CSRS Retirement Eligibility: Age, Service, and Every Path to an Immediate Annuity

CSRS eligibility is simpler than FERS in one important way: there's no sliding Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) based on your birth year. The age and service combinations are fixed, and they haven't changed. But "simpler" doesn't mean there's only one path to retirement — there are five distinct categories, each with different rules about age reductions, the service types that count, and the one procedural requirement that trips up more employees than any other.

Voluntary (Optional) Retirement — The Three Combinations

To retire voluntarily under CSRS with an immediate, unreduced annuity, you need to meet one of these combinations:

There is no partial credit here. You need to meet both the age and the service threshold simultaneously on your planned separation date. An employee who turns 55 with 29 years and 11 months of service cannot retire under the age-55 option — they must either wait until they reach 30 years or use a different eligibility path.

All three options require at least 5 years of civilian service. Military service alone doesn't satisfy this requirement, though military time can count toward the total creditable service once the civilian minimum is met (provided you've made the military service deposit).

The "One-of-the-Last-Two-Years" Rule

Every voluntary retirement requires that you were covered under CSRS for at least one of the two years immediately preceding your separation date. This is a procedural requirement that's separate from the age and service thresholds.

If you transferred to FERS at any point in your last two years of service — even temporarily — you may not be eligible for an immediate CSRS annuity. Instead, you'd be limited to FERS retirement rules or a deferred CSRS annuity at age 62.

For most legacy CSRS employees who've been in the system continuously, this rule is satisfied automatically. But it matters if you're considering a late-career transfer, a rehire after a break in service, or a position that might have moved you into a different retirement system.

CSRS Early Retirement (VERA)

The Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA) is not a standing eligibility category — it must be specifically authorized by OPM for your agency, usually during a reduction-in-force (RIF) or major reorganization. When VERA is offered, the eligibility thresholds drop:

• Age 50 with 20 years of service, or
• Any age with 25 years of service

Early retirement under VERA produces an immediate annuity, but CSRS applies the age reduction when you are under 55: one-sixth of 1% for each full month (2% per year) below age 55. The annuity amount may also be lower than a standard voluntary retirement because you have fewer years in the formula and likely haven't reached your peak High-3 salary.

VERA must be accepted during the offer window — you can't invoke it after the agency's authority expires.

Discontinued Service Retirement (DSR)

If you're involuntarily separated — through a RIF, removal for declining a directed reassignment outside your commuting area, or abolishment of your position — you can retire immediately under discontinued service rules:

• Age 50 with 20 years of service, or
• Any age with 25 years of service

The critical difference from VERA: if you're under age 55 at separation, your annuity is permanently reduced by 2% for each full year you're under 55 (technically, one-sixth of 1% per month). A 52-year-old receives a 6% permanent reduction. A 48-year-old receives a 14% reduction. This penalty never goes away.

DSR is not available if you're separated for cause (misconduct or poor performance) or if you voluntarily resign to avoid adverse action.

Deferred Retirement

If you leave federal service before meeting any of the immediate retirement thresholds, you have two options:

1. Leave your contributions in the CSRS fund. You become eligible for a deferred annuity at age 62, provided you completed at least 5 years of civilian service. There's no age reduction, but you receive no annuity payments between your separation date and age 62.

2. Withdraw your contributions. You receive a refund of your CSRS retirement deductions (the 7% of basic pay you contributed throughout your career). However, you forfeit all future annuity rights — and once refunded, you cannot redeposit the money to restore eligibility unless you return to federal service.

The deferred retirement option does not require meeting the "one-of-the-last-two-years" rule. It only requires 5 years of civilian service and leaving your contributions in the fund.

CSRS Disability Retirement

Disability retirement is available at any age with at least 5 years of civilian service, provided you have a medical condition that prevents you from performing the duties of your current position and any comparable vacant position in your agency and commuting area.

The application goes through your agency to OPM, along with medical documentation. OPM makes the final determination. If approved, the disability annuity is computed using the standard CSRS formula based on your actual service. For eligible employees under 60, CSRS also guarantees a minimum equal to the lesser of 40% of High-3 or the annuity projected to age 60.

OPM requires periodic medical reviews during the first year of disability retirement and may schedule additional reviews at their discretion.

What Counts as Creditable Service

Not all federal employment counts equally toward the service thresholds:

• Full-time permanent positions: Count fully toward both eligibility and the annuity computation.
• Part-time service: Counts fully toward the eligibility threshold (meeting 5, 20, or 30 years), but is prorated for annuity calculation purposes.
• Temporary and intermittent service: Can be credited if you make the required civilian deposit. Without the deposit, post-October 1, 1982 temporary service counts toward eligibility but not toward the annuity formula.
• Military service: Counts toward both eligibility and the annuity if you've made the military deposit. Without the deposit, it may still count initially but is subject to the "Catch-62" recomputation if you are eligible for Social Security at age 62 (or at retirement if already 62 or older).
• Sick leave: Adds to the annuity computation only — it cannot be used to meet eligibility thresholds.

Checking Your Own Eligibility

Pull your Electronic Official Personnel File (eOPF) and look at your Service Computation Date for retirement (SCD-Retirement). This date, set by your HR office, represents the starting point of your creditable service after accounting for any breaks, military service deposits, and civilian deposits.

Subtract your SCD-Retirement from your planned separation date to get your total creditable service. Then match your age on the separation date against the eligibility table above.

If there's any doubt about periods of temporary service, breaks in coverage, or military time, request a service history audit from your HR office 12 to 24 months before your target retirement date. The audit generates Form SF 2801-1 (Certified Summary of Federal Service) and flags any unresolved deposits.

For a complete walkthrough of the CSRS retirement process — from the service history audit through the SF 2801 submission and OPM processing timeline — the CSRS Retirement Guide covers each phase with specific action steps and timelines.

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