Frequently Asked Questions| Web Password and ThriftLine PIN |
| Frequently Asked Questions |
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1. What is the difference between my Web password and my ThriftLine PIN? 
Your Web password, along with your TSP account number, enables you to access your TSP account information and perform a number of transactions. Because it is longer and contains both alpha and numeric characters, it provides more security than the 4-digit TSP Personal Identification Number (PIN) previously used. New TSP participants receive their 8-character Web passwords in the mail. Participants who had open TSP accounts when passwords were put in place in May 2007 are prompted to create their own passwords the first time they log into Account Access. Because of technical limitations, your Web password will not work on the ThriftLine.
On the other hand, your TSP PIN is the personal identification number you use to access your TSP account on the ThriftLine. A 4-digit PIN is assigned to you when your TSP account is opened and can be customized. Your TSP PIN (along with your TSP account number) allows you to access your TSP account information and perform a number of transactions on the ThriftLine. Your TSP PIN will not work on this Web site.
2. Is my TSP PIN the same as the PIN I use on other Government Web sites, such as Employee Express, PostalEase, myPay, etc.?
No. Your TSP PIN is not the same as a PIN assigned to you by your agency or any other Government agency or service. It is the 4-digit PIN that is assigned to you by the Thrift Savings Plan (or that you changed to a customized PIN) and can be used only for accessing your TSP account through the ThriftLine.
3. What can I do to keep my Web password and ThriftLine PIN secure?
The Web and ThriftLine have safeguards against a person's randomly trying to break a password or PIN, but only you can keep your own password and PIN safe.
To keep your Web password and ThriftLine PIN secure, memorize them and do not reveal them to anyone. Do not write them down or store them on your computer hard drive, diskette, mobile phone, or any place where others might find them. Do not use your password or PIN when anyone else can see what you are entering.
It is best not to use the same password or PIN for access to the TSP and other financial or non-financial services.
You should also keep your computer secure by installing anti-spyware software or similar security programs and keeping your protection current. Do not access the TSP or any financial institution from an unprotected computer.
If you believe someone else knows your Web password or ThriftLine PIN, change it immediately.
The TSP is not responsible for any activity in your account which is transacted by someone who has access to your Web password or your ThriftLine PIN.
For more information about ensuring your privacy and protecting yourself against fraud and identity theft, visit the FTC Web sites: www.consumer.gov/idtheft and www.OnGuardOnline.gov.
4. Can I change my Web password or ThriftLine PIN?
Yes. You may change your Web password or ThriftLine PIN to a password or PIN of your choosing. However, the password you create must be 8 characters long and consist of letters and numbers; the PIN you create must be 4 digits long and can consist only of numbers.
It's easy to change your password or PIN. To change your Web password from the Account Access section of this Web site, enter your TSP account number and current password and then follow the prompts. To change your PIN on the ThriftLine, press Option 1 to get access to your account. Then enter your TSP account number and current PIN and continue as prompted.
5. What if I have forgotten my Web password or ThriftLine PIN?
If you have forgotten or lost your Web password, you will not be able to access your TSP account or perform account transactions on this Web site until you obtain a new password. Likewise, if you do not know your ThriftLine PIN, you cannot access your TSP account or perform account transactions on the ThriftLine until you obtain a new PIN. You can request another password at the beginning of the Account Access section of this Web site or another PIN in the account access option on the ThriftLine. You may also call or write to the TSP. If you write, you will have to include your TSP account number and date of birth in your letter. Your new password or PIN will be mailed to you at your TSP address of record. You should receive your new password or PIN in a secure mailer within 10 days of requesting it. Be sure to watch for the mailer!
6. Can I cancel a request that I made for a new Web password or ThriftLine PIN?
No, but you can request another Web password or ThriftLine PIN. If you submit multiple requests, you will receive multiple passwords or PINs — but only the last one will work. So be patient, and give the mailer time to be delivered.
7. What if I need a new Web password or ThriftLine PIN, but my address has changed?
If you request a new Web password or ThriftLine PIN, it will be mailed to you at your TSP address of record. Thus, if you are still in Government service, you must ask your agency to change your address in your TSP account record before you request a new password or PIN. If you are separated from service, write or call the TSP to request a change to your TSP address of record.
8. Can I use the same Web password or ThriftLine PIN for both my civilian and uniformed services TSP accounts?
Yes. Passwords are randomly generated by computer when each TSP account (civilian and uniformed services) is opened. Once you receive your passwords, you may change either or both of them to passwords of your choice. If you change one or both to make the two passwords the same, you will be able to access both accounts on this Web site with the same password. When you go into Account Access, the system will ask you which account — civilian or uniformed services — you wish to access.
