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FERS discontinued service retirement

Screen DSR thresholds and model a confirmed or hypothetical FERS case.

Rule snapshot
Reviewed
Primary sources
OPM Chapter 44 and 5 CFR 842.206
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Screen your DSR case

OPM—not this worksheet—decides eligibility.

Your selection does not bind OPM.

Start with known facts

OPM decides DSR eligibility

This worksheet screens the 50/20 or any-age/25 threshold and formula. OPM reviews the separation record.

Math this tool can show

Age 50 with 20 years or any age with 25 years, plus a gross regular-FERS formula.

Facts you must supply

Coverage, written notice, non-disciplinary basis, civilian service, and reasonable-offer status.

Decision this tool cannot make

Whether the separation qualifies as involuntary or creates title to an OPM annuity.

DSR and VERA use different facts

Separation

DSR
Qualifying involuntary action
VERA
Voluntary election under an agency authority

Common threshold

DSR
50/20 or any-age/25
VERA
50/20 or any-age/25

Key gate

DSR
OPM reviews the involuntary-separation record
VERA
The employee and position must be covered by the offer

DSR questions

What is FERS discontinued-service retirement?

Discontinued-service retirement, often shortened to DSR, is an immediate-retirement path for certain FERS employees separated involuntarily. The common age-and-service thresholds are age 50 with 20 years or any age with 25 years, with at least five years of creditable civilian service. Other conditions also apply, and OPM makes the final determination.

Does meeting 50/20 or any-age/25 prove DSR eligibility?

No. The threshold is only one part of the rule. The employee must be separated from a covered position, the separation cannot be for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency, and declining a qualifying reasonable offer can bar DSR. OPM evaluates the full record.

What is a reasonable offer for DSR?

The regulation describes a written offer for a position the employee is qualified to hold, in the agency and commuting area unless geographic mobility is a condition of employment, with the same tenure and work schedule, and no more than the equivalent of two grades or pay levels below the current position. A case-specific determination belongs with agency HR and OPM.

Can unused sick leave establish DSR eligibility?

No. OPM says unused sick leave cannot be used to reach the 20- or 25-year eligibility threshold. Once an immediate FERS annuity is established, eligible sick leave can add service for computation. This worksheet keeps eligibility service and computation service separate.

Is a FERS DSR annuity reduced for retiring before age 55?

OPM says there is no age reduction on the FERS portion of a discontinued-service annuity. A transfer employee with a CSRS component can have an under-55 reduction on the CSRS portion, so this worksheet blocks mixed-coverage dollar estimates.

When does a qualifying FERS DSR annuity begin?

For the FERS involuntary-retirement path at age 50 with 20 years or any age with 25 years, 5 CFR 842.206 states that the annuity commences the day after separation. Exact title and payment processing still depend on the official record.

Does FERS DSR include the annuity supplement?

OPM says a retiree annuity supplement is generally payable to an eligible DSR retiree upon reaching Minimum Retirement Age, subject to the supplement's separate rules. This worksheet does not estimate the supplement or decide supplement eligibility.

Is DSR the same as VERA?

No. DSR concerns a qualifying involuntary separation. Voluntary Early Retirement Authority, or VERA, allows eligible employees covered by an agency early-out authority to choose voluntary early retirement. They can share age-and-service thresholds but depend on different facts.

Official sources