FERS Minimum Retirement Age and Eligibility Date Finder

How to do it

1. 1
   Enter your birth date

   The tool finds your minimum retirement age from the birth year.

2. 2
   Enter your service start date

   Use the date your creditable federal service began; adjust for time that does not count.

3. 3
   Read the four dates

   See the earliest date for MRA+30, 60 with 20, 62 with 5 and the reduced MRA+10 option.

4. 4
   Check the reduction

   For the early option the table shows the percentage cut to the annuity.

5. 5
   Edit the schedule if rules change

   The MRA table and age and year limits are editable.

About this tool

Federal employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System can retire at different ages depending on how many years they have worked. The key number is the minimum retirement age (MRA), which is between 55 and 57 depending on your birth year. This tool uses your birth date and your service start date to give your MRA, the date you reach it, and the earliest date for each type of retirement: MRA with 30 years, age 60 with 20 years, age 62 with 5 years and the reduced option of MRA with 10 years. It shows the percentage reduction for the reduced option and the number of days to your first unreduced date.

Who this is for Federal employees planning when they can leave with an annuity, human resources staff preparing counseling sessions, and spouses who want to know how far away the date is. It is also useful for comparing a plan to leave at the first possible date with a plan to work a few more years.

The four ways to retire Immediate unreduced retirement is open at the MRA with 30 years of service, at 60 with 20 years, or at 62 with 5 years. A fourth path allows retirement at the MRA with at least 10 years of service, but the annuity is reduced by 5 percent for every year you are under 62, unless you reach 20 years at age 60. A person who retires on the first or second path before 62 may also receive the FERS supplement, which approximates the Social Security benefit earned in federal service until 62.

The MRA schedule People born before 1948 have an MRA of 55. For births in 1948 to 1952 it rises by two months a year, between 1953 and 1964 it is 56, between 1965 and 1969 it rises again by two months a year, and for births in 1970 and later it is 57. The schedule is shown in an editable table.

How the dates are found For each type the tool finds the date you reach the required age and the date you reach the required years of service, and uses the later of the two. Service is counted from your start date; if some of your time does not count, enter that number of years in the "service not creditable" box. The result also shows your age on each date.

Worked example Someone born on September 14, 1972 who started federal service on March 6, 2000 has an MRA of 57, reached on September 14, 2029. Thirty years of service is reached on March 6, 2030, so the MRA+30 date is March 6, 2030. Age 60 with 20 years comes on September 14, 2032 and age 62 with 5 years on September 14, 2034. The reduced MRA+10 date is September 14, 2029, but the annuity would be cut by 25 percent because the person would be five years under 62.

Limits OPM decides eligibility and counts your service. Military service, unused sick leave and part-time service can change the numbers. This tool is educational and not retirement advice.

Worked example

For a birth date of September 14, 1972 and a start date of March 6, 2000, the tool shows an MRA of 57, MRA+30 on March 6, 2030, age 60 with 20 years on September 14, 2032, and a 25 percent reduction for the early MRA+10 option.