Ri 92-19a

Applying for Deferred

or Postponed Retirement

Under the Federal

Employees Retirement

System (FERS)

This pamphlet is for former
employees who:
• were covered under FERS,
• and are applying for deferred
retirement,
• or postponed the beginning
date of their retirement and
now want the benefit to begin.

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We provide retirement information on the Internet.
You will find retirement brochures, forms, and other
information at:
http://www.opm.gov/retire/
You may also communicate with us using email at:
[email protected]

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Table of Contents
Page
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

Eligibility. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Age and Service Requirements . . . . . . . . . . 2

Age Reduction. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Health Benefits, Life Insurance and Federal

Dental and Vision Program Coverage . . . . 3

Federal Long Term Care Insurance Coverage . . 4

Applying for Benefits.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

Form to Use.. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4

When to Send Applications to the Office

of Personnel Management (OPM) . . . . . . 4

What to do if Your Address Changes

Before Processing is Complete. . . . . . . . 5

What Happens After You File Your

Retirement Application. . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Payments. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Payment and Accrual of Annuity . . . . . . . . . 6

Method of Payment of Annuity . . . . . . . . . . 6

Survivor Benefits. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Married Applicants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Cost of Survivor Annuity Election . . . . . . . . 8

Spousal Consent Requirement . . . . . . . . . . 8

Waiving the Spousal Consent Requirement. . . . 8

Electing a Survivor Annuity for a

Former Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Electing a Survivor Annuity for a Current

Spouse When a Court Order Gives

a Survivor Annuity to a Former Spouse . . . 9

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Electing an Insurable Interest Annuity

for a Current Spouse When a Court

Order Gives a Survivor Annuity to

a Former Spouse . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Electing an Insurable Interest Survivor

Benefit for an Individual Other than

Your Spouse. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

Termination of Survivor Elections. . . . . . . . 13

Changing the Survivor Election

After Retirement . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14

If It is Within 30 days of Your First

Regular Annuity Payment. . . . . . . . . . 14

If It is More Than 30 Days from the Date

of Your First Regular Monthly Payment,

but Less than 18 Months from the

Commencing Date of Your Annuity . . . . 14

Electing Survivor Benefits for a Spouse

Acquired After Retirement . . . . . . . . . 15

Contacting the Office

of Personnel Management. . . . . . . . . . . . 16

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Introduction
This pamphlet, along with form RI 92-19,
Application for Deferred or Postponed Retirement,
is for you if you are a former Federal employee who
was covered by the Federal Employees Retirement
System (FERS) and you wish to apply for your
retirement annuity. You should use this pamphlet if
you want to apply for an annuity which will begin
at least 1 month after your separation from Federal
service (or transfer to a position not covered by
FERS) and:

• you completed at least 5 years of creditable
civilian service and are eligible for a deferred
retirement at age 62, or

• you completed at least 10 years of creditable
service, including 5 years of civilian service,
and are eligible for an annuity at the Minimum
Retirement Age (MRA).

This includes individuals who are eligible for
a deferred annuity at age 62 or the Minimum
Retirement Age (MRA), as well as those who were
eligible for an immediate annuity at the Minimum
Retirement Age (MRA), but who chose to postpone
the commencing date of the annuity to reduce or
avoid the age reduction.
Do not use this pamphlet or form RI 92-19,
Application for Deferred or Postponed Retirement,
to apply for an annuity if it has been less than 1
month since your separation from Federal service.
If you want to apply for an annuity within 1 month
of your separation, you should request an Application
for Immediate Retirement, Standard Form 3107, from
your former employing agency.

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Eligibility
Age and Service Requirements
You are eligible for a deferred annuity if you meet
one of the following age and service requirements:

• You have completed at least 5 years of creditable
civilian service, then you are eligible for a
deferred annuity beginning on the first day of the
month after you reach age 62.

