FERS Minimum Retirement Age: MRA by Birth Year and Annuity Impact

Your MRA depends only on the year you were born. It does not change with your years of service or your agency. OPM publishes the schedule below, and individuals born in 1970 or later have an MRA of 57. MRA is a FERS rule. Social Security and Medicare are separate programs with their own ages.

Reaching your MRA does not by itself determine how large your annuity is. OPM's voluntary retirement rules pair an age with a minimum amount of creditable service, and the pairing decides whether the annuity is reduced. The table summarizes the four common paths for employees under standard FERS rules. Employees under special provisions (such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers) and those with a CSRS component have different rules, so treat this as a general overview.

Generally yes. OPM lists MRA with 30 years of creditable service as an immediate retirement with no age reduction. The basic annuity is High-3 average salary multiplied by years of service multiplied by a percentage. OPM applies 1% per year if you are under 62 at separation, and 1.1% per year if you are 62 or older with 20 or more years of service (OPM, Computation).

Hypothetical illustration for education only, as of October 21, 2026. It is not a client result, a projection or an estimate for any real person. It assumes a $95,000 High-3 average salary and 30 years of creditable service, before any survivor benefit reduction, taxes or insurance premiums. The figures are arithmetic from OPM's published formula.

For the full formula, see our guide on how to calculate your FERS pension.

With 10 to 29 years of creditable service, you may retire at your MRA under the MRA+10 provision. OPM reduces the annuity by 5/12 of 1% for each full month you are under 62 on the date the annuity begins, which is 5% per year. The reduction does not apply if you complete 30 years of service, or if you have 20 years and your annuity begins at 60 or later (OPM, Computation).

OPM also allows you to postpone the start date of an MRA+10 annuity, anywhere from your MRA up to just before your 62nd birthday, to reduce or avoid the age reduction. Postponing means no annuity payments until the start date, and health and life insurance have separate conditions during the gap (OPM, Types of Retirement).

The standard model of 30 years does not fit MRA+10, because 30 years qualifies for an unreduced annuity at MRA. To show the reduction method, the illustration below keeps the $95,000 High-3 and changes only the service to 15 years. It is hypothetical, for education only, as of October 21, 2026, and ignores survivor reductions, taxes and insurance.

The paperwork depends on when the annuity starts. An immediate annuity is one that begins within 30 days after you separate. OPM advises employees to submit the Application for Immediate Retirement at least 30 days before their separation date, and some personnel offices ask for it earlier (OPM, Types of Retirement).

A postponed MRA+10 annuity works differently. You separate from service first, then apply later, closer to the date you want payments to begin. OPM's form for this is the Application for Deferred or Postponed Retirement (RI 92-19), which OPM describes as for former employees whose annuity will begin more than one month after separation. OPM currently directs former employees to submit it through its Online Retirement Application. The same form is used for a deferred retirement, which is a different benefit with different insurance and supplement rules.

OPM sets the following rules for a postponed retirement, as of October 21, 2026. These rules and forms can change, so confirm current requirements with OPM and your agency benefits office before you separate.

Retiring under MRA+10 generally makes you ineligible for the FERS supplement. OPM states that people who receive an immediate MRA+10 benefit, a deferred benefit or a disability benefit are not eligible for it (OPM, Types of Retirement). OPM's wording refers to an immediate MRA+10 benefit, so confirm with OPM how it applies if you plan to postpone your start date.

The supplement is a temporary payment that approximates the Social Security benefit earned during FERS service, and it ends at age 62. OPM states you may be eligible if you retire voluntarily on an immediate annuity that is not reduced for age, which generally means MRA with 30 years or age 60 with 20 years. That makes the choice between MRA+30 and MRA+10 about more than the age reduction, because the supplement may also be part of the difference.

The supplement is subject to an earnings test if you work after retiring. Our guide to the FERS supplement explains the calculation method, the earnings test and a sourced illustration.

The decisions below are general planning questions, not recommendations. Which answers fit depends on your service record, household, health coverage and other income, and the rules may change.

This guide explains OPM's rules and does not estimate your annuity. TradeWinds does not offer an online calculator or automated estimator. Your figure depends on your High-3, your service record and the elections you make at retirement. Book a 30-minute personalized federal benefits review to walk through your own dates, annuity, supplement, TSP and Social Security timing.