Title 5 › Part PART III— - EMPLOYEES › Subpart Subpart G— - Insurance and Annuities › Chapter CHAPTER 83— - RETIREMENT › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT › § 8333
You must have at least 5 years of civilian service to get an annuity. If you leave the job (not because of death or disability), you must also have at least 1 year of creditable civilian service under this retirement system during the last 2 years before you separate to get an annuity based on that separation. If you do not meet that 1-year rule, the payroll deductions you made for that service will be returned to you when you leave. If you already earned annuity rights from an earlier separation, those rights stay in place. You are eligible only if the required retirement deductions or deposits were taken for your last 5 years of civilian service. For certain survivor annuities, the deductions or deposits must cover the person’s entire service.
Full Legal Text
Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
Legislative History
Reference
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 8333
Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73