Question 1

What information do I need to get started?

Accepted Answer

At minimum you'll need your date of birth, your Service Computation Date (SCD) from your SF-50 or earnings statement, and your current high-3 salary (or current salary as a proxy). TSP balance, Social Security estimates, and leave balances improve accuracy but are optional to start.

Question 2

Where do I find my Service Computation Date (SCD)?

Accepted Answer

Your SCD appears on your SF-50 (Notification of Personnel Action) — look for the field labeled 'SCD-Ret' or 'Ret SCD.' It also appears on your LES (Leave and Earnings Statement) under the service section. Your agency HR office can also confirm it.

Question 3

Do I need an account to use RetireCiv?

Accepted Answer

An account is only required to unlock Pro features and manage your subscription. You can run the full wizard and view your Readiness Score on the free tier without signing up. Your retirement data is saved locally in your browser's storage — it never leaves your device.

Question 4

How long does the full analysis take to complete?

Accepted Answer

Most users complete the nine-step wizard in 10–20 minutes. Each step saves automatically as you progress, so you can pause and return at any time.

Question 5

Can I use RetireCiv if I haven't retired yet?

Accepted Answer

Absolutely — RetireCiv is built for active federal employees planning ahead. The calculator projects your benefits at various retirement dates, helping you identify the optimal time to retire and close savings gaps while you still can.

Question 6

How is my FERS pension calculated?

Accepted Answer

The standard FERS annuity formula is: High-3 Average Salary × 1.0% × Years of Creditable Service. If you retire at age 62 or older with 20+ years of service, the multiplier increases to 1.1% — a 10% bonus on every dollar of annuity.

Question 7

What is my "High-3" salary?

Accepted Answer

Your High-3 is the average of your three highest consecutive years of base pay. It does not include overtime, bonuses, or allowances. For most employees this is their final three years of service.

Question 8

What is the Minimum Retirement Age (MRA)?

Accepted Answer

Your MRA depends on your year of birth. For employees born before 1948 the MRA is 55; it rises two months per year for each year 1948–1952, is 56 for 1953–1964, rises again 1965–1969, and is 57 for those born in 1970 or later.

Question 9

What retirement eligibility options are available under FERS?

Accepted Answer

Age 62 with 5+ years (full), Age 60 with 20+ years (full), MRA with 30+ years (full), MRA with 10–29 years (reduced 5% per year under 62; postponement available), and VERA at age 50 with 20 years or any age with 25 years when OPM authorizes a VERA window.

Question 10

Does sick leave count toward my retirement?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Under FERS, unused sick leave is converted to additional service credit at retirement. Every 174 hours of sick leave equals one month of service. This credit is added to your years of service for the annuity calculation — it does not count toward eligibility thresholds.

Question 11

What is the Special Retirement Supplement (SRS)?

Accepted Answer

The SRS is a bridge payment for FERS retirees who retire before age 62 and are not yet eligible for Social Security. It approximates the Social Security benefit you earned under FERS, calculated as: Estimated SS benefit at 62 × (FERS years / 40). The SRS is subject to the Social Security earnings test and ends automatically when you turn 62.

Question 12

How does TSP agency matching work?

Accepted Answer

The government automatically contributes 1% of your basic pay to your TSP whether or not you contribute. For the next 3% you contribute, the government matches dollar-for-dollar. For the next 2%, the government matches $0.50 per dollar. Maximum agency match is 5% of pay (your 5% + 5% agency = 10% total). The 1% automatic contribution vests after 3 years; matching contributions vest immediately.

Question 13

What are the TSP contribution limits for 2026?

Accepted Answer

Standard elective deferral: $24,500. Standard catch-up (age 50–59, 64+): $8,000. Super catch-up (age 60–63, SECURE 2.0): $11,250. Total with standard catch-up: $32,500. Total with super catch-up: $35,750. Roth TSP catch-up contributions are required for participants with MAGI over $145,000 per SECURE 2.0.

Question 14

What is the difference between Traditional TSP and Roth TSP?

Accepted Answer

Traditional TSP contributions are pre-tax — they reduce your taxable income today, but withdrawals in retirement are taxed as ordinary income. Roth TSP contributions are after-tax — you pay taxes now, but qualified withdrawals in retirement are completely tax-free, including all earnings.

Question 15

How does RetireCiv project my TSP balance at retirement?

Accepted Answer

RetireCiv compounds your current TSP balance and ongoing contributions forward to your projected retirement date using your selected annualized return assumption. The model accounts for your contribution rate, agency matching, and any planned rate changes.

