Federal Employee Retirement Benefits for Administrators: CSRS & FERS Introduction

Module 1: Foundational Concepts

• Introduces the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), a defined-benefit pension system, and its key terminology, including how to credit federal service toward CSRS retirement eligibility.
• Explains the criteria for CSRS retirement eligibility and outlines the method for calculating a CSRS annuity (pension) benefit.
• Covers CSRS retirement procedures and entitlements, such as the application process, survivor benefits for family members, and special provisions (e.g., voluntary contributions program and early retirement options).

Module 2: Shaping Benefits

• Defines key Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) terminology and outlines FERS’s three-tiered structure (FERS pension, Social Security, and TSP), including how to credit federal service toward FERS retirement.
• Details the eligibility requirements for FERS retirement (minimum retirement age and years of service) and explains how to calculate the FERS basic annuity benefit.
• Discusses the FERS retirement application process, along with FERS survivor benefits and special retirement provisions (such as those for law enforcement officers and air traffic controllers).

Module 3: Planning for Benefits

• Outlines how various employment events (new hires, rehires, transfers) and legal rules impact a federal employee’s retirement plan coverage (CSRS, CSRS Offset, FERS including FERS-RAE/FRAE, or Social Security).
• Explains the criteria and regulations (including the five-year rule and mandatory Social Security coverage) for determining whether an employee is covered under CSRS or FERS.
• Guides the process of correctly identifying an employee’s retirement coverage, including recognizing cases where coverage is excluded or special conditions apply.

Module 4: Realizing Benefits

• Describes the eligibility criteria and agency requirements for an employee to participate in phased retirement.
• Examines how phased retirement affects an employee’s work schedule and benefits (receiving a partial annuity while working part-time).
• Discusses how phased retirement ends, including the transition to full retirement and the final pension calculations when the employee fully retires.

Module 5: Communicating Benefits

• Highlights the purpose and key features of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the federal government’s 401(k)-like retirement savings program.
• Explains TSP contribution rules for employees, including annual contribution limits and agency matching, and outlines enrollment procedures for new hires and rehires.
• Details the processes for handling TSP accounts when an employee separates or dies in service, and reviews the withdrawal options available to TSP participants.