If you had an open TSP account when the TSP implemented the password feature, you are prompted to create your own password the first time you try to log into Account Access after the implementation. At that time, you can create the same password for your civilian and uniformed services accounts. If you already created your Web passwords and you did not choose the same passwords for both accounts, you can still change one or both of your passwords so that both passwords are the same. If you do, you will be able to access both accounts on this Web site with the same password. When you go into Account Access, the system will ask you which account — civilian or uniformed services — you wish to access.
Because your PIN is randomly generated by computer when each TSP account is opened, you receive separate PINs for your civilian and uniformed services TSP accounts. But once you have your TSP PINs, you may change them to PINs of your choosing. When you do so, you may choose the same PIN for both accounts. In that case, when you enter your PIN on the ThriftLine, the recording will ask you which account — civilian or uniformed services — you wish to access.
9. I started contributing to my TSP account a month ago, but I have still not received my Web password or ThriftLine PIN. What is going on?
As soon as your agency or service reports your first contribution to the TSP, your TSP account is established and your Web password and ThriftLine PIN are mailed to you separately, in secure mailers. However, there could have been a lag of several weeks between the time you made your Contribution Election and the time the TSP received your first contribution from your agency. (If you are a member of the uniformed services, your TSP contributions are processed monthly. So there could have been a longer lag.) Then, depending on the mail, it could take about 10 more days for your password and PIN to reach you. You should receive your password and PIN mailers and a separate letter welcoming you to the TSP at about the same time.
If you are not receiving mail from the TSP, you should first check with your agency or service to make sure that it has provided your correct address to the TSP.
TSP passwords and PINs are not mailed in regular business envelopes. TSP password and PIN mailers are similar to the mailers some credit card companies and other financial institutions use to provide password and PIN information. They are sealed on all sides and require that you tear them open along perforations. For security reasons, the return address is simply that of the TSP, and there is no message on the outside of the mailers indicating that they relate to your TSP account. It is therefore possible that you did not recognize what the mailers were and inadvertently discarded them. It is also possible that one or both mailers were lost in the mail. If either of these possibilities occurred, you will have to request another password and/or PIN. You can make your password request via this Web site or your PIN request via the ThriftLine. Or you can write to the TSP, as explained in the answer to What if I have forgotten my Web password or ThriftLine PIN?.
10. Why can't my Web password or ThriftLine PIN be e-mailed to me?
Your Web password or ThriftLine PIN cannot be e-mailed to you for two reasons: (1) No one at the TSP knows or has access to your password or PIN, and (2) To send this information via e-mail, we would have to use the Internet (as opposed to a closed intranet), and the delivery would not be secure.
11. Why can't a TSP service representative give me my Web password or ThriftLine PIN over the phone?
The TSP's Participant Service Representatives (PSRs) do not know — or have access to — your password or PIN. Passwords and PINs are encrypted within the TSP's record keeping system and are not accessible to the PSRs. However, although a PSR cannot give you a Web password or ThriftLine PIN over the phone, he or she can request that a secret computer-generated one be mailed to you.
12. Why can I give my TSP account number and Social Security Number, but not my Web password or ThriftLine PIN, to a TSP representative over the phone?
Your TSP account number, and sometimes your Social Security Number, are is necessary to identify your account so that a TSP Participant Service Representative can help you with problems or provide information specific to your account. The representative does not need your Web password or ThriftLine PIN to access this information and therefore has no reason to have access to it. You should not tell anyone your password or PIN — not even a TSP Participant Service Representative.
13. Do I need my Web password or ThriftLine PIN to put money in my TSP account?
No. To start, change, or stop contributions to your TSP account, you must use the TSP Election Form (TSP-1 for civilian participants; TSP-U-1 for members of the uniformed services) or your agency's or service's electronic equivalent (for example, myPay, PostalEase, or Employee Express) and submit your request directly to your agency or service. You need your Web password to use this Web site — or your ThriftLine PIN to use the ThriftLine — to make a contribution allocation (i.e., to indicate how much of your contributions you wish to invest in any of the TSP funds) or to make an interfund transfer (i.e., to change the percentages of money already invested in your account among the TSP investment funds). If you do not have your password or PIN, you can perform these transactions by completing Form TSP-50 (or TSP-U-50 if you are a member of the uniformed services) and mailing it to the TSP. Or you can call the ThriftLine and speak with a Participant Service Representative. (Forms TSP-50 and TSP-U-50 are not available on this Web site. You can obtain them from your agency or service or from the TSP.)
14. How do I establish Web passwords for both of my TSP accounts if I use the same PIN for both accounts? Once I set up my passwords, can I customize them like I did my PIN?
Because you have two accounts, you must go through the Web password set-up process twice, once for your civilian account, and again for your uniformed services account. Here are the steps: