- Consultations
Apr 15, 2025 | Read Time: 3 minutes
With the freedom retirement brings, many of us look for ways to retire earlier. Others retire early due to a change in circumstances.
A federal employee early retirement may be available depending on your age and years of service.
Contact the Federal Employment Law Firm of Aaron D. Wersing PLLC to discuss retiring early from federal service. Our firm focuses exclusively on issues related to federal employment, so you can rely on our experience to guide you as you consider or plan for early retirement.
The Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) covers federal employees who started working for the government on or after January 1, 1987. Under FERS, you have several retirement options, including:
Your eligibility depends on your years of service and whether you have met the minimum retirement age (MRA).
Your MRA depends on what year you were born:
When you retire at your MRA, you typically forfeit part of your benefits.
You can voluntarily retire when you meet the requirements of the table below:
| Minimum Age | Minimum Years of Service |
| 62 | 5 |
| 60 | 20 |
| MRA | 30 (without penalty) |
| MRA | 10 (with penalty) |
You can also voluntarily retire under special provisions for military personnel, emergency services, or air traffic controllers at any age with 25 years of service or age 50 with 20 years of service.
You can receive early retirement if a significant percentage of your agency’s employees will be separated or have their pay reduced because your agency is undergoing a:
Your agency head must also request the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) issue a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA).
Federal agencies offer early retirement using VERA to reduce age and service requirements or VSIP to provide lump-sum separation incentives.
You can qualify for early retirement at any age with 25 years of service or age 50 with 20 years of service. Otherwise, you typically qualify when you reach age 62.
You can qualify for disability retirement if:
You can apply at any age, but if you are under 60, your benefits can stop if you medically recover or return to work.
Former federal employees can qualify for deferred retirement if they:
You can meet the service requirements if you arrive at your MRA and have ten years of service or turn 62 with five years of service.
Under phased retirement, you work part-time and receive partial benefits over several months to years. Phased retirement can be an effective option for many who want to space out the retirement process.
Depending on the type of retirement, your benefits may be reduced if you retire before age 62. Specifically, if you take voluntary retirement at your MRA with ten years of service, your annuity is reduced by 5% each year you are under 62. If you take deferred retirement based on reaching your MRA and having ten years of service, your annuity is reduced by 5% for each year and 5/12 of 1 % for each month under age 62.
If you voluntarily retire early, you can postpone receiving benefits to reduce or avoid the penalty. If you postpone:
The closer to age 62 you start receiving benefits, the smaller the penalty.
If you are a federal employee, early retirement can be a great option. Contact the Federal Employment Law Firm of Aaron D. Wersing PLLC today to discuss whether early retirement may work for you and help you start planning.
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 (866) 576-6349.