2 

Serv ice

Un der

Re tire ment 

Per son nel 

In sur ance 

Serv ice 

RI 83-2 

Civil Service 

Re tire ment 

Sys tem 

Re tire ment 

Facts 

Mili tary 

 Credit 

 the 

Civil Service 

Sys tem 

United States 

Of fice of 

Man age ment 

Re tire ment and 

Pre vious editions are not usable Re vised Decem ber 1997 

CSRS 
Ad di tional retire ment infor ma tion and all publi cations of the U.S. Office of Person nel Manage ment 

listed in this pamphlet are available on the Internet. 

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

Page 

Intro duc tion ............................................................1 

Credit for Military Service

Mak ing Depos its for Post-1956 

.....................................1 

Waiv ing Military Retired Pay ................................2 

Military Service................................................ 2 

Credit for Military Service Prior to 

January 1, 1957 .................................................4 

Inter est Charges......................................................4 

Re fund of Deposit ..................................................5 

Ad di tional Infor ma tion...........................................5 

i 
Introduction 

This pamphlet provides infor ma tion on credit ing 

mili tary service in the Civil Service Retire ment 

Sys tem (CSRS). 

Credit for Military Service 

Your military service in the Armed Forces of the 

United States is credit able for Civil Service Retirement purposes only if (1) it was active service and 

ter mi nated under honor able condi tions, (2) you 

per formed it before separat ing from a civil ian position under the Retire ment System, and (3) you pay 

any required deposit for it. This covers service in 

the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and 

Coast Guard, includ ing the service academies. 

Af ter June 30, 1960, it also covers service in the 

Regu lar Corps or Reserve Corps of the Public 

Health Service, and, after June 30, 1961, service as 

a commis sioned offi cer of the National Oceanic 

and Atmos pheric Admin istra tion. 

An excep tion to the general rule cited above is that 

you cannot receive credit for any military service if 

you receive military retired pay unless you were 

awarded the retired pay (a) on account of a 

service- connected disabil ity either incurred in 

com bat with an enemy of the United States or 

caused by an instru men tal ity of war and incurred 

in the line of duty during a peri od of war, or (b) 

un der the provi sions of Chapter 67, Title 10, 

U.S.C. (pertain ing to retire ment from a reserve 

com po nent of the Armed Forces). 

Serv ice in the National Guard, except when 

or dered to active duty in the service of the United 

States, is gener ally not credit able. However, you 

may receive credit for National Guard service, followed by Federal civil ian reem ploy ment that 

oc curs after August 1, 1990, when all of the follow ing condi tions are met: 

The service must inter rupt civil ian service creditable under the Civil Service Retire ment System (or 

Fed eral Employ ees Retire ment System) and be followed by reem ploy ment in accor dance with the 

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ap pro pri ate chapter of the laws concern ing veterans benefits. It must be full-time, not inac tive duty, 

and you must be a member of the U.S. Army 

Na tional Guard, or U.S. Air National Guard. Also, 

it must be under a specified law and you must be 

en ti tled to pay from the U.S. (or have waived pay 

from the U.S.) for the service. If you have any 

ques tions concern ing National Guard credit, see 

your person nel office. 

Waiving Military Retired Pay 

If you are an employee receiv ing military retired 

pay that bars credit for military service, you may 

elect to waive the retired pay and have the military 

serv ice added to your civil ian service in comput ing 

the annu ity. If you do not waive your military 

re tired pay, your retire ment rights (and those of 

your surviv ing spouse, if any) will be based on 

your civil ian service only and military service will 

not be included in comput ing the annu ity. You 

may then receive both your military retired pay 

and your civil service annu ity at the same time. 

If your military retired pay is subject to a court 

or der awarding a former spouse a portion of your 

mili tary retired pay, you cannot receive credit for 

your military service for Civil Service Retire ment 

with out first consent ing for us to continue payment 

to your former spouse, in the amount the military 

pay center would pay him or her if your military 

re tired pay contin ued. 

Making Deposits for Post-1956 

Military Service 

If you were first employed by the Federal Government under retire ment cover age on or after October 1, 1982, you will receive Civil Service Retirement credit for any post-1956 military service at 

the time of retire ment only if you make a deposit 

for the military service. Under current law, the 

de posit is 7 percent of your military basic pay. If 

you made this deposit before Octo ber 1, 1986 (or 

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within 3 years of being hired if that date was later 

than Octo ber 1, 1986), no inter est will be charged. 

When military service includ ing the National 

Guard inter rupts your civil ian service under retirement cover age, and you are reem ployed after 

August 1, 1990, under chapter 43 of title 38, U.S. 

Code, the deposit payable may not exceed the 

amount that would have been deducted and withheld from you during civil ian service, if you had 

not entered into the military. This rule also affects 

Civil Service Retire ment System Offset employees. 

