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Retirement Planning Assistance | Federal Employees & Annuitants  

General Information

CAUTION: If you need assistance with personnel or retirement issues requiring HR or personnel actions contact your agency's personnel office. Retiree's must contact OPM's retirement services. Do not send official forms and documents to Bookhaven Press, those items must be sent to the appropriate federal entity for review and processing. This web site and Bookhaven Press LLC are not affiliated with OPM or any federal or military entity.

Retirement hotlines (OPM Retirement Services) 

  • (OPM) Office of Personnel Management (Retirement Support Site)
    Web Address: https://www.opm.gov/retirement-services/, E-Mail: retire@opm.gov
    Description: Retirees can call toll free 1-888-767-6738, TTY: 855-887-4957 weekdays between 7:40 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. (Eastern Time) Friday, fax requests to 1-724-794-6633, or email questions to retire@opm.gov anytime to ask questions or request assistance with their personal retirement issues. There line is frequently busy, call early or late in the day to get through and you must have your retirement claim number or Social Security number available. OPM advises that "the internet is not a secure environment for transmitting personal information via email." Replies via email typically take 15 days or more.
    • Mailing Address:

      U.S. Office of Personnel Management
      Retirement Operations Center
      Post Office Box 45
      Boyers, PA 16017

Download our FREE Retiree's Master Contact List and keep a copy with your retirement paperwork.

  • Survivors can also report an annuitant's death. Active federal employees must go through their agency's personnel office. Federal retirees can sign up for online support, add or change allotments, purchase savings bonds, and view monthly pay statements at https://www.servicesonline.opm.gov. You must obtain a user ID from OPM to access this site. If you call their number and give them your CSA number they will send you a user ID and password to access this excellent site.
  • Direct Deposit Update Direct Deposit Information
  • Change of Address
    Contact OPM at the phone number or web site listed above. You will need to have your CSA number handy when you call. Call early in the morning, they get very busy during the day. If you switch to direct deposit you can avoid this in the future and you generally get your funds deposited sooner than with a paper check. I use direct deposit. Go to https://www.federalretirement.net/retireforms.htm and read the instructions on completing the SF-1199 direct deposit forms and the process.
  • Retiree Benefits Identification Card (OPM Issued)
    When you retire OPM should send you a Retirement Services Reference Card. Most retirees that I’ve talked to never receive one. To receive your card call OPM at 1-888-767-6738. I called and received my card in 5 days. Your annuitant claim number and OPM contact information is printed on the back. You can use this card to receive certain discounts and DOD retirees are able to book stays at military resorts with this card.

    You can also Connect to OPM Services Online to print out a "Retirement Services Reference Card."  My card was damaged and instead of calling OPM I simply signed on to my OPM Services Online account and printed out a new copy recently. It only took 5 minutes. 
  • Annuity Confirmation for Financial Institutions
    If your bank or mortgage company requires an official confirmation of annuity you must have the fax number of the financial institution available and call OPM at either 1-888-767-6738 or 202-606-0500. The OPM retirement specialist will ask you for your name and Claim number (Retirement CSA #). They will fax the confirmation of annuity to your financial institution immediately. You can also fax the request to OPM at 724-794-6633 however this could take up to a week or longer to receive a reply depending on the workload at the office. 
  • Duplicate 1099-R - How to obtain
    You can download duplicate 1099-R forms from OPM's web site if you are a registered user. To become a user you have to call OPM, their contact numbers are listed on our site, go to https://www.federalretirement.net/faqs.htm and click on the Contact OPM link for the web address and phone number. If you call, see contact phone numbers above, they will also send out a hard copy of the form to you.
  • Reporting a Death - Survivors, family, or estate representatives are required to notify OPM in the event of the benefit recipient’s death. Contact OPM by email: retire@opm.gov or by telephone at (888) 767-6738 -- TTY: 1 (800) 878-5707; their hours of operation are 7:30 A.M. until 7:45 P.M (Eastern Time).”

    OPM should send you the forms to complete to file for life insurance with further instructions.  For more information see:

 

Records Center Contact Information

The Federal Records Center is the depository for official personnel folders of persons no longer in the Federal service. Federal agencies, generally, transfer employment records to the Federal Records Center thirty days after the employee has been separated from Federal service.

The telephone numbers and e-mail addresses listed may only be used to contact the facilities regarding procedures for submitting written requests for information. The Privacy Act of 1974 (5 USC 552a) and OPM require a signed and dated written request for information from Federal records. No requests for information from personnel or any other type of records will be accepted by telephone or e-mail.

Federal Records Center
National Archives and Records Administration
111 Winnebago Street
St. Louis, Missouri 63118
(314) 801-9250, FAX: 314-801-9269
Email: cpr.center@nara.gov 

Inquiries must include your full name under which formerly employed, social security number, date of birth, and to the extent known, former Federal employing agencies, addresses and dates of such employment.

