QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
Start by contacting your HR Department, 6 months prior to your effective date of retirement, to request the retirement application package. It could take a week to 10 days to receive your package from your Agency. Your application package should be completed and returned to your HR Department 3 months prior to your retirement date.
Your HR Department could take between 8 and 12 weeks for their processing. HR will send your retirement package to your Payroll Office where it could take 30 days or longer for all your payroll records to be incorporated into your package. Payroll will then send your entire retirement package plus payroll records to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) who will put you into a temporary/interim pay status.
When will I get my first deposit?
Normally within 6 weeks from your effective date of retirement, provided you submit your retirement application package in a timely manner.
What if I want to retire in less than 6 months and I have not started the application process yet?
It can still be done but there may be consequences that will be dependent upon your specific circumstances. Contact me for info about your situation.
What if I make a mistake on the application. Can I cross it out, or white it out?
All forms must be submitted to your Agency error free with no mark outs, strike overs, white outs, or erasures on any of the forms. If your forms are not completed in their entirety, accurately and error free, your HR Department will return the forms to you and request that you complete and resubmit a corrected form. In most cases every time a form is returned to you for correction, expect to lose up to 4 to 6 weeks processing time. A loss of processing time effects the length of time it takes to receive your first retirement deposit.
What does the retirement application package look like?
The application for US Postal Service employees is a 126-page bound book printed specifically for each employee. Federal retirement applications vary in size and presentation depending on your agency.
How does your process of preparing my retirement application proceed?
Upon receipt of the necessary information from you, a detailed client profile worksheet along with life insurance options and costs worksheets will be prepared and mailed to you. On this worksheet I will have analyzed projected sick leave, annual leave, and how these benefits factor into the process. The work sheet will provide details on options for taxes, health insurance cost and life insurance worksheets. Once you have the worksheets we will arrange a date and time for a telephone counseling session. During that session I will type your application for retirement, and prepare your life insurance form along with tax forms. Once our counseling session is concluded, I will mail your application to you and will indicate areas for signature. I will also provide an extra copy of all forms for your records. These documents will be sent to you via priority mail.
What are the fees for your services?
My fees for preparation of the complete retirement application package and all associated forms, along with retirement counseling and a discussion of the other various options you need to decide on, range from $150 to $200. If you are not ready to submit the retirement application yet and would just like some advice or retirement planning support, my hourly fees range from $75 to $100 per hour. Feel free to contact me for more details.
It’s pretty clear to me that I want to engage your services to help with my retirement planning and application submission. How do I get started?
First request your retirement application package and annuity estimate from your agency HR department, ideally 6 months prior to your retirement effective date. Immediately after receipt of your application package and annuity estimate contact me to arrange for counseling and application preparation.
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