The following is a question submitted by a reader to Federal Times columnist Reg Jones, a charter member of the senior executive service and the resident expert on federal employee retirement issues.
A Fed Times reader asks:
“I started working for the United States Postal Service in 1986. I left in 1997. I am now 61 years old. I have seen articles online about getting a lump sum payout for my FERS.
Is that possible? If yes, how can I initiate this payout?
Is there a way to see the amount in my FERS account?”
Reg’s response:
As long as you didn’t ask for a refund of your retirement contributions when you left government, you are entitled to a refund.
You can apply for that refund by going to opm.gov/forms/pdf_fill/SF3106.pdf, downloading a copy of the form, filling it out and sending it to OPM.
The mailing address is on the form.
Got a question for the Federal Times expert? Send inquiries to: fedexperts@federaltimes.com.
