Your FERS minimum retirement age answers one question: which age applies to your birth year? It does not, by itself, establish when your pension can begin. Before choosing a separation date, compare that age with your agency's certified service record and the retirement provision used in its estimate.
What does MRA mean?
OPM's MRA table ranges from 55 to 57. People born in 1970 or later have an MRA of 57; earlier birth years may include additional months. Use the exact birth-year row rather than rounding an age down to a whole year.
For ordinary voluntary immediate retirement, OPM identifies age/service combinations of 62/5, 60/20, and MRA/30 without an age reduction. MRA/10 can involve a reduction of 5/12 of one percent for each month the annuity begins before 62. With 20 years, beginning at 60 can eliminate that reduction. Special retirement provisions require their own review.
Compare dates and service on the same sheet
| Record | Enter privately | Question for your agency |
|---|---|---|
| Birth-year MRA | Exact age, including months | Have I used the correct row and birthday? |
| Proposed separation | Full date | Which retirement provision would apply on this date? |
| Eligibility service | Certified years and months | Which periods qualify for eligibility? |
| Computation service | Estimate's separate total | Why does this differ from the eligibility figure? |
| Pension start | Proposed and agency-confirmed dates | Is there an age reduction or a payment gap? |
| Unresolved record | Period and agency contact | What evidence must be reconciled before deciding? |
Keep the columns separate even when two totals happen to match. A general estimate and a confirmed agency service determination serve different purposes. Mark a disputed service period as unresolved instead of making the total fit a preferred date.
Test two dates without assuming the answer
Ask for estimates using the same pay assumptions and two clearly identified dates. Then compare the service credited, applicable provision, age reduction, survivor election assumptions and insurance continuation questions. If an amount changes, ask which input caused it. This makes a timing conversation more useful than comparing two unexplained monthly figures.
For the difference between leaving service and delaying the pension, use the existing deferred versus postponed retirement guide. For deposits and service records, use the military service deposit checklist. This page does not decide either issue for you.
Before treating an estimate as a plan
Retain the estimate date, its assumptions and the agency's response to unresolved questions. Recheck when a separation date, service record or election changes. Share personal records only with the authorized agency or professional through its verified channel; a public website worksheet is not a retirement application or eligibility determination.
Questions that a retirement-age search can leave unanswered
Does reaching MRA mean I have an unreduced pension?
The applicable age and the certified service must fit the same retirement provision. MRA alone does not establish the MRA/30 combination. An estimate using MRA/10 can involve a different reduction and commencement question. Ask the agency to name the provision in writing, rather than relying on an estimate headed simply “FERS retirement.”
Why can two service totals appear on one estimate?
Eligibility and computation are separate columns for a reason. A payroll or leave date is not enough to resolve every service-credit question. If the estimate lists a period differently in the two totals, identify that period and ask the agency what treatment applies. Do not resolve a discrepancy by adding unused leave or a disputed period yourself.
How should I compare retiring now with retiring later?
Use a controlled comparison. Keep pay, survivor assumptions and record status the same, then identify which dates and credited periods changed. Compare the pension commencement and expected payment process as well as the gross monthly figure. An earlier separation and a later pension start also create a household cash-flow question.
A record example: a nearly complete service total
An invented employee's worksheet shows 29 years and 11 months of eligibility service on the proposed separation date, while another document says “30 years” without its underlying dates. The useful next step is to reconcile the service calculation and provision with the agency. Rounding the smaller figure up does not settle the discrepancy. Record both figures, their issue dates and the disputed period, then replace the unresolved entry only after the responsible office explains it.
The cash-flow worksheet can illustrate a gap using amounts and months you supply. It cannot establish your MRA, credited service or annuity start date.
Browse federal benefits, retirement and insurance topics or read how we prepare and check our guides.
Sources
- OPM: Types of Retirement (FERS), checked November 4, 2026
- OPM: MRA plus 10 retirement, checked November 4, 2026
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