DD-214 Copies - To obtain a copy of a DD-214 form to prove military service you or a family member must mail or fax a SF-180 form to the National Archives. The phone numbers for this service are 1-866-272-6272, FAX: 301-837-0483.

 

Annuity and Benefits Calculators

  • FedRetireSoftware
    Web Address: FedRetireSoftware (Retirement Planning Software)
    You can download the free trial version of their CSRS and FERS Benefits Calculator and Retirement Analyzer software programs. This software has been used by tens of thousands of federal employees, since 1999, to thoroughly investigate the affordability of federal retirement. You will be able to generate numerous reports to help you make informed decisions about your unique situation.

 

Health

  • Medicare and Medicaid
    Web Address: https://www.medicarevsmedicaid.com
    Description: Information on Medicare and Medicaid, learn about differences, health insurance, health care, plans.

Jobs Center

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Federal employees with clearances preparing to retire and recent annuitants that retired from positions that required security clearances can find lucrative high paying private sector jobs that safeguard our nation.
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Disability Information

 

Associations / Organizations / Publications

 

  • ASA - American Seniors Association - An alternative to AARP Web Address: https://www.americanseniors.org/  Description: The American Seniors Association's mission is to provide seniors with the choices, information, and services they need to live healthier, wealthier lives. Our members' dignity and security matter most to us, and that's why thousands of Americans every year turn to the American Seniors Association for the help they need.
  • AARP - American Association of Retired Persons Web Address: www.aarp.org Description: Founded in 1958, AARP is a nonprofit, nonpartisan membership organization that helps people 50 and over improve the quality of their lives.
  • FEBA - Federal Employee Benefits Advocates is an educational company. It was established based on the principle of advocacy, and its mission is to provide support to Federal employees through benefits briefings. FEBA provides Federal employee with educational benefits briefings so they can make informed decisions about how to best use Federal employee benefits to plan for retirement, savings and risk management. FEBA assists Federal agencies with complying with Benefits Administration Letter 11-104. The letter states, the “implementation of the strategy must educate Federal employees on the need for retirement savings and investment, must provide information on how to plan for retirement, and how to calculate the retirement investment needed to meet their retirement goals.” This must be offered to early-, mid-, and late-career employees. HR departments can schedule seminars for their area.
  • Federal Times - Retirement Planning by Rage Jones Web Address: https://retirement.federaltimes.com/  Description: Reg Jones replies to retirement related questions for Federal Times readers and site visitors. The Federal Times web site is also very informative and covers major issues concerning federal employees, benefits, and work life.
  • FEDweek - Publishes helpful weekly email newsletters, as well as many in-print and online publications targeted to federal employees and annuitants. Their current year "CSRS and FERS Retirement Planning Guides" are very informative, inexpensive, and well organized for ease of use. Don Mace, a Vietnam veteran, is their editor and publisher and he has served federal employees and annuitants for over 30 years. Visit their web site at www.fedweek.com frequently for the latest articles and updated guides.
  •  FinancilMentor.com Site FinancialMentorwww.FinancialMentor.com - (Provides an excellent retirement planning calculator and numerous planning resources) Financial Mentor’s mission statement guides them to offer the highest quality, most complete, relevant, actionable, financial education so that site users and clients can overcome the obstacles to financial freedom and transform themselves into wealth. They support clients to not only believe financial success is possible, but they provide the tools and resources to help you make that dream a reality in this lifetime.
  • Government Executive Magazine's Life After Retirement column. Their Life After Government articles are insightful and written by well know subject matter experts such as Tammy Flanagan, a Senior Benefits Director for the National Institute of Transition Planning, Inc. Visit this site often to read their insightful articles. 
    • Tammy Flanagan's article archives. Excellent retirement planning articles from one of the most knowledgeable and respected federal employee benefits specialists and a columnist for govexec.com.
    • Tammy Flanagan's One-On-One Consultation Services - Tammy Flanagan is a former federal employee, a federal benefits specialist, and consultant that will be able to answer your questions and much more. She offers reasonable fee-for-service personal consulting for civilian federal employees and she can walk you through the process, and answer all of your questions. I highly recommend her services.
    NARFE - National Active & Retired Federal Employees Association Web Address: NARFE web site  - https://www.narfe.org  Description: This excellent organization is a wealth of information and resources for federal employees, retirees, and survivor annuitants. NARFE's 350,000 members benefit from their extensive web site, monthly magazine, newsletters, the NARFE staff, and local NARFE chapter volunteers throughout the United States. You can also visit a number of regional and local sites such as their New York regional web site at https://www.narfeny.org for helpful information and up-to-date guidance. It only costs $25 a year to join and less with the specials they offer.
  • National Institute of Transition Planning, Inc. Web Address: NITP web site - www.nitpinc.com Description: If you have a complex retirement issue that needs addressed visit the National Institute of Transition Planning (NITP) site and select their extensive “frequently Asked Questions” feature and/or “Questions Submission” form on their site.  

 

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