Aloha Debbie I retired under the early program from USAR (not active) and I am now getting ready to retire as a GS employee from Pearl Harbor, I payed back 4 years 8 month and 22 days of combat tours and received a memo receipt. My question is about my Service Computation Date (SCD) which shows 19886 and (I was Active Duty from 1986 to 1989 here in Hawaii with 25th ID. I was under the impression that I did not have to buy that back. Are you from Hawaii?
Hi Robert. I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. You do not have to buy that time back in order for it to count towards your annual leave accrual (which is the SCD you're looking at). IF you want that time to also count towards your retirement, it would require a military deposit.
Hello Debbie, so glad to have come across your channel. I am currently in the national guard and was wondering if Title 32 time can be used thew the Federal Civilian “buy back” program?
Sorry I’m sounding like a dummy, but none of this was ever explained to me 14 years ago. Since Covid came about there is no one in offices anymore where I can sit across from to be coached through everything. So are you saying my military time (6 yrs) will automatically go towards my federal civilian position (14 yrs) for a total of 20 yrs with the federal government? Exactly what am I buying back and why?
You don't sound like a dummy - just, uninformed on the topic. You haven't been able to sit across from people in an HR for coaching for quite some time now. It's not been a great change in my opinion, but no one really cares... Alas. I am saying your 6 years of military time counts towards annual leave accrual ONLY unless you buy it back. If you make a military deposit (the topic of this video), that 6 years will then also count towards your retirement. If you have 14 years of civilian work and you buy your military time, THEN you will have a total of 20 with the government. You could retire 6 years earlier and it would add 6% x high-3 to your annuity for the rest of your life. Watch the video again with this lens and let me know if you have questions.
I've tried twice to submit a military buyback at my federal facility and haven't heard anything for years. How can I do it by myself without going through HR. I only have 3 years active duty but I still want it to count.
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time getting this done Russ. That's unfortunate - and the longer you wait to make the deposit (you can't pay it until you get your numbers) the more it's going to cost. HR is going to HAVE to be involved at some point in order to add this time to your records. Talk to a supervisor or management lead if you need to. In the meantime, here's what you can do on your own. (1) Complete an RI 20-97 and send it, along with your DD214 to DFAS Indianapolis. www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/militaryservice/militaryservicedeposits/ (2) Once you get that ^^^ back from DFAS (do you already have it?) then complete an SF-3108. www.dfas.mil/Portals/98/SF3108%20-%20FERS.pdf Ideally HR sends this to civilian payroll for you. If they're not doing that, do it for yourself. Once Civ Pay calculates the interest, it's up to you if / how / when you pay the deposit. (3) When you're doing paying, your HR office is responsible for updating your records. YOU make sure to request a paid in full letter from your agencies civilian pay folks though and keep that as safe as you do your DD214, just in case.
Here is my situation I am about to retire from federal service 46 years (CSRS) I am also qualified for social security as well. I also have 4 years of military service. I have not at this time paid back my military deposits. My question is I am trying to figure out if it is beneficial to me to buy back my military deposits. Also if I don’t pay it back will this impact my social security Please advise.
Hi Debbie. What documents would I need to provide to obtain the military credit for active duty that is not covered by a DD-214 such as annual training orders, Schools - TDY, etc. Are copies of orders and the LES enough? Also will this time count towards annual leave accrual? Great videos!
Always a good idea, Bob!! Unless the person retired from active duty - then, it's a maybe. Copies of orders, so long as accompanied by leave and earnings statement for that period of time, are acceptable documentation. Here's a list of what DFAS will accept: www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/militaryservice/militaryservicedeposits/accepteddocuments/ Typically non-retired military service counts towards annual leave accrual even without making a military deposit. OPM says, "To be creditable for leave accrual purposes, uniformed service must have: (1) ended honorably. That includes: an honorable discharge or a discharge under honorable conditions (general) or transfer to the inactive reserves under honorable conditions. and (2) been active duty in a uniformed service. (a) The uniformed services consist of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) plus the commissioned officer corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. (b) Active duty is full time duty in the Armed Forces. In the Reserves this would include active duty for training but not weekly or monthly assemblies or drills. National Guard duty must be active duty in the service of the United States under title 10, United States Code, or under a call by the President or Secretary of Defense. National Guard service or training under the call of the Governor of a State or performed for a State under title 32, United States Code, is not creditable."
I served for 4 years active duty and did a buy back with my first round of federal employment. Here's the issue for me. I left the federal Govt. with 4 1/2 years of creditable service but I'm in the process of hiring back on federal. I'm 59 years old and plan on working till I'm 62y.o. At one point would be the earliest I could retire? Would there be a MRA that I fall under once I get to 10yrs creditable service? I was born in 62. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Paul
Paul, I'm so sorry for the delay. Sometimes You Tube sends me an email when people leave comments. Sometimes they don't. I'm JUST now seeing this. Did you get back into the federal government? You're eligible to retire at 62 as long as you have at least 5 years of civil service time. Your military deposit will be added onto that.
