FERS Retirement: Formula, Minimum Retirement Age and the Supplement
A FERS pension is 1% of your high-3 average salary for each year of service, or 1.1% if you leave at age 62 or older with at least 20 years. When you can start depends on your minimum retirement age (MRA), which is 55 to 57 by birth year. This guide covers the formula, the age-and-service combinations and the supplement that fills the gap before Social Security. To run your own numbers, use the FERS retirement calculator.
Table of Contents
The FERS Formula
| At separation | Pension per year of service |
|---|---|
| Under 62, or 62 or older with under 20 years | 1% of high-3 |
| 62 or older with 20 or more years | 1.1% of high-3 |
| Air traffic controller, firefighter, law enforcement officer, Capitol or Supreme Court Police, nuclear materials courier | 1.7% for the first 20 years, plus 1% for years beyond 20 |
High-3 is your highest average basic pay over three consecutive years. OPM's own example: a high-3 of $90,000 and 18 years at 1% gives $16,200 a year. By our arithmetic, a high-3 of $90,000 and 25 years at 1.1% gives $24,750 a year.
When You Can Retire
| Age | Years of service | Your pension |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 5 | No reduction |
| 60 | 20 | No reduction |
| MRA | 30 | No reduction |
| MRA | 10 | Reduced 5% for each year under 62; you can postpone the start date |
| Any age / 50 | 25 / 20 | Unreduced (special provisions or an authorized early-retirement offer) |
The last row applies only to special provisions (air traffic controllers, law enforcement officers, firefighters, Military Reserve Technicians) or an authorized early-retirement offer. Any age with 25 years, or age 50 with 20 years.
Minimum retirement age by birth year: before 1948, 55. Then 55 and 2 months for 1948, rising 2 months a year to 55 and 10 months for 1952. Born 1953 to 1964, 56. Then 56 and 2 months for 1965, rising 2 months a year to 56 and 10 months for 1969. Born 1970 or later, 57.
The FERS Supplement
If you retire before 62 on an unreduced pension (MRA with 30 years, or 60 with 20), you generally get a supplement that stands in for Social Security until you can claim it. OPM bases it on your estimated full-career Social Security benefit times your FERS years over 40. OPM's example: a $1,000 benefit and 30 FERS years gives $750 a month before reductions. It stops at the earlier of Social Security eligibility or age 62, and it is cut by $1 for every $2 you earn over the Social Security exempt amount. OPM: "If you receive a deferred benefit, a disability benefit or an immediate MRA+10 benefit, you will not be eligible for the annuity supplement." The statute grants it to those entitled under 5 U.S.C. 8412(a), (b), (d)(1) or (e), or 8414(c), and, at MRA, under 8412(f) or 8414(a) or (b); MRA+10 (8412(g)) is not listed.
Your Thrift Savings Plan balance is separate: see the TSP guide and TSP funds. Pay raises change your high-3: see federal pay raise 2027.
Sources & Methodology
- Formula, 1.1% and special-provision rates: OPM, FERS Computation. Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- Minimum retirement age table: OPM, FERS Eligibility. Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- Age and service combinations, MRA+10 reduction, supplement rules (including that an immediate MRA+10 benefit gets no supplement): OPM, FERS Types of Retirement. Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- Supplement eligibility: 5 U.S.C. 8421(a), Annuity supplement (Cornell LII). Retrieved Nov. 4, 2026.
- Our $24,750 example is our own arithmetic from the OPM rate. Every figure is checked in
docs/research/fers-retirement-facts-2026-11-04.mdin our research repo.
FAQ
What is the FERS retirement age?
There is no single age. You can retire with an unreduced pension at 62 with 5 years, 60 with 20 years, or your minimum retirement age (55 to 57) with 30 years.
What is the FERS supplement?
An extra payment before 62 that replaces the Social Security benefit you have not yet claimed. It is part of your FERS annuity, not Social Security.
Can I retire at my MRA with only 10 years?
Yes. The pension is cut 5% for each year you are under 62 when it starts, unless you postpone the start date. No supplement.
General information, not financial advice.