If you were first employed by the Federal Government under retire ment cover age before Octo ber 1, 

1982, you have two options: (1) you can make the 

7 percent deposit for any post-1956 military service, or a compari son amount for qualify ing military 

serv ice performed after August 1, 1990, to avoid a 

re duc tion in your annu ity at age 62 (and a reduction in any survi vor annu ity payable to your spouse 

af ter your death), or (2) you can decide not to pay 

the deposit and have your annu ity reduced at age 

62 if you are then eligi ble for Social Secu rity benefits. If you are eligi ble, your annu ity will be 

re com puted to eliminate all credit for post-1956 

mili tary service. (Any survi vor annu ity payable to 

your spouse after your death would also be recomputed to eliminate all credit for post-1956 military 

serv ice when he/she attains age 60 and becomes 

eli gi ble for Social Secu rity benefits.) You had until 

Oc to ber 1, 1986, or 3 years from the date you were 

re hired, if that is later, to make the 7 percent 

de posit without having to pay inter est; other wise, 

you can make the 7 percent deposit any time 

bef ore retire ment, but you will have to pay inter est. 

De pos its for military service must be made to 

your employ ing agency before you separate for 

re tire ment. They cannot be made to the U.S. 

Of fice of Person nel Manage ment. Agencies may 

ac cept your actual military pay vouchers for complete peri ods of military service to calcu late the 

mili tary deposit. If you do not have those records, 

you must obtain a certi fied esti mate of your military earnings from the appro pri ate branch of service. Your agency will provide you with the form 

and instruc tions for obtain ing the certi fied estimate. Agencies may not accept tax forms (W-2’s), 

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So cial Secu rity statements of earnings, or documen ta tion of military ranks held and dates of promo tion as evidence of military pay received. 

Credit for Military Service Prior to 

January 1, 1957 

At the time of retire ment, you will receive credit 

for military service performed prior to January 1, 

1957, without making any deposit. In addi tion, you 

will not have your annu ity recom puted at age 62 

even if you become eligi ble for Social Secu rity 

bene fits. (But if you also have military service 

af ter 1956, a reduc tion may be required as 

ex plained above.) However, using the military 

serv ice performed prior to January 1, 1957, in 

com put ing your Civil Service Retire ment benefits 

will eliminate any credit you might have received 

from Social Secu rity for that peri od of service. 

Interest Charges 

You will not be charged inter est on a deposit for 

mili tary service if you make that deposit within 3 

years of the date you first become covered under 

the Civil Service Retire ment System. If you do not 

make your deposit for military service during this 

“grace peri od,” you will be charged inter est on the 

out stand ing balance, compounded annu ally, from a 

date 2 years from the date you first become 

em ployed under the Civil Service Retire ment System, until payment is completed. The inter est rate 

charged on depos its for military service will be at 

the yearly rate of retire ment fund earnings, as 

de ter mined by the Secre tary of the Treasury. 

You should carefully review your esti mated Civil 

Serv ice Retire ment benefits with your person nel 

de part ment to deter mine the amount of your annuity with and without credit for post-1956 military 

serv ice, and, espe cially, the possi ble reduc tion at 

age 62, if the military deposit is not made. 

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Refund of Deposit 

If you separate from service before becom ing eligi ble for retire ment, and apply for a refund of all 

re tire ment deduc tions, your deposit for military 

serv ice will be included in the refund. However, no 

in ter est will be paid on your deposit. With very 

lim ited excep tions, a deposit will not be returned 

to you if you are enti tled to annu ity benefits when 

you separate. If this is a matter of concern to you, 

see your person nel office for further infor ma tion. 

Additional Information 

You may obtain copies of the pamphlets listed 

be low from your person nel office, from the 

OP M’s Website (http://www.opm.gov/asd), or 

from OPM ONLINE (OPM’s electronic bulle tin 

board) at (202) 606-4800. To access OPM 

ON LINE, your commu ni ca tions software should 

be set to the follow ing: 

Baud: Up to 28,800
 

Par ity: None
 

Data bits: 8
 

Stop bit: 1
 

The pamphlets in the Retire ment Facts Series, 

which provide more detailed infor ma tion about the 

Civil Service Retire ment 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) 

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•	 	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) 

•	 	Retirement Facts #11 - Information for 

Separating Civil Service Retirement System 

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 - CSRS Offset 

Retirement (RI 83-19) 

•	 	Retirement Facts #14 - Law Enforcement and 

Firefighter Civil Service Retirement System 

Retirement (RI 83-20) 

Pam phlets appli ca ble to employ ees in both the 

Civil Service Retire ment System and Federal 

Em ploy ees Retire ment System are: 

•	 	Court-Ordered Benefits for Former Spouses 

(RI 84-1) 

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•	 	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) 

Pub li ca tions for employ ees who are under the Federal Employ ees Retire ment 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 employ ees who are eligi ble to transfer to the 

FERS: 

•	 	FERS Transfer Handbook (A Guide to Making 

Your Decision) (RI 90-3) 

Pam phlets on the Federal Employ ees Health and 

Life Insur ance 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 Booklet 

(RI 76-21) 

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