• You have completed at least 10 years of creditable
service, including 5 years of civilian service, then
you are eligible for a deferred annuity the first day
of the month after you reach the Minimum
Retirement Age (MRA).
You are eligible for an immediate annuity the first
day of the month after you reach the Minimum
Retirement Age if you completed at least 10 years
of creditable service, including 5 years of civilian
service.
Minimum Retirement Age (MRA)
If your year
of birth is . . .

Your MRA is

Before 1948

55 years

1948

55 years, 2 months

1949

55 years, 4 months

1950

55 years, 6 months

1951

55 years, 8 months

1952

55 years, 10 months

1953 to 1964

56 years

1965

56 years, 2 months

1966

56 years, 4 months

1967

56 years, 6 months

1968

56 years, 8 months

1969

56 years, 10 months

After 1969

57 years

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Age Reduction
If you completed at least 10, but less than 30 years
of creditable service before you left Federal service,
your annuity will be reduced if it begins before age
62. The only exception to this is if you had at least 20
years of service and your annuity begins when you
reach age 60, there is no reduction.
Your annuity will be reduced by 5/12 of 1% (5%
per year) for each month by which your benefit
commencing date precedes your 62nd birthday.
However, you can postpone the commencing date
of your annuity to reduce or eliminate this age
reduction. If you die before the postponed
commencing date, any survivor benefits which
you elected would still be payable upon your death.

Health Benefits, Life Insurance and
Federal Dental and Vision Program
Coverage
If you separated from Federal service after reaching
the Minimum Retirement Age with at least 10 years
of service, but postponed the commencing date of
your annuity to reduce or avoid the age reduction,
you are eligible to reenroll in the Federal Employees
Health Benefits Program and the Federal Employees’
Group Life Insurance Program, if you participated in
the program for the 5 years of service immediately
before you separated from Federal service or continu­
ally from your earliest opportunity. You are also
eligible to reenroll in the Federal Dental and Vision
Program if you were enrolled when you separated
from Federal Service.
If you separated from Federal service with at least
10 years of service before reaching the Minimum
Retirement Age or if you separated from Federal
service with at least 5, but less than 10 years of
service, and are now applying for a deferred annuity,
you are not eligible to continue any health benefits,
life insurance or Federal Dental and Vision coverage
you had while employed.

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Federal Long Term Care Insurance
Coverage
If you are enrolled in the Federal Long Term Care
Insurance Program (FLTCIP), your coverage
continues. No action is required by you. However,
you may choose to have your premium payments
(as well as those for your qualified relatives)
deducted from your annuity. To elect annuity
deduction of premiums, please call the FLTCIP
administrator, Long Term Care Partners, at
1-800-582-3337 (TTY: 1-800-843-3557).
Depending on when you call, there may be a delay
of one or two months before annuity deduction of
premiums can begin.
If you are not currently enrolled in the FLTCIP, you,
your spouse, and your adult children may apply for
FLTCIP coverage provided you are eligible for a
deferred or postponed annuity. You may request an
application by calling Long Term Care Partners at the
number listed above, or by visiting www.ltcfeds.com.
Applicants must pass medical underwriting in order
to be approved for coverage.

Applying for Benefits
Form to Use
Use form RI 92-19, Application for Deferred or
Postponed Retirement, to apply for deferred or
postponed retirement benefits under the Federal
Employees Retirement System.

When to Send Applications to the
Office of Personnel Management
(OPM)
Send your application to the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) approximately 60 days before
you want your benefits to begin. Send your
completed application to:

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U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Federal Employees Retirement System
P.O. Box 45
Boyers, PA 16017-0045

What to do if Your Address Changes
Before Processing is Complete
If your address changes after your application
has been forwarded to the Office of Personnel
Management, you can either telephone us or write
to us to report your new address. Please refer to
your claim number in any correspondence. If you
have not received your claim number, simply provide
your name, date of birth, and Social Security number.
You can phone us at 1-888-767-6738. If you use
TTY equipment, call 1-855-887-4957. If you prefer
to write to us, you should report your new address to:
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
ATTN: Change of Address
P.O. Box 440
Boyers, PA 16017-0440

In addition, notify your old post office of your
forwarding address.

