Frequently Asked Questions| General Questions About This Web Site |
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1. Why isn't information on this Web site more current? 
Even though pages on this Web site are updated regularly, you may be viewing old information if your browser's cache (a type of electronic memory) is not being cleared frequently.
Generally, the first time you enter a Web address, your browser goes to the Internet to get the information you are requesting and temporarily stores it in the cache. When you request information at the same address again, your browser may go to the cache first, rather than directly to the Internet, to retrieve the information. For this reason, the information stored in the cache may be outdated.
To avoid getting stale information, start by clicking the Refresh/Reload button on your tool bar. This will clear out the old information for your current session and bring in fresh information from the Internet. However, we recommend that you set your browser so that the cache is automatically cleared out frequently and your system is always retrieving fresh information directly from the Internet.
If you do not know how to change your computer's cache settings, see our Managing Browser Cache instructions for Microsoft Internet Explorer (IE) and Netscape, or contact your system administrator.
2. What are the ThriftLine and TDD telephone numbers?
The ThriftLine number is 1-TSP-YOU-FRST (1-877-968-3778), and the TDD number is 1-TSP-THRIFT5 (1-877-847-4385).
3. Why don't you answer individual comments on the Web?
Because of the volume of feedback this Web site receives on a daily basis from more than 3.8 million current and former Federal employees and uniformed services members participating in the TSP, it is not possible to respond to individual comments. However, we do review every comment we receive. In response, we do several things. We add material to this Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) section of this Web site to respond to issues that come up often. We also answer some questions in the TSP Highlights, the quarterly newsletter for TSP participants. And we sometimes make technical modifications or add features to this Web site. When we add features, we announce them in the What's New section of this Web site.
While this Web site provides ready access to information about the TSP, its benefits, and your personal account, it is intended to supplement, but not replace, existing resources. To find answers to individual questions, we suggest that you:
explore the TSP Features section of this Web site. It includes material from the booklet Summary of the Thrift Savings Plan, which is the authoritative source of information about the TSP;
download and page through the complete Summary of the Thrift Savings Plan, as well as other booklets and materials in the Forms & Publications section of this Web site.
People to talk to....
If you are an active Federal employee and prefer to speak with a person directly, you may contact your agency's or service's personnel, benefits, or payroll office. If you have a problem with your TSP contributions to your account, only your agency or service can correct the error. The TSP does not have access to your personnel and payroll records and cannot determine whether an error was made or what, if any, correction may be necessary. If you cannot get the help you need from the personnel, benefits, or payroll office, ask for the name of your agency's or service's TSP Coordinator or Retirement Counselor, and contact that individual. If your agency or service representatives cannot respond to the questions themselves, they can get assistance from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board on your behalf.
If you are separated from Federal service, direct your questions to the TSP. All TSP participants, whether active employees or separated from Federal service, may contact the TSP with questions regarding TSP loans, contribution allocations or interfund transfers, or beneficiary designations.
4. Can I download the financial data from my participant statement into financial spreadsheet programs such as Microsoft Money or Quicken?
We have looked into the feasibility of providing procedures for downloading a particant's TSP financial data into a program such as Microsoft Money or Quicken. However, we discovered that the cost would be too high to make it worthwhile, and, more importantly, the procedures that the software manufacturer has developed to transfer data from your account to its program are not user-friendly and are extremely hard to follow. We have therefore decided not to implement such procedures at this time. We will revisit this issue periodically to see if the situation has improved.
5. How does the TSP pay for this Web site?
The cost of this Web site is borne by all TSP participants, as one of the administrative expenses of the TSP.
6. Can I change my TSP account address on the Web?
Are you an active employee or service member? If you are, your agency or service must update your TSP address. Your agency or service is responsible for maintaining information about you and submitting it to the TSP record keeper. When you move, you must inform your payroll or personnel office so that it can update its records. Only then can it submit your correct address information to the TSP.
If you have separated from Federal service, you can change your address by:
7. Why are the versions of some TSP materials on the Web different from the ones my agency or service gave me?
The Web has one big advantage over printed materials: items on the Web can be revised and replaced immediately whenever necessary. Therefore, you can count on this Web site to always have the most recent versions of TSP materials. However, a printed publication or form is often still usable because, in many cases, the updated Web versions are not substantially different from the printed versions.
If you are wondering whether your printed version of a document is still usable even though it is different from the Web version, look at the revision date in the lower right-hand corner of the Web version of the form, fact sheet, or notice; then compare it to the revision date in the lower right-hand corner of the printed version. If the revision date on the Web is the same as that on the printed document, you can use either version. However, if the Web revision date is more recent, you should check to see whether it is accompanied by the words "Previous Editions Obsolete." Those words indicate that a document contains significant changes. If you see them on the Web version, you should consider only the Web version up-to-date. (For a booklet or leaflet, the revision date of the printed version is on the back page, and the revision date of the Web version is on the last page.)
8. I received a mailing from a company offering to help me invest my Thrift Savings Plan account. Is this a real offer?
From time to time, private companies purporting to sell Thrift Savings Plan investment advice and information have solicited Thrift Savings Plan participants in an attempt to sell their services. Please note that these companies are in no way associated with, or endorsed by, the Thrift Savings Plan or the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board. Furthermore, the TSP does not release any information about our participants to these companies.
Before you consider accepting any of these services — which normally charge a fee — you should review the detailed information regarding the different TSP investment funds available free of charge on our Web site. Additional web sites offering free information about retirement planning are listed in the July 2004 TSP Highlights.