Hello Debbie, I recently found and subscribed. I have seven years federal civilian service. I retired from the reserves and I am in the process of buying back 16yrs of military time. I plan to make a lump sum payment. If I understand what you say, I will have approximately 24 years of total service after my payment when I reach my MRA next year. Does this mean that I am eligible for MRA+10 if I retire at my MRA (8yrs + 16) or do I have to serve at least 10 years first and then add the 16 after the fact? I've been told both. Most say that once I pay the deposit, it is immediately added to my current time thus allowing me to retire earlier. Thank you. Any information is much appreciated.
Welcome. Thanks for subscribing - I'm glad you're here. Yes. Once you complete your military deposit, that 16 years will be added to your (then) 8 years of civilian time. That was all non-temporary time, correct? Temporary civilian appointments may or may not count - depends on when it was. You are required to have 5 years in a covered civilian position; the rest of your time can come from making a military deposit. You've "been told both" I'm sure. There's a lot of bad information out there. In your case, the majority of folks you've talked to are correct. At MRA with 24 years of combined service, you would qualify to retire under MRA+10. You could choose to begin collecting right away, knowing you would have a 5% per year penalty for each year you're under age 62 (62 - 57 = 5 yrs * 5% = 25% penalty for the rest of your life. This does not ever go away). OR you could choose to resign and, postpone filing for your retirement until you are 60. At that point you would not have a penalty since you have over 20 years. Whenever you collect the pension, you would be able to reenroll in FEHB and/or FEGLI provided they were in place five years prior to your resignation. Let me know if you have further questions.
@@debbiehatch8016 Thank You! Sounds like the best strategy is to retire at 60 at a minimum and 62+30 for the bonus. Unless something crazy happens, taking a 25% penalty so I can tell my friends I retired early defeats the purpose of buying back my time. With everything going on in the world, it's hard to believe that the government is allowing many retired reserve folks to collect up to four federal pensions. Civilian Service, Retired Reserves, VA pensions over 50%, and social security. Not including TSP, Roth, GI bill, etc. Keep up the great work!
Aloha Debbie I retired under the early program from USAR (not active) and I am now getting ready to retire as a GS employee from Pearl Harbor, I payed back 4 years 8 month and 22 days of combat tours and received a memo receipt. My question is about my Service Computation Date (SCD) which shows 19886 and (I was Active Duty from 1986 to 1989 here in Hawaii with 25th ID. I was under the impression that I did not have to buy that back. Are you from Hawaii?
Hi Robert. I apologize for the delay in getting back to you. You do not have to buy that time back in order for it to count towards your annual leave accrual (which is the SCD you're looking at). IF you want that time to also count towards your retirement, it would require a military deposit.
@@debbiehatch8016 thank you very much.
Hello Debbie, so glad to have come across your channel. I am currently in the national guard and was wondering if Title 32 time can be used thew the Federal Civilian “buy back” program?
Glad you found the channel too. Only Title 10 time can be purchased, not 32.
It is not. If a person doesn’t do the 5 years to be vested under FERS, s/he can request a refund of the military deposit.
@@debbiehatch8016 Great, thank you.
Sorry I’m sounding like a dummy, but none of this was ever explained to me 14 years ago. Since Covid came about there is no one in offices anymore where I can sit across from to be coached through everything. So are you saying my military time (6 yrs) will automatically go towards my federal civilian position (14 yrs) for a total of 20 yrs with the federal government? Exactly what am I buying back and why?
You don't sound like a dummy - just, uninformed on the topic. You haven't been able to sit across from people in an HR for coaching for quite some time now. It's not been a great change in my opinion, but no one really cares... Alas. I am saying your 6 years of military time counts towards annual leave accrual ONLY unless you buy it back. If you make a military deposit (the topic of this video), that 6 years will then also count towards your retirement. If you have 14 years of civilian work and you buy your military time, THEN you will have a total of 20 with the government. You could retire 6 years earlier and it would add 6% x high-3 to your annuity for the rest of your life. Watch the video again with this lens and let me know if you have questions.
@@debbiehatch8016thank you so much for responding so quickly, I really appreciate it! I will definitely stay in contact with you.
Ms. Hatch, could I contact you regarding military retiree military buyback?
Absolutely, yes. I am on vacation the week of April 18 but checking email at least once a day. debbie@pinnaclepersonnelservices.com
I've tried twice to submit a military buyback at my federal facility and haven't heard anything for years. How can I do it by myself without going through HR. I only have 3 years active duty but I still want it to count.
I'm sorry you're having such a hard time getting this done Russ. That's unfortunate - and the longer you wait to make the deposit (you can't pay it until you get your numbers) the more it's going to cost. HR is going to HAVE to be involved at some point in order to add this time to your records. Talk to a supervisor or management lead if you need to.
In the meantime, here's what you can do on your own.
(1) Complete an RI 20-97 and send it, along with your DD214 to DFAS Indianapolis. www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/militaryservice/militaryservicedeposits/
(2) Once you get that ^^^ back from DFAS (do you already have it?) then complete an SF-3108. www.dfas.mil/Portals/98/SF3108%20-%20FERS.pdf Ideally HR sends this to civilian payroll for you. If they're not doing that, do it for yourself. Once Civ Pay calculates the interest, it's up to you if / how / when you pay the deposit.
