USPS Employees & FERS

If you're a USPS career employee, it's easy to assume your retirement works the same as everyone else under FERS. And technically, that's true — the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS)The primary retirement system for federal civilian employees hired after 1983. governs your pension, your Social Security coverage, and your eligibility for benefits like the FERS supplement.

But how you get there — and what counts toward your time — is where things change. Postal workers operate in a completely different system behind the scenes when it comes to HR support, estimate accuracy, deposit rules, and retirement preparation.

Let's walk through what makes USPS retirement unique, what hidden traps you need to avoid, and how to make sure you get credit for every day you've earned — even if you started as a non-career employee.

🕰️ The Biggest Hidden Trap: Non-Career Time

Let's start with the #1 thing that surprises — and hurts — postal employees planning retirement: Your early service as a non-career employee does not count toward retirement unless you actively buy it back.

That means if you started out as a:

• PSEPostal Support Employee (Postal Support Employee)
• RCARural Carrier Associate (Rural Carrier Associate)
• CCACity Carrier Assistant (City Carrier Assistant)
• Casual, Transitional Employee, MHAMail Handler Assistant, or other flexible/temp classification…

…none of that time automatically counts toward your retirement unless you make a deposit.

You might have worked years before becoming "career," and unless you take action, it could be as if that time never existed when OPM calculates your pension and eligibility date.

💰 How to Buy It Back (And Whether You Can)

Step 1: Understand Eligibility

Only certain types of non-career service can be bought back — primarily pre-1989 service. That's because of a legislative cutoff. Anything after January 1, 1989, is not eligible for buyback unless new legislation changes the law (more on that below).

So if you:

• Worked non-career before 1989 → You can make a deposit and gain credit.
• Worked non-career after 1989 → You're currently out of luck, but Congress is trying to fix this.

Step 2: Submit the Deposit Paperwork

If you are eligible, here's what you do:

1. Complete form SF-3108 (Application to Make Service Credit Payment).
2. Include proof of earnings (pay stubs, W-2s, etc.).
3. Submit to HRSSCHuman Resources Shared Service Center. The centralized HR hub for the USPS. through LiteBlue or call 877-477-3273 (Option 5).

USPS will forward the packet for a calculation. If it's approved, you'll owe:

• About 1.3% of the total earnings during the non-career period.
• Plus interest, depending on how long ago it was.

Once you pay in full, OPM will credit that time as if it were part of your normal federal career.

🏛️ The USPS Retirement Process Is Not Plug-and-Play

When a regular FERS employee decides to retire, they usually talk to their HR rep, get sent retirement paperwork, and get walked through their options. That's not how it works in the Postal Service.

As a USPS employee, you have to initiate everything yourself. There's no in-person HR. No counselor walking you through the steps. No retirement packet magically showing up on your desk.

Here's How It Actually Works:

1. You request retirement counseling through the HR Shared Services Center (HRSSC) via LiteBlue or by calling 877-477-3273, Option 5.
2. You complete and submit PS Form 3116 to notify USPS of your intent to retire.
3. You request an official estimate via PostalEASE.
4. After separation, you submit your OPM retirement application (SF-3107)—same as every other FERS employee.
5. OPM handles your pension, FERS supplement, and FEHB continuation… but only once USPS hands off your info.

Pro Tip: Start the process at least 6–9 months before your intended retirement date. You don't want to be scrambling at the last minute, especially with no in-person HR support.

🧾 But Wait... The Estimates Are Often Wrong

Here's another shocker: even when USPS gives you a retirement estimate, it might be wrong. Common issues include:

• Your RSCDRetirement Service Computation Date. The key date for determining your eligibility and total service time. is incorrect.
• It's missing sick leave hours.
• It doesn't reflect buyback time you've already paid for.
• It doesn't match your SF-50s or personnel file.

Because the estimates are generated by USPS (not OPM), they don't pull directly from your eOPF like other agencies do. So even if you receive a seemingly "official" pension estimate, you still need to cross-check everything yourself.

🧭 Legislation That Could Change Everything

As of 2025, Congress has reintroduced the Federal Retirement Fairness Act (H.R. 1522). If passed, it would allow:

• All post-1989 non-career postal employees to buy back time.
• This would make PSE, RCA, and CCA time fully creditable toward retirement.

It hasn't passed yet — but it's gaining bipartisan support. If you have post-1989 non-career time, keep a close eye on this bill. MyFedPath will include a Learn Tab alert and update calculator eligibility instantly if it becomes law.

📌 Key Takeaways for USPS Employees

Let's wrap this up by drilling home what you must remember:

• Non-career time doesn't count unless you buy it back — and that's only allowed for pre-1989 time unless the law changes.
• Your RSCD is the most important date in your retirement calculation. If it's wrong, everything downstream is wrong.
• You must initiate everything — USPS won't do it for you. No automatic estimates. No automatic paperwork.
• Estimates are often missing sick leave or credit time. Always verify.
• Legislation is in motion to help you. Stay informed and take action if it passes.