What Happens After You File Your
Retirement Application
After OPM receives your application, it will assign
you a claim number, which will begin with the letters
“CSA.” This number will be very important to you as
an annuitant because you will need to refer to it every
time you write or call OPM in connection with your
annuity.
OPM will review your application and records of
service on file and determine if all information
necessary to calculate the amount of your benefit
is available. If not, we will request the missing
information from the appropriate source.
When we finish processing your application, we will
send you a booklet explaining your benefits.
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Payments
Payment and Accrual of Annuity
All annuities are payable in monthly installments on
the first business day of the month following the one
for which the annuity has accrued. For example,
payments for the month of June will be paid in your
check dated July 1.

Method of Payment of Annuity
The U.S. Department of the Treasury requires that all
Federal benefit payments be made electronically.
Most Federal payments are made by Direct Deposit.
Direct Deposit is the electronic transfer of your
annuity payment to your checking or savings account
at a financial institution.
If you do not have a bank account, or prefer not to
have your annuity payment made directly to your
bank account, you can choose a Direct Express debit
card. Your annuity payment will be automatically
deposited to the Direct Express card on the payment
date.
You cannot receive your annuity payments by Direct
Deposit or Direct Express debit card program if your
permanent payment address is outside the United
States in a country where these programs are not
available.
To select a method of payment, complete Section H
of RI 92-19, Application for Deferred or Postponed
Retirement. If you are electing to receive your
payments via Direct Deposit into your checking or
savings account, provide your financial institution’s
routing number, your account number and the name,
address, and telephone number of your financial
institution in part 2 of Section H (Payment
Instructions).
If you elect to receive your payments using the
Direct Express option, go to www.godirect.org
for information. If your payments will not be
electronically deposited to your account and you
do not have a Direct Express debit card, you must
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contact the Department of the Treasury at
1-800-333-1795 to discuss your options.
If you change your bank account after your payments
begin, you will be able to make changes using our
Services Online feature found on our website
www.servicesonline.opm.gov. After your payments
begin, you will receive a password for using the
system. If you prefer, you can call us at
1-888-767-6738 (TTY: 1-855-887-4957) or send
Standard Form (SF) 1199A, Direct Deposit Sign-Up
Form, to the Office of Personnel Management
(OPM). Before you call us, be sure you have
verified your bank’s routing number and your
account number. You can obtain SF 1199A where
you bank. Both you and your bank need to complete
the form. Your financial institution should mail the
SF 1199A to us at:
U.S. Office of Personnel Management
Retirement Operations
P.O. Box 440
Boyers, PA 16017-0440

When you receive your payment by direct deposit,
you will continue to receive other information at
your mailing address.

Survivor Benefits
Married Applicants
If you are married when your annuity begins, it will
be computed with a reduction to provide maximum
survivor benefits for your spouse upon your death.
The maximum survivor benefit available is 50% of
your unreduced annuity. Your annuity is reduced
by 10% to provide this benefit. Alternatively, you
can elect to provide a partial survivor benefit (25%
of your unreduced annuity, with a 5% reduction in
your annuity) or no survivor benefits; however, you
must get your spouse’s consent to elect either of these
options.

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Cost of Survivor Annuity Election
The yearly reduction to provide the maximum
survivor benefit (50% of your unreduced annuity)
is 10% of your annuity at retirement. The yearly
reduction to provide a partial survivor benefit
(25% of your unreduced annuity) is 5% of your
annuity at retirement.

Spousal Consent Requirement
If you are married and you do not want to provide
maximum survivor benefits for your spouse, your
spouse must consent to your election. Schedule A,
which is part of form RI 92-19, Application for
Deferred or Postponed Retirement, must be
completed by your spouse and forwarded to the
Office of Personnel Management (OPM) along
with your application for retirement.