Question 16

When should I start claiming Social Security?

Accepted Answer

You can claim as early as age 62 (with a permanent reduction of up to ~30%), at your Full Retirement Age (FRA) — age 66–67 depending on birth year — for full benefits, or as late as age 70 to earn delayed credits of 8% per year beyond FRA.

Question 17

Does working for the federal government affect my Social Security benefit?

Accepted Answer

Historically yes — FERS employees were sometimes subject to the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP). However, the Social Security Fairness Act (P.L. 118-206), signed in January 2025, repealed both WEP and the Government Pension Offset (GPO) retroactively to benefits payable for January 2024.

Question 18

What is the Special Retirement Supplement (SRS) and how does it interact with Social Security?

Accepted Answer

The SRS bridges the gap for FERS employees who retire before age 62. It is subject to the Social Security earnings test — in 2026, if you earn more than $24,480 from wages or self-employment after retirement, your SRS is reduced $1 for every $2 above that limit. The SRS ends at age 62.

Question 19

Are FERS employees eligible for Social Security?

Accepted Answer

Yes. FERS was designed to integrate with Social Security. Federal employees under FERS pay full Social Security (OASDI) taxes on their federal pay and are fully covered.

Question 20

What is the Readiness Score?

Accepted Answer

The Readiness Score is a 0–100 composite score that measures how prepared you are for retirement across five financial dimensions: income replacement, savings rate, financial independence progress, debt health, and emergency fund coverage. A score of 80+ is considered 'On Track.'

Question 21

What are the five components of the Readiness Score?

Accepted Answer

Income Replacement (30 pts): projected retirement income vs. pre-retirement salary, target 80%+. Savings Rate (20 pts): annual savings as % of salary, target 20%+. Financial Independence Progress (20 pts): current assets vs. 25× annual expenses, target 100%. Debt Health (15 pts): debt-to-income ratio, target below 36%. Emergency Fund (15 pts): months of expenses in liquid assets, target 6+ months.

Question 22

Is the Readiness Score free?

Accepted Answer

Yes — calculating and viewing your Readiness Score is free with a RetireCiv account. Detailed breakdowns, scenario comparisons, Monte Carlo projections, and the full Action Plan are included in the paid plan.

Question 23

How accurate are the retirement estimates?

Accepted Answer

RetireCiv uses official OPM, SSA, and TSP formulas with annually updated data. Most estimates are accurate to within a few percentage points for employees with straightforward service histories. These are estimates for planning purposes only; actual benefits are determined by OPM.

Question 24

What is Monte Carlo simulation and why does RetireCiv use it?

Accepted Answer

Monte Carlo simulation runs thousands of randomized market scenarios against your retirement plan to calculate the probability that your savings will last through your projected retirement horizon. A single average-return projection can hide sequence-of-returns risk — Monte Carlo surfaces it. RetireCiv runs 10,000 simulations per analysis.

Question 25

Where is my data stored?

Accepted Answer

Your retirement inputs are stored locally in your browser (via localStorage). They never leave your device and are never transmitted to RetireCiv servers. Only your account email and subscription status live on our servers — managed by Supabase (auth) and Stripe (billing).

Question 26

Can I clear my data?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Your retirement data lives only in your browser, so clearing your browser's site data for retireciv.com — or using the app's built-in reset — removes it immediately.

Question 27

Can I delete my account?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can permanently delete your RetireCiv account at any time from your account settings. Deletion is immediate and irreversible. Billing records are retained by our payment processor (Stripe) as required for financial compliance.

Question 28

Does RetireCiv sell my data?

Accepted Answer

No. We do not sell, rent, or share your personal retirement data with third parties for marketing purposes. Since retirement inputs never leave your browser, we literally cannot — nor would we.

Question 29

Is my payment information secure?

Accepted Answer

Yes. All billing is processed through Stripe, a PCI DSS Level 1 certified payment processor. RetireCiv never sees or stores your raw card number.

Question 30

What is free vs. paid on RetireCiv?

Accepted Answer

Free tier includes the full 9-step wizard, Readiness Score, basic FERS annuity estimate, and TSP balance projection. Paid plan adds the Action Plan, scenario comparisons, Monte Carlo simulation, spouse retirement analysis, and full PDF report.

Question 31

Can I cancel my subscription at any time?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can cancel your paid subscription from your account settings at any time. Your paid features remain active through the end of your current billing period.

Frequently Asked Questions

Getting Started

FERS Pension & Eligibility

TSP & Savings

Readiness Score & Results

Data, Privacy & Account

Pricing & Plans

Still Have Questions?