(3) When you're doing paying, your HR office is responsible for updating your records. YOU make sure to request a paid in full letter from your agencies civilian pay folks though and keep that as safe as you do your DD214, just in case.
@@debbiehatch8016 Thank you so much, I'm on it!
@@russragan1997 Keep me posted!!! Good luck.
Here is my situation I am about to retire from federal service 46 years (CSRS) I am also qualified for social security as well. I also have 4 years of military service. I have not at this time paid back my military deposits. My question is I am trying to figure out if it is beneficial to me to buy back my military deposits. Also if I don’t pay it back will this impact my social security Please advise.
Hi Debbie. What documents would I need to provide to obtain the military credit for active duty that is not covered by a DD-214 such as annual training orders, Schools - TDY, etc. Are copies of orders and the LES enough? Also will this time count towards annual leave accrual? Great videos!
Always a good idea, Bob!! Unless the person retired from active duty - then, it's a maybe.
Copies of orders, so long as accompanied by leave and earnings statement for that period of time, are acceptable documentation. Here's a list of what DFAS will accept: www.dfas.mil/civilianemployees/militaryservice/militaryservicedeposits/accepteddocuments/
Typically non-retired military service counts towards annual leave accrual even without making a military deposit. OPM says, "To be creditable for leave accrual purposes, uniformed service must have: (1) ended honorably. That includes: an honorable discharge or a discharge under honorable conditions (general) or transfer to the inactive reserves under honorable conditions. and (2) been active duty in a uniformed
service. (a) The uniformed services consist of the Armed Forces (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard) plus the commissioned officer corps of the Public Health Service and the National Oceanic
and Atmospheric Administration. (b) Active duty is full time duty in the Armed Forces. In the Reserves this
would include active duty for training but not weekly or monthly assemblies or drills. National Guard duty must be active duty in the service of the United States under title 10, United States Code, or under a call by the President or Secretary of Defense. National Guard service or training under the call of the Governor of a State or performed for a State under title 32, United States Code, is not creditable."
@@debbiehatch8016 thanks for the feedback!
I served for 4 years active duty and did a buy back with my first round of federal employment. Here's the issue for me. I left the federal Govt. with 4 1/2 years of creditable service but I'm in the process of hiring back on federal. I'm 59 years old and plan on working till I'm 62y.o. At one point would be the earliest I could retire? Would there be a MRA that I fall under once I get to 10yrs creditable service? I was born in 62. Any help is appreciated. Thanks, Paul
Paul, I'm so sorry for the delay. Sometimes You Tube sends me an email when people leave comments. Sometimes they don't. I'm JUST now seeing this. Did you get back into the federal government? You're eligible to retire at 62 as long as you have at least 5 years of civil service time. Your military deposit will be added onto that.
Hello Debbie, I recently found and subscribed. I have seven years federal civilian service.
I retired from the reserves and I am in the process of buying back 16yrs of military time. I plan to make a lump sum payment.
If I understand what you say, I will have approximately 24 years of total service after my payment when I reach my MRA next year.
Does this mean that I am eligible for MRA+10 if I retire at my MRA (8yrs + 16) or do I have to serve at least 10 years first and then add the 16 after the fact?
I've been told both. Most say that once I pay the deposit, it is immediately added to my current time thus allowing me to retire earlier. Thank you. Any information is much appreciated.
Welcome. Thanks for subscribing - I'm glad you're here. Yes. Once you complete your military deposit, that 16 years will be added to your (then) 8 years of civilian time. That was all non-temporary time, correct? Temporary civilian appointments may or may not count - depends on when it was. You are required to have 5 years in a covered civilian position; the rest of your time can come from making a military deposit.
You've "been told both" I'm sure. There's a lot of bad information out there. In your case, the majority of folks you've talked to are correct.
At MRA with 24 years of combined service, you would qualify to retire under MRA+10. You could choose to begin collecting right away, knowing you would have a 5% per year penalty for each year you're under age 62 (62 - 57 = 5 yrs * 5% = 25% penalty for the rest of your life. This does not ever go away). OR you could choose to resign and, postpone filing for your retirement until you are 60. At that point you would not have a penalty since you have over 20 years. Whenever you collect the pension, you would be able to reenroll in FEHB and/or FEGLI provided they were in place five years prior to your resignation. Let me know if you have further questions.
@@debbiehatch8016 Thank You! Sounds like the best strategy is to retire at 60 at a minimum and 62+30 for the bonus. Unless something crazy happens, taking a 25% penalty so I can tell my friends I retired early defeats the purpose of buying back my time.
With everything going on in the world, it's hard to believe that the government is allowing many retired reserve folks to collect up to four federal pensions. Civilian Service, Retired Reserves, VA pensions over 50%, and social security. Not including TSP, Roth, GI bill, etc. Keep up the great work!