Waiving the Spousal Consent
Requirement
OPM may waive the spousal consent requirement if
you show that your spouse’s whereabouts cannot be
determined. A request for waiver on this basis must
be accompanied by:

• a judicial determination that your spouse’s
whereabouts cannot be determined; or

• affidavits by you and two other persons, at least
one of whom is not related to you, attesting to
the inability to locate the current spouse and
stating the efforts made to locate the spouse.
You must also give documentary evidence,
such as newspaper stories, about the spouse’s
disappearance.
The Office of Personnel Management may also
waive the spousal consent requirement if you present
a judicial determination regarding the current spouse
that would warrant waiver of the consent requirement
based on exceptional circumstances. Illness or injury
of the retiring employee is not justification for
waiving the spousal consent requirement.
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Electing a Survivor Annuity for a
Former Spouse
To elect a survivor annuity for a former spouse,
you must have been married to that person for a total
of at least 9 months. A former spouse who remarries
before reaching age 55 is not eligible for a former
spouse survivor annuity.
You may elect to provide a survivor annuity for
more than one former spouse. The total of the
survivor annuities must equal either 25% or 50%
of your annuity before reduction for survivor
benefits. Also, if you are married, you must have
your spouse’s consent to choose this option, because
any benefit elected for a former spouse limits what
can be elected for your current spouse. The maximum
combined survivor benefit that can be elected for
your current and former spouse(s) is 50% of your
benefit and the reduction for this benefit is 10% of
your annuity at retirement.

Electing a Survivor Annuity for a
Current Spouse When a Court Order
Gives a Survivor Annuity to a Former
Spouse
If a court order has given a survivor annuity to a
former spouse, you still may make your election
concerning a survivor annuity for your current spouse
as if there were no court-ordered former spouse
annuity. By electing survivor benefits for your
current spouse at retirement, you can protect your
spouse’s rights in case your former spouse loses
entitlement in the future (because of remarriage
before age 55, death, or under the terms of the court
order). You should consider the option outlined on
page 11 under Electing an Insurable Interest Annuity
for a Current Spouse When a Court Order Gives a
Survivor Annuity to a Former Spouse. The following
paragraphs explain in more detail how your election
at the time of retirement can affect your current
spouse’s future rights if the court has given a survivor
annuity to a former spouse.

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If a court order gives a survivor annuity to a former
spouse, your annuity will be reduced to provide it.
If you elect a survivor annuity for your current
spouse (or another former spouse), your annuity
will be reduced no more than it would to provide a
survivor annuity equal to 50% of your annuity before
reduction for survivor benefits. Your current spouse
will be eligible for any portion of the benefit not
ordered for the former spouse.
If you die before your current and former spouses,
the total amount of the survivor annuities paid
cannot exceed 50% of your annuity and the Office
of Personnel Management (OPM) must honor the
terms of the court order before it can honor your
election. The former spouse having the court-ordered
survivor benefit would receive an annuity according
to the terms of the court order. If the court order
gives the entire survivor annuity to the former
spouse, your widow(er) would receive no survivor
annuity until the former spouse loses entitlement.
Then your widow(er) would receive a survivor
annuity according to your election. If the court order
gives less than the entire survivor annuity to the
former spouse, your widow(er) would receive an
annuity no greater than the difference between the
court-ordered survivor annuity and 50% of your
annuity. However, if the former spouse loses
entitlement to the survivor annuity (through
remarriage before age 55, death, or under the terms
of the court order), your widow(er) would then
receive the survivor annuity you elected.
For example, if there is a court-ordered former
spouse survivor annuity that equals 40% of your
annuity, you elect a maximum survivor annuity for
your current spouse, and you die before the former
spouse’s entitlement to a survivor annuity ends, the
former spouse would receive a survivor annuity equal
to 40% of your annuity and your widow(er) would
receive a survivor annuity equal to 10% of your
annuity. However, if the former spouse later loses
entitlement to the survivor annuity, your widow(er)
would then receive a survivor annuity equal to 50%
of your annuity.

