Working for the federal government comes with many benefits.
As a federal employee, you can enjoy regular working hours, ample health benefits, a generous retirement package, and some protections against being fired or laid off.
However, many of these retirement benefits depend on your service computation date (SCD).
For that reason, it’s essential to understand what a service computation date is and how to calculate your own service computation date.
Once you understand your service computation date, you can plan your retirement date and assess when you will be able to access certain employment perks.
If you have questions about your federal retirement and your service computation date, call (866) 340-4430 or contact us online today.
Our federal employment lawyers are ready to help.
What Is a Service Computation Date (SCD)?
Active Duty Service Computation refers to a method used to calculate an individual’s service time for benefits purposes. This computation involves establishing a Service Computation Date (SCD), which can be an actual or estimated date. The SCD helps determine how long a person has been in Federal Service, impacting their eligibility and benefits.
SCDs are applicable in both the current Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) and its predecessor, the Civil Servant Retirement System (CSRS).
That said, there are several different SCDs. A more precise service computation date definition depends on the type of SCD. Below are the four different types of SCDs.
Leave Service Computation Date
Your leave service computation date relates to your annual leave accrual. All federal employees gather annual leave at a rate of four hours per pay period during their first three years in service.
After three years of service, federal employees accrue annual leave at six hours each pay period. After 15 years, the annual leave accrual rate increases again to eight hours per pay period.
You can locate your leave service computation date on Block 31 of every standard form 50 (also called “SF-50”) in your personnel file.
Retirement Service Computation Date
A service computation date is the date the federal government uses to decide your benefit eligibility and when your benefits will begin. As with the leave SCD, it is usually the date that you began your first federal appointment.
However, the leave SCD and retirement SCD can vary if you served in the military prior to joining the federal service.
Military veterans can choose to add their time in the military to their time in the federal service by “buying back” their military time and making that period of service count towards their SCD.
To do this, veterans must submit a “deposit” equal to a small percentage of their military base pay when they were on active duty.
Thrift Savings Plan Service Computation Date
The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) is a savings and investment retirement account that constitutes one of the core pillars of FERS.
The TSP allows the employee to contribute their own funds towards a retirement account. The government will then match the employee’s contributions up to a certain point. It’s almost like a 401K plan operated by the government.
5 CFR §1603 includes a vesting requirement for the funds contributed by the government.
Under this requirement, the government’s contributions to an employee’s TSP only vest after the employee has three years of service.
The TSP SCD represents the date that a TSP participant begins to fulfill the three-year vesting period.
Unlike the retirement SCD and leave SCD, the TSP SCD does not include prior military service.
Reduction in Force Service Computation Date
Although rare, federal agencies occasionally lay off employees through a reduction in force (RIF).
The agency determines who to lay off first according to seniority. The earlier your federal government RIF SCD, the lower the chance that your agency will lay you off.
Unlike the other SCDs, your RIF SCD can be adjusted by your performance ratings over the previous four-year period. Your appointment type can also affect your RIF SCD.
How Can I Calculate My Service Computation Date?
Now that we’ve discussed the concept of the various service computation dates, you might be wondering, What is my service computation date?
As you might be able to guess by now, the answer depends on which service computation date you are trying to calculate.
The leave SCD is easy to obtain because it is listed on your SF-50. However, the other SCDs are harder to calculate because they are affected by factors like prior military service and past performance.
For more information on your SCD, you should either contact your human resources office or a federal employment attorney.
Are You Considering Whether to Sue Your Federal Employer?
Federal agencies are far from perfect. A mistake by your employer could easily affect your service computation date and your access to government employment benefits.
If you think that your federal employer has incorrectly calculated your SCD or is wrongly denying you benefits, contact the Law Office of Aaron D. Wersing, PLLC.
Over the years, we’ve helped hundreds of federal employees with a wide variety of federal employment problems. We are dedicated to safeguarding the rights of federal employees.
Don’t hesitate to contact us or call (833) 833-3529.
Aaron Wersing, Attorney at Law
Aaron Wersing is the founder of the Law Office of Aaron D. Wersing. Mr. Wersing graduated from the Georgia State University College of Law with a Doctorate in Jurisprudence and was the recipient of the CALI Excellence for the Future Award. Mr. Wersing previously attended the University of Georgia, where he received a Bachelor of Business Administration degree in Accounting. Mr. Wersing is an active member of his local community. Mr. Wersing acts as a volunteer attorney with Houston Volunteer Lawyers, the pro bono legal aid organization of the Houston Bar Association. He is also a member of professional legal organizations such as the National Employment Lawyers Association and the American Inns of Court. To reach Aaron for a consultation, please call him at (833) 833-3529.
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