Information for FERS Annuitants

Alternative Annuities

The alternative form of annuity is an option which is only available to non-disability annuitants who have a life-threatening affliction or other critical medical condition. If you elected the alternative annuity, you received a lump sum payment equal to your retirement contributions and a reduced monthly annuity.

Reduction In Annuity If Alternative Annuity Elected
The reduction in your annuity if you elected the alternative annuity is an actuarial reduction. This reduction is permanent. The reduction is equivalent to that portion of your Federal Employees' Retirement System annuity attributable to your contributions to the retirement system.

Effect on Survivor Benefit
Choosing the alternative annuity does not affect your spouse's survivor annuity. Your spouse's survivor annuity will be computed based on your annuity before the alternative annuity reduction.

Tax Liability for Alternative Annuity Lump Sum Payment
Part of the Alternative Annuity lump sum is taxable in the year paid unless it is rolled over into an Individual Retirement Arrangement. Please refer to Publication 721, published by the Internal Revenue Service, to determine your taxes on the alternative annuity lump sum payment.

Annuity Supplement

The special retirement supplement is paid in addition to gross monthly Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) annuity benefits. It represents what you would receive for your FERS service from the Social Security Administration (SSA) and is calculated as if you were eligible to receive SSA benefits on the day you retired. Eligibility for the annuity supplement continues until the earlier of (1) the last day of the month before the first month for which you would be entitled to actual social security benefits or (2) the last day of the month in which you reach age 62.

Eligibility for Annuity Supplement
If you retired voluntarily on an immediate annuity which is not reduced for age, you may be receiving a special retirement supplement which adds to your monthly benefit. You may also be receiving this supplement if you retired involuntarily before attaining your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) or voluntarily because of a major reorganization, reduction in force, or an early retirement for Members of Congress. However, in these three instances, you were not eligible for the special retirement supplement until you reached your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA). If you are receiving a deferred benefit or an immediate MRA+10 benefit, you are not eligible for a special retirement supplement.

If your annuity has a Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) component, you can still receive an annuity supplement. However, you must complete one full calendar year of service subject to FERS computation rules. One full calendar year means any year which begins January 1 and ends December 31.

Computation of Annuity Supplement
The supplement is computed as if you were age 62 and fully insured for a social security benefit when the supplement begins. By law, the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) first estimates what your full career (40 years) social security benefit would be. Then we calculate the amount of your civilian service under FERS and reduce the estimated full career social security benefit accordingly. For example, if your estimated full career social security benefit would be $1,000 and you had worked 30 years under FERS, we would divide 30 by 40 (.75) and multiply ($1,000 x .75 = $750). The result would be your special retirement supplement, prior to any reductions.

Changes in the Amount of the Supplement
Like social security benefits, your retirement supplement is subject to an earnings test. It is reduced if you earn more than the exempt amount of earnings (called the minimum level of earnings) in the immediately preceding year. Your supplement is reduced by $1.00 for every $2.00 of earnings over the minimum level. It is possible that your supplement could reduce to $0. However, your FERS basic benefit will not be reduced. If you are receiving a supplement, you must report your earnings to OPM. You will receive instructions on how to report your earnings when it is required.

There is no reduction until after the first calendar year you receive the special retirement supplement. Then, your earnings during that first calendar year are compared to the social security minimum level of earnings for the same year. Your monthly annuity supplement in the second calendar year is then reduced by 1/12 of the excess earnings. Excess earnings are 50% of the amount by which your earnings exceed the social security minimum.

Minimum Level of Earnings
The amount you may earn without affecting your special retirement supplement is determined by the Social Security Administration each year. It will increase with the annual increases in average wages for the national workforce. You can contact the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to obtain the current year amount.

Definition of Earnings
Your Federal Employees' Retirement System (FERS) basic benefit is not considered earnings. Your earnings for any year will consist of the sum of wages for service performed in the year, plus all net earnings from self-employment for the year, minus any net loss from self-employment for the year.

Cost-of-Living Adjustments

Eligibility for Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLAs)
Your annuity will be increased for cost-of-living adjustments, if:

1. You are over age 62; or
2. You retired under the special provision for air traffic controllers, law enforcement personnel, or firefighters; or
3. You retired on disability, except when you are receiving a disability annuity based on 60% of your "high-3" average salary. This is generally during the first year of receiving disability benefits; or
4. Your retirement includes a portion computed under Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) rules.

Retirees under age 62 who do not fall into one of the categories in items 2, 3 or 4 above, are not eligible for cost-of-living increases until they reach age 62.

If you've been receiving retirement benefits for less than 1 year and are eligible for a cost-of-living adjustment (COLA), you'll get a percentage of the cost-of-living increase. The percentage depends on how long you were receiving your annuity before the effective date of the increase. When you receive an increase, we'll send you complete information about its effect on your annuity.

How COLA Amounts are Determined
The amount of the COLA is determined by the percentage increase in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), according to the following table:

Cost of Living Adjustments (COLA) If You Transferred to Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and You Have A Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) Component to Your Annuity
If you elected to transfer to FERS from CSRS and part of your benefit is computed under CSRS rules, that part of your benefit will be increased by CSRS COLAs, regardless of your age and type of retirement. Civil Service Retirement System COLAs are equal to the percentage change in the Consumer Price Index (CPI), regardless of the amount of the change. The FERS portion of your benefit will be increased as discussed above.

RI 90-8
Revised January 2000
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