To be eligible to receive your retirement benefits from the Basic Benefit plan if you leave Federal service before actually retiring (i.e., to be "vested"), you must complete at least 5 years of creditable civilian service with the TSA.
Understanding Retirement Eligibility for TSA Employees
As employees of the Transportation Security Administration (TSA), individuals are part of the Federal civil service and are covered under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). FERS is a three-tiered retirement plan that includes a Basic Benefit Plan, Social Security, and the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). A key concept within this system is "vesting."
What does it mean to be vested?
Being "vested" in your retirement plan signifies that you have worked a sufficient amount of time to be eligible to receive a portion or all of your earned benefits, even if you leave Federal service before you are old enough or have enough service to retire and begin collecting an immediate annuity. For the FERS Basic Benefit Plan, this crucial milestone is reached relatively early in your career.
Vesting Period for TSA Employees
The requirement to be vested in the FERS Basic Benefit Plan is straightforward:
| Requirement | Details |
|---|---|
| Vesting Period | 5 years of creditable civilian service |
| Benefit | Eligibility to receive future retirement benefits from the Basic Benefit Plan, even if you separate from Federal service before retiring. |
This means that once you have completed five years of service with the TSA (or any other Federal agency where your service is creditable), you have secured your right to a future retirement benefit from the F Basic Benefit plan. Even if you leave Federal service after 5 years, you will still be eligible to receive that benefit when you meet the age requirements in the future.
This vesting period ensures that employees who dedicate a significant portion of their career to federal service, even if they don't stay until full retirement eligibility, are still recognized for their contributions through future retirement benefits.
