Pre-Retirement

Voluntary contributions are payments made to the retirement fund in addition to the retirement deductions that are withheld from your pay. You can make these voluntary contributions only if you are covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) and do not owe a deposit for a period when deductions were not withheld from your pay or if you received a refund of retirement deductions.

To make voluntary contributions, you should submit a Standard Form (SF) 2804 to your employer. You can make voluntary contributions in multiples of $25. Total contributions cannot exceed 10 percent of your lifetime earnings. You can purchase additional annuity of $7 per year for each $100 of voluntary contributions, plus 20 cents for each full year you are over age 55 when you retire. If you elect to take a reduction in the additional annuity, you can also purchase additional annuity for a survivor who may receive a benefit after your death. Voluntary contributions do not receive cost-of-living allowance increases.

Interest is paid on voluntary contributions at the rate of three percent annually until December 31, 1984. After that date, a variable interest rate is compounded annually on December 31st until service ends or a refund is paid.