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Electing an Insurable Interest
Annuity for a Current Spouse When
a Court Order Gives a Survivor
Annuity to a Former Spouse
If a former spouse’s court-ordered survivor annuity
will prevent your current spouse from receiving a
survivor annuity that is sufficient to meet his or her
anticipated needs, you may want to elect an insurable
interest annuity for your spouse. You must provide
documentation that you are in good health to choose
this benefit. The amount of the benefit and the
amount of the reduction in your annuity to provide
it are explained on page 12 in Electing an Insurable
Interest Survivor Benefit for an Individual Other than
Your Spouse.
If you elect an insurable interest survivor annuity
for your current spouse, you and your current spouse
must jointly waive the regular survivor annuity.
If you elect an insurable interest survivor annuity for
your current spouse and your former spouse loses
entitlement before you die, you can have the
reduction in your annuity to provide the insurable
interest annuity converted to the regular survivor
annuity reduction. You can convert the insurable
interest election for your current spouse to a current
spouse annuity within two (2) years of your former
spouse losing entitlement to the regular survivor
annuity. Your current spouse would then
be entitled to the regular survivor annuity. If your
former spouse loses entitlement after you die, your
widow(er) can substitute the regular survivor annuity
for the insurable interest survivor annuity.
If for any reason the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) cannot allow your insurable
interest election for your current spouse, your current
spouse will be considered elected for the maximum
regular survivor annuity, unless your current spouse
signs another form (Schedule A of RI 92-19)
consenting to receive no survivor annuity, or to
receive a partial survivor annuity.

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Electing an Insurable Interest
Survivor Benefit for an Individual
Other than Your Spouse
You can elect to provide a survivor benefit for an
individual who may reasonably expect to derive
financial benefit from your continued life (such as a
close relative). You must provide documentation that
you are in good health to choose this type of annuity.
If you choose this type of annuity, the amount of
the reduction in your annuity will depend upon the
difference between your age and the age of the
person named as the survivor annuitant, as shown
in the table below. The survivor’s rate will be 55%
of your reduced annuity.

Age of the Person
Named
In Relation to That of
Retiring Employee

Reduction In
Annuity of
Retiring
Employee

Older, same age, or less than 5
years younger

10%

5 but less than
10 years younger

15%

10 but less than
15 years younger

20%

15 but less than
20 years younger

25%

20 but less than
25 years younger

30%

25 but less than
30 years younger

35%

30 or more years younger

40%

You can elect this insurable interest survivor annuity in
addition to a regular survivor annuity for a current or
former spouse. Two reductions will then be made, one for
the regular survivor benefit and one for the insurable
interest benefit.

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Termination of Survivor Elections
Current and Former Spouse. Survivor elections
terminate upon the death of the person elected,
divorce of the annuitant from the elected spouse,
remarriage of a former spouse before age 55 [unless
the parties were married for 30 years or more], or
subject to the terms of a court order acceptable for
processing. (Modifications of the court order issued
after you retire do not affect the former spouse
survivor annuity.) You must notify us when one
of these events occurs and your annuity will no
longer be reduced. Both a survivor annuity election
made at retirement and a pre-divorce survivor annuity
election terminate upon death or divorce and the
annuitant must make a new election (reelection)
within 2 years after the terminating event to provide
a survivor annuity for a spouse acquired after
retirement or for a former spouse.
Continuing a survivor reduction, by itself, is not
effective to reelect a survivor annuity for a spouse
married after retirement or for a former spouse.
Insurable Interest. The reduction in your annuity to
provide an insurable interest annuity ends if the
person you name to receive the insurable interest
annuity dies or when the person you name is your
current spouse and you change your election to a
regular survivor benefit because a former spouse has
lost entitlement to a survivor annuity. The reduction
also ends if, after you retire, you marry the insurable
interest beneficiary and elect to provide a spousal
survivor annuity for that person within two years of
the marriage. If you marry someone other than the
insurable interest beneficiary after you retire and
elect to provide a survivor annuity for your spouse
within two years of the marriage, you may elect to
cancel the insurable interest reduction. Otherwise
your insurable interest election may not be revoked.

