Does Military Service Count As Federal Service

Table of Contents

Does Military machine Service Count Towards Civil Service Retirement?
Can I Collect War machine Retirement and Ceremonious Service Pay?
Allow's Take a Closer Look
Guard or Reserve Retirement with a Civil Service Pension
The Benefits of Serving in the Civil Service Subsequently the Military
The Disadvantages of The Civil Service

Many war machine veterans are drawn to regime service in their post-armed services careers. In that location is often a desire to continue serving our nation, a sense of continuity for many, and a continuation of respectable pay and benefits. And, yous may too be able to apply your military service toward a authorities pension. Let's accept a deeper expect at how you can use your military service to supercharge your civil service career.

A reader asks:

I served 14 years of active duty and vi years in the National Guard. I received my xx-year alphabetic character. I began working for the postal service and "bought back" my 14 years of active duty towards my mail service retirement. For example I have 12 years actual with the mail only 26 years on the books due to the buy dorsum option.

My question is, how does this affect my retirement through the National Guard when I reach age lx? Will I receive retirement pay for only my half dozen years served in National Guard, or for the total 20 years of military service?

I estimate what I am request if it was "benign" for me to buy dorsum my armed services time. Do I lose the six years of National Guard time if I buy back my 14 years of active duty time? I suppose I am a petty confused as to what happens to the six years for National Baby-sit time since the time spent in the Baby-sit afterwards the buy back would exist less than 20 years.

Does Armed services Service Count Towards Ceremonious Service Retirement?

The curt answer is Yes if you want it to.

Federal employees who are veterans can receive retirement credit for armed forces service once they make a eolith into a civilian service annuity roofing their military service. This blended retirement organization is known as a military buy-back rule and varies based on the year the veteran became employed past the federal Government.

There are some of import things to know most how a military alimony and civil service pension piece of work together

Nearly war machine retirees are barred from receiving credit toward a noncombatant annuity unless they waive their military retired pay. You can't receive credit for whatever agile service in your Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) ceremonious service retirement arrangement computation if you lot are receiving military retired pay, unless you were awarded the retired pay:

Due to a service-continued inability either incurred in gainsay with an enemy of the United States or caused by an instrumentality of war and incurred in the line of duty during a catamenia of war, or
Under the provisions of Chapter 1223, Title 10, U.Southward.C. (pertaining to retirement from a reserve component of the Military).

Detailed data regarding creditable military service for retirement purposes is in the Federal Employees Retirement System Transfer Handbook on the Office of Personnel Direction's website.

Can I Collect War machine Retirement and Civil Service Pay?

Yes, you can collect armed services retirement benefits and work in the ceremonious service as well. The complications ascend when determining how yous desire to handle your civil service retirement.

Military retirement pay does not completely supplant military income, which is why some armed services members look at a civil service career. Retiring in a federal service job tin can raise retirement pay, just there are factors that crave the employee to consider some important alterations to their retirement plans. You can't draw both military and federal retirement for the same span of time. This is known as double-dipping.

You have two options:

Forfeit military retirement pay and buy into the federal retirement plan.
The other choice is not to purchase in, and to commencement fresh with federal service with no credit for fourth dimension served in the military. This means yous commencement from year cipher every bit a federal employee and brainstorm edifice creditable civilian service toward federal retirement while maintaining your armed services pension.

Permit'due south Take a Closer Look

This is a great question on a very confusing upshot. (If in that location's annihilation more than complicated than retiring from the military, it's retiring from federal civil service.) Federal police force entitles military veterans who become federal civil service employees to receive credit for their military service by "buying back" their agile duty time. The money they pay to the Federal Employees Retirement Arrangement pension fund for each year of their active-duty time gives them an boosted year of credit toward their FERS pension.

For veterans entering federal civil service later active duty,the military service credit deposit is a fantastic way to heave the civil service pension. When our reader left active duty after 14 years, they were not eligible for a armed forces alimony. The merely fashion to receive some sort of retirement benefit for those years of active duty is to transfer to the Reserves or National Guard… or start a bridge career with the federal civil service.

In this case, the reader paid a meaningful sum of coin (out of their own savings) to be credited with an additional 14 years of fourth dimension for their ceremonious-service pension.In most cases, that investment is a cracking move! They're eligible for a larger pension (because they paid for it) and they receive boosted credit toward two more civil-service seniority benefits.

Guard or Reserve Retirement with a Civil Service Alimony

At present the reader has a proficient deal on federal civil-service retirement.Just what happens when they keep to drill with the National Guard and and then authorize for that pension as well?

The issue backside the reader'due south National Guard retirement question is the type of war machine service:

less than xx years of agile duty without qualifying for an agile-duty alimony, or
xx years (or more) of active duty resulting in an active-duty alimony, or
a combination of active duty and more years in the Reserve or National Guard, resulting in a Reserve/Baby-sit pension at age threescore.

