OPM.gov / Retirement / faq / Military benefits

# Learn more about military services and retirement

FAQs and answers about military service and federal retirement.

## Questions and answers

###                                             What should I do about my military service when I apply for civilian retirement?                                        

You should review your Official Personnel Folder (OPF) to make sure there's a record of all of your military and civilian service. If any of the records are missing, your employer should help you document the service and obtain any missing records.

If you have civilian service for which you must pay retirement contributions or repay a refund of contributions in order to receive full FERS or CSRS credit, your employer should tell you about what impact payment or non-payment has on your eligibility and the amount of your retirement benefit.

If you elect to make a payment to receive credit for military service you performed after 1956, you must make that payment before you retire. If you are receiving military retired pay, you should discuss whether or not you must waive the retired pay with the personnel officer at your agency.

Your personnel office can also tell you about receiving credit in your annuity computation for various types of service and about the payments described above, as well as help you with service documentation.

###                                             I applied to buy back my military service or military leave without pay from my agency, but my annuity hasn't changed. Where can I find the status of my application?                                        

If you're a federal retiree, contact us to check the status of your request. If you're still currently employed by your agency, you should contact your agency's HR office.

###                                             Should I check on my military service deposit?                                        

Your personnel office will verify with your payroll office that the deposit to give you credit in your annuity for military service you performed after 1956 has been paid, or that arrangements have been made for complete payment before you leave your employer's payroll.

###                                             How do I make a payment to get credit for service?                                        

If you are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), then you should apply to make a payment by completing Form SF-2803.

If you are covered by the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), then you should apply to make a payment by completing Form SF-3108.

If you are within 6 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.

###                                             When and how do I waive my military retired pay?                                        

If you want to waive your military retired pay to receive credit for military service in the calculation of your retirement benefits, then you should first speak with your agency's HR office to verify if you would need to waive your type of military retired pay or if you fall under statutes that would not preclude you from paying for all periods of service such as military academy time. If you do need to waive your military retirement in order to get CSRS or FERS service credit, then you should write a letter to the Retired Pay Operations Center at least 60 days before your planned retirement.

You can mail your waiver request to:

Defense Finance and Accounting ServiceU.S. Military Retirement PayP.O. Box 7130London, KY 40742-7130

Or you can fax your waiver request to request to 1-888-469-6559.

Here is suggested wording for your waiver request:

*I [full name and military serial number] hereby waive my military retired pay for Civil Service Retirement/Federal Employees Retirement System purposes effective [the day before your annuity begins.*

*I hereby authorize the U.S. Office of Personnel Management to withhold from my CSRS or FERS annuity any amount of military retired pay granted beyond the effective date of this waiver due to any delay in receiving or processing this request.*

###                                             I'm eligible for a CSRS retirement or have a CSRS component to my FERS retirement benefit, and I have military service after 1956. Will I continue to receive credit for the service after I become eligible for Social Security?                                        

When you become eligible for Social Security, your military service after 1956 will be used in the computation of your Social Security. Unless you paid a deposit prior to retirement for your military service after 1956, it will no longer count toward your retirement benefit. However, if you did pay the deposit, then no adjustment to your retirement benefit is made at age 62. For a FERS retirement, you must pay for this service in order to receive credit towards your FERS benefit.

###                                             How do I make a payment to receive retirement credit for my military service after 1956?                                        

You may be able to receive retirement credit for active-duty military service after 1956 if you make a payment for that service. 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.

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##                                         A claim number is required to make a help submission.                                    

                                            If you are an annuitant, you can find your CSA or CSF claim number on your 1099-R, your annual COLA notice or your Benefits Booklet.                                        

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Call us if you can't find an answer to your question on OPM.gov or if you can't sign in to OPM Retirement Services Online to manage your annuity account. You may also need to call us for special or complex cases, or because we directed you to.

**Phone:**1-888-767-6738TTY: 711

**Hours:** Monday thru Friday, 7:40 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. ETClosed on federal holidays

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### **Write to us                                    

Please make sure your first and last name, phone number, email address, claim number, and signature are included in any inquiries or documents you mail to us. We usually respond within 1 to 3 weeks after we receive your mail.

**Retirement Operations Center**                                        U.S. Office of Personnel Management                                        Post Office Box 45                                        Boyers, PA 16017                                    

### **Fax us documents                                    

OPM Retirement Services does not have a main fax number.

You should only fax us documents if an official OPM form or one of our Customer Service Specialists asks you to (the fax number will be provided on the form, or the Customer Service Specialist will provide you one.) Otherwise, you should mail us your documents.