The FERS basic annuity for federal employees, with OPM’s eligibility rules
Updated October 2026
OPM’s formula: high-3 × years of service × multiplier, where the multiplier is 1% unless you are 62 or older with at least 20 years of service, which gets 1.1%. Worked example (OPM rule): $100,000 × 30 years × 1% = $30,000 a year. At 62 with 30 years: $100,000 × 30 × 1.1% = $33,000. Then apply any MRA+10 reduction (5/12 of 1% per month under 62) and survivor reduction (10% for a full survivor benefit, 5% for partial).
| Age | Years of service | Annuity | Supplement until 62 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 62 | 5 | Unreduced (1.1% with 20+ years) | No |
| 60 | 20 | Unreduced | Yes |
| MRA | 30 | Unreduced | Yes |
| MRA | 10 to 29 | Reduced 5% a year under 62 (none if postponed to 60 with 20 years) | No |
Minimum retirement age (MRA) is 55 for people born before 1948, rises 2 months a year to 56 for 1953-1964 births, then 2 months a year to 57 for people born in 1970 or later.
High-3 is your highest average basic pay over any 3 consecutive years, including locality pay but not overtime or bonuses; it is usually your last 3 years. Service is creditable civilian service plus any military service you have made a deposit for. Unused sick leave adds to service for the computation only (2,087 hours is one year); it does not help you meet the age-and-service requirements. The Social Security estimate at 62 comes from your my Social Security statement and is used only for the supplement estimate.
| Employee | Type | Reduction | Annuity a year | Supplement |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| GS-13, high-3 $115,000, 30 years, retires at 60 | Age 60 with 20+ years | 0.0% | $34,500 | $1,500/mo |
| High-3 $95,000, 20 years, retires at 62 (1.1%) | Age 62 with 5+ years | 0.0% | $20,900 | — |
| MRA+10 at 57 with 12 years, high-3 $80,000 | MRA+10 (reduced) | 25.0% | $7,200 | — |
| Same person waits to 60 (deferred to 60, 12 years) | MRA+10 (reduced) | 10.0% | $8,640 | — |
| 30 years, retires at MRA 57, full survivor benefit, 6 months sick leave | MRA with 30+ years | 0.0% | $28,822 | $1,425/mo |
The MRA+10 retiree at 57 loses 25% for five years under 62; postponing the annuity to 60 cuts the reduction to 10%, and to 62 removes it. The full survivor benefit costs 10% of the annuity for life.
The supplement bridges the gap to Social Security for people who retire before 62 at MRA with 30 years, at 60 with 20 years, or under special provisions. OPM figures the Social Security benefit you would have at 62 from your FERS earnings, then multiplies by your years of FERS service (up to 40) divided by 40. This calculator approximates it from your own Social Security estimate, which includes non-federal work and can therefore overstate it. Like Social Security, the supplement is reduced if you earn above the Social Security earnings test limit before 62, and it stops at 62. MRA+10, deferred and disability retirees do not get it.
Regular FERS retirees get no cost-of-living adjustment until age 62 (special-provision and disability retirees are exceptions); after 62 FERS COLAs can be smaller than Social Security’s. Electing a survivor benefit (50% or 25% of your annuity to a spouse) permanently reduces your annuity by 10% or 5%.
It does not handle special-provision retirement (law enforcement, firefighters, air traffic controllers, who use 1.7% for the first 20 years), disability retirement, CSRS or CSRS-offset service, part-time service proration, military deposits, deferred annuities in detail, the TSP, FEHB, or taxes. It rounds service to months and uses an approximate supplement. OPM’s computation, or your agency’s retirement counselor using your official records, is the binding figure.
Assuming 1.1% before 62. It needs age 62 and 20 years. Counting sick leave toward eligibility. It only adds to the computation. Expecting the supplement with MRA+10. It is not paid. Forgetting the survivor reduction in budgets. Leaving at MRA+10 and starting the annuity immediately when postponing to 60 or 62 would remove most or all of the reduction.