What you’ll learn
With a decade or more of service behind you, the decisions get more specific. This track covers how your pension is actually calculated, when you become eligible to retire, how to think about TSP allocation as you age, and the trade-offs (survivor elections, early-out penalties, leave conversion) that shape your retirement.
Lessons
12 lessons · 12 available- 01Understanding your High-3What the High-3 average salary is, how it is measured, and how it drives your pension.9 min read
- 02Minimum Retirement Age and eligibility pathsHow your MRA is set by birth year and the combinations of age and service that make you eligible.11 min read
- 03MRA+10: the early-out and its penaltyHow retiring at your MRA with 10 to 29 years works, and the age-reduction penalty it carries.10 min read
- 04Part-time service and how it prorates your pensionHow periods of part-time federal work scale the pension formula at retirement.9 min read
- 05TSP allocation as you age: glide paths and the L fundsHow investment risk is typically dialed down approaching retirement, and what the Lifecycle funds automate.9 min read
- 06Catch-up contributions and the annual limitsThe extra TSP contributions available at age 50+ and the IRS limits that govern them.9 min read
- 07Sick and annual leave: converting hours to service creditHow unused sick leave adds creditable service and how annual leave is paid out at retirement.10 min read
- 08Survivor benefit elections: the 25% / 50% decisionHow a survivor annuity election reduces your pension and what it provides your spouse.10 min read
- 09VERA and VSIP: early-out offers, explainedVoluntary Early Retirement Authority and Separation Incentive Pay: when agencies offer them and the eligibility math.10 min read
- 10Deferred vs. postponed retirement, explainedTwo ways to preserve a future pension if you separate before full eligibility, and how they differ.10 min read
- 11Taking a FERS refund: cashing out your contributionsWhat a refund removes from your future annuity, and what it costs to buy that service back later.9 min read
- 12Changing agencies and breaks in serviceWhat carries over when you move between federal jobs, and what a gap in service costs you.9 min read
Common questions
- Who is the mid career FERS track for?
This track is for federal employees with roughly 10 to 25 years of service, when retirement is far enough away to plan for and close enough to make specific. It explains how your pension is calculated from your High-3, when you become eligible to retire, and the trade-offs that come with leaving early. It also covers choices you can still change, such as your TSP allocation and catch-up contributions.
- Where should I start to find out when I can retire?
Start with the Minimum Retirement Age lesson. Your MRA is set by your birth year, and it combines with your years of service to decide when you can leave with an immediate pension. If you are weighing an earlier exit, the MRA+10 lesson explains how retiring at your MRA with 10 to 29 years works and the age reduction it carries. If your agency offers an early-out, the lesson on VERA and VSIP covers those offers.
- Does the mid career track cover leaving federal service early?
Yes, in three lessons. Deferred vs. postponed retirement explains the two ways to keep a future pension if you separate before full eligibility. Taking a FERS refund explains what cashing out your contributions removes from your future annuity. Changing agencies and breaks in service covers what carries over when you move between federal jobs. All three start from the same question: whether you keep the right to a future pension.
Deferred vs. postponed retirementTaking a FERS refundChanging agencies
Put this track to work
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