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Changing the Survivor Election

After Retirement

If It is Within 30 days of Your First
Regular Annuity Payment
You may change your election if, not later than 30
days after the date of your first regular monthly
payment, you file a new election in writing. You
should write to:
U.S. Office of Personnel Management

Federal Employees Retirement System

P.O. Box 45

Boyers, PA 16017-0045.

Your first regular monthly payment is the first
annuity check payable on a recurring basis (other
than an estimated payment or an adjustment check)
after the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) has
initially computed the regular rate of annuity payable
under the Federal Employees Retirement System
(FERS) and has paid the annuity accrued since the
time of retirement.
When the 30-day period following the date of your
first regular monthly payment has passed, you cannot
change your election, except under the circumstances
explained in the following paragraphs.

If It is More Than 30 Days from the
Date of Your First Regular Monthly
Payment, but Less than 18 Months
from the Commencing Date of Your
Annuity
If you are married at retirement, you may change
your decision not to provide a survivor annuity, or
you may increase the survivor annuity amount. You
must request the change in writing no later than 18
months after the commencing date of your annuity.
Your annuity will then be reduced by 10% if you
elect the maximum survivor benefit or 5% if you
elect a partial survivor benefit.

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In addition, you must pay a deposit representing the
difference between the reduction for the new survivor
election and the original survivor election, plus a
percentage of your annual annuity. This percentage
is 24.5% of your annual annuity (at retirement) if
you are changing from no survivor benefit to a full
survivor benefit, and 12.25% if you are changing
from none to a partial benefit or from a partial benefit
to a full benefit. (Interest on the deposit must also be
paid.) This deposit must be paid no later than 18
months after the commencing date of your annuity.

Electing Survivor Benefits for a
Spouse Acquired After Retirement
If you are married after retirement, you can elect a
reduced annuity to provide a survivor annuity for
your spouse, if you contact the Office of Personnel
Management (OPM) to request the benefit within
two years of the date of the marriage. You may elect
either a full survivor annuity (50% of your annuity
before reduction for survivor benefits) or a partial
survivor annuity (25% of your annuity before
reduction for survivor benefits). If you remarry the
same person you were married to at retirement, you
cannot elect a survivor annuity greater than the
amount provided in your original election.
There will be two reductions in your annuity if you
elect to provide the survivor benefit. One will be
the reduction to provide the survivor benefit. This
reduction depends on whether you have elected to
provide a full survivor annuity or a partial survivor
annuity. The yearly reduction for a full survivor
annuity is 10% of your annuity at retirement. The
yearly reduction for a partial survivor annuity is 5%
of your annuity at retirement. The reduction to
provide the survivor benefit will be eliminated if
your marriage ends.
The other reduction in your annuity is a permanent
actuarial reduction to pay the survivor benefit
deposit. The deposit equals the difference between
the new annuity rate and the annuity paid to you for
each month since retirement, plus 6% interest. The
reduction is determined by dividing the amount of
the deposit by an actuarial factor for your age on
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the date your annuity is reduced to provide the
survivor benefit. The actuarial reduction will not be
eliminated from your annuity if your marriage ends.

Contacting the
Office of Personnel Management
To expedite our service to you, please give us your
claim number whenever you contact us. You can
telephone us at 1-888-767-6738. If you use TTY
equipment, call 1-855-887-4957. During our regular
business hours (Monday through Friday between the
hours of 7:30 AM and 7:45 PM Eastern Standard
Time), you may speak to one of our Customer
Service Specialists who will help you with your
inquiry/request.
You can also find retirement brochures, forms and
other information on our web site at:
http://www.opm.gov/retire/

16

United StateS

Office Of PerSOnnel ManageMent

Retirement Services
1900 E Street, NW
Washington, DC 20415
www.opm.gov/retire

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RI 92-19A
Revised May 2012
Previous editions are not usable