1. In the commencement case, the veteran could purchase dorsum that time toward a federal civil service alimony with the military service credit eolith.

two. In the 2nd case, federal laws against "double dipping" would require the military retiree to waive their military retirement pay if they buy the civil service'due south military service credit deposit. This is a bad financial motion. Military retirees could even so request two other ceremonious-service benefits which are based on their active-duty service, and those benefits are worth applying for.

3.Federal law makes an exception! The federal ceremonious service employee tin can notwithstanding brand a military service credit deposit for their years of active duty, and they can also receive a Reserve/Guard pension. They've earned that Reserve/Guard alimony on their own and they oasis't bought it equally a credit, even though they took the credit for their active-duty service.

I realize that this looks too good to be true. (A dandy deal from both the military and the federal civil service?!?) A Reserve/Baby-sit retirement is handled under Affiliate 1223 of federal law (10 U.S.C. 12731). The details of the civil-service exception are in Chapter 22 of the CSRS/FERS Handbook. Here'southward the quote from Chapter 22 section 22A4.i-1 of the CSRS/FERS Handbook.

The specific dominion from the "Receipt of Armed services Retired Pay" department is in the third bullet betoken:

In determining eligibility for CSRS retirement or in estimating the amount of annuity for an employee (special rules for survivors of employees who die in service are covered in Chapter 70), who receives military retired or servant pay, do not requite credit for whatsoever military service at the appointment of separation for noncombatant retirement unless one of the following is truthful.

ii. The employee is receiving armed forces retired pay that was awarded:
On account of a service-connected disability incurred in gainsay with an enemy of the United States; or

On account of a service-continued disability acquired past an instrumentality of war and incurred in the line of duty during a period of state of war; or
Nether the provisions of 10 U.Southward.C. 12731-12739 (Chapter 1223) which grants retired pay to members of reserve components of the armed forces on the basis of age and service (agile and reserve).

For those who've noted that the section refers to the former CSRS pension organization, not the current FERS alimony, it's covered under section 22B1.1-1.C "Applicable CSRS Provisions":

The following sections and parts of subchapter 22A use to FERS employees:
Function 22A4: Receipt of Military machine Retired Pay .

The Benefits of Serving in the Civil Service After the Armed services

The most obvious do good is that you tin broaden your retirement with civil service pay later on a full military career.

Compensation packages are first-class and near include regular basic pay raises, a alimony program, health benefits, long term health insurance, dental and eye insurance, life insurance, alternative work schedules, and options to piece of work at home. Some agencies even help pay for student loans and offering other incentives.

At that place are merely five executive core qualifications (ECQs) when you employ for a position, and they are exactly the aforementioned for every position:

Leading People
Leading Change
Business concern Acumen
Results
Building Coalitions

The Office of personnel management (OPM) has specific guidance on how to write ECQs, including format and length

There are two types of job announcements: Merit Promotion and Delegated Examining Unit (DEU).

Merit Promotion announcements recruit from existing or erstwhile ceremonious servants.
DEU announcements are used to recruit from the general public. Military personnel and veterans can apply for Merit Promotion announcements under a law called VEOA – the Veterans Employment Opportunity Deed.

For many DEU applications, Veterans' Preference (VP) – gives you an advantage because of your veteran condition. Veterans with a service-related disability rating from the VA are eligible for additional preferences.

If the task proclamation says "relocation expenses will be paid," or similar language, then the agency will pay for some or all of your move.

The Disadvantages of The Civil Service

You'll take lots of competition when yous apply for a task. The process isn't quick or easy.

A Federal resume is not the same as a typical corporate resume. It's a lot more than comprehensive and requires additional information.

If yous're hired, civil service salaries are ready, although at that place is some room for negotiation. Await the offer to be at the minimum amount (Stride 1) of the appropriate grade.

While there are no restrictions on applying for civil service positions in other federal agencies, if you are a retired member of the armed forces, y'all cannot exist appointed to a civilian position in DoD within 180 days after retirement, with a few select exceptions.

You lot should also know that you will probably be dismissed from civil service if your application is falsified. Also, on your first mean solar day, you volition accept an oath of role. Information technology's like to the adjuration you took while on active duty.

Ane other thing, all federal jobs require a National Bureau Check and some positions require clearances or trust investigations.

Bottom line: if you serve in the Reserve or National Guard and likewise piece of work in the federal civil service, then you can take your war machine service credit deposit and even so receive your full Reserve/Guard pension. You've earned both of them!

Military Guide to Financial Independence

This book provides servicemembers, veterans, and their families with a critical roadmap for becoming financially independent. Topics include:

War machine pension
TSP
Tricare Health Organization
& More

Doug Noordman is a United states of america Navy submarine force veteran with 20 years of service. Noordman retired in 2002 and wrote "The Military Guide to Fiscal Independence and Retirement" to share the stories of over 50 other financially independent servicemembers, veterans, and families. Noordman donates 100% of the revenue from his volume sales to military-friendly charities.