

rules for refunded service under FERS. The law now permits 

individuals who were covered under FERS on/after October 28, 2009,

to make a redeposit for refunded FERS service. If the redeposit is 

completed, the service will be used in the computation of the FERS 

annuity. If the redeposit is not paid, the service will still be used 

toward title to an annuity, but not to compute the annuity.

D. Noncreditable 

Civilian Service

The following service performed under FERS may not be used in meeting the 

5-year minimum service requirement:

 Nondeduction service (that is, temporary or intermittent service) performed 

on or after January 1, 1989, unless it is credited in a CSRS component.

E. Separation from 

Covered Position

The employee must be separated from a position covered by FERS deductions.

F. Minimum 

Retirement Age 

(MRA)

The MRA is the earliest age that an employee with 30 years of creditable 

service is eligible for voluntary retirement without any reduction due to age.

Depending on the employee's year of birth, the MRA ranges between ages 55 

and 57. See the table on the following page.
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Section 41B1.1-2 Employee Eligibility Requirements (Cont.)

F. Minimum 

Retirement Age 

(MRA) (Cont.)

To determine the MRA, refer to the table below.

IF YEAR OF

BIRTH IS...

THE MINIMUM

RETIREMENT AGE IS...

Before 1948

1948

1949

1950

1951

1952

1953-1964

1965

1966

1967

1968

1969

1970 and After

55

55 and 2 months

55 and 4 months

55 and 6 months

55 and 8 months

55 and 10 months

56

56 and 2 months

56 and 4 months

56 and 6 months

56 and 8 months

56 and 10 months

57
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Section 41B2.1-1 Commencing Date of Annuity

A. Rule Except as explained in paragraph B below, voluntary retirement annuities 

commence the first day of the month after separation for retirement. Unlike 

CSRS, there is no special provision for employees who serve three days or less 

in the month of retirement or any provision allowing a voluntary retirement 

annuity to begin on the day after the last day of pay.

EXAMPLE 1: Date of separation: October 31

Annuity commences: November 1

EXAMPLE 2: Date of separation: March 3

Annuity commences: April 1

EXAMPLE 3: Last day of pay: June 2

Date of separation: June 15 

Annuity commences: July 1

B. Exception: 

Elected/ 

Appointed 

Officials

If a separation occurs because of the expiration of a term or other period for 

which the person was appointed or elected, the annuity commences the day 

after separation for retirement.
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Part 41B3 Miscellaneous Provisions

Section 41B3.1-1 Miscellaneous Provisions

A. Retiree Annuity 

Supplement

A retiree annuity supplement is payable to an employee who:

 Is retiring under an immediate voluntary annuity.

 Has completed at least 1 month of FERS service.

 Is under age 62.

For rules regarding eligibility for and payment of the retiree annuity 

supplement, see Chapter 51, Retiree Annuity Supplement.”

B. Establishment of 

Separation Date

The CSRS rule regarding an employee's right to specify the effective date of 

his or her separation/retirement also applies under FERS. (See section 

41A3.1-1, paragraph B.)

C. Withdrawal of 

Retirement 

Application

1. The CSRS rules in section 41A3.1-1, paragraphs C, D, and E apply to a 

FERS employee. In addition, the following rules apply to FERS 

employees.

2. Except as provided in paragraph 3 below, a separated FERS covered 

employee may withdraw his or her application for benefits until a 

payment based upon that application has been authorized, but not 

thereafter.

Withdrawal of the application for retirement annuity after separation does 

not, however, cancel the employee's separation except as provided in 

section 41A3.1-1, paragraph E.

3. A separated employee may not withdraw his or her application for 

benefits if OPM has received a certified copy of a qualifying court order 

awarding benefits to a spouse or former spouse.
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Part 41B4 Procedures

Section 41B4.1-1 Procedures

A. General Chapter 40, Planning and Applying for Retirement, provides detailed 

instructions on the completion of the forms mentioned below and the 

information and guidance that must be given to retiring employees.

B. Employee 

Responsibility

The employee must complete:

 Standard Form 3107, Application for Retirement (and Schedules A, B, 

and C when necessary); and

 Standard Form 3107-2, Spouse's Consent to Survivor Election, if

applicable.

If the employee has been separated 30 days or less before the application is 

filed, the application and other forms must be filed with the agency. If the 

employee has been separated more than 30 days, the application must be filed 

directly with OPM.

The employee is also responsible for reviewing and updating all designation of 

beneficiary forms (SF 3102 and SF 2823). 

C. Agency 

Responsibility

The agency must:

 Provide the employee with an Application for Retirement (SF 3107), and 

any other necessary forms;

 Complete Certified Summary of Federal Service (SF 3107-1);

 Complete Agency Checklist of Immediate Retirement Procedures 

(SF 3107, Schedule D);

 The agency must provide documentation of an employee’s entire FEHB 

coverage history, we must have proof of coverage during the 5 years of 

service immediately prior to retirement (or if less than 5 years, during all 

service in which the employee was eligible for FEHB). Documentation of 

the employee’s FEHB status and eligibility to continue coverage into 

retirement must be included in the retirement application package along 

with a memorandum noting any circumstances that would help us 

determine the employee’s eligibility to continue coverage. The preferred 

documentation is to provide copies of all SF 2809s for at least the 5 years 

period prior to separation. When such documentation is incomplete, the 

agency should provide a memorandum as in accordance with BAL 14-103, 

dated 03/30/2014. 

- Send the employee's Individual Retirement Record (SF 3100) and all 

FERS Designation of Beneficiary forms (SF 3102) to OPM, with the 

retirement application attached, within 30 days of separation.

NOTE: An SF 2806 is also required if the employee transferred to FERS 
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CSRS and FERS Handbook June 2015

and is eligible for a CSRS annuity component.

Section 41B4.1-1 Procedures (Cont.)

D. OPM Address Send all correspondence regarding voluntary retirement to:

Office of Personnel Management

Federal Employees Retirement System

Retirement Operations Center

Post Office Box 200

Boyers, PA 16020