Title 5 — Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73
§8437 Thrift Savings Fund
Title 5 › Part PART III— - EMPLOYEES › Subpart Subpart G— - Insurance and Annuities › Chapter CHAPTER 84— - FEDERAL EMPLOYEES’ RETIREMENT SYSTEM › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - THRIFT SAVINGS PLAN › § 8437
Summary
Creates a Thrift Savings Fund inside the U.S. Treasury. The Fund is made up of all employee and agency contributions and certain deposits, plus investment gains or minus investment losses, and reduced by payments and expenses. The money in the Fund can be used at any time to invest, pay retirement or survivor benefits and buy annuities, cover administrative costs, make certain distributions, make authorized loans to employees or members, and buy insurance. Administrative costs must be paid first from forfeited amounts in the Fund and then from the Fund’s investment earnings. Account balances must be used only for the benefit of the worker or their beneficiaries and generally cannot be assigned or seized. Exceptions include child support, alimony, court-ordered restitution, certain required transfers or forfeitures, and federal tax levies. All contributions and their net earnings are held in trust for the worker.
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §8437
Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)There is established in the Treasury of the United States a Thrift Savings Fund.
(b)The Thrift Savings Fund consists of the sum of all amounts contributed under section 8432 of this title and all amounts deposited under section 8479(b) of this title, increased by the total net earnings from investments of sums in the Thrift Savings Fund or reduced by the total net losses from investments of the Thrift Savings Fund, and reduced by the total amount of payments made from the Thrift Savings Fund (including payments for administrative expenses).
(c)The sums in the Thrift Savings Fund are appropriated and shall remain available without fiscal year limitation—
(1)to invest under section 8438 of this title;
(2)to pay benefits or purchase annuity contracts under this subchapter;
(3)to pay the administrative expenses of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Management System prescribed in subchapter VII of this chapter;
(4)to make distributions for the purposes of section 8440(b) of this title;
(5)to make loans to employees and Members as authorized under section 8433(g) of this title; and
(6)to purchase insurance as provided in section 8479(b)(2) of this title.
(d)Administrative expenses incurred to carry out this subchapter and subchapter VII of this chapter shall be paid first out of any sums in the Thrift Savings Fund forfeited under section 8432(g) of this title and then out of net earnings in such Fund.
(e)(1)Subject to subsection (d) and paragraphs (2) and (3), sums in the Thrift Savings Fund credited to the account of an employee, Member, former employee, or former Member may not be used for, or diverted to, purposes other than for the exclusive benefit of the employee, Member, former employee, or former Member or his beneficiaries under this subchapter.
(2)Except as provided in paragraph (3), sums in the Thrift Savings Fund may not be assigned or alienated and are not subject to execution, levy, attachment, garnishment, or other legal process. For the purposes of this paragraph, a loan made from such Fund to an employee or Member shall not be considered to be an assignment or alienation.
(3)Moneys due or payable from the Thrift Savings Fund to any individual and, in the case of an individual who is an employee or Member (or former employee or Member), the balance in the account of the employee or Member (or former employee or Member) shall be subject to legal process for the enforcement of the individual’s legal obligations to provide child support or make alimony payments as provided in section 459 of the Social Security Act (42 U.S.C. 659), the enforcement of an order for restitution under section 3663A of title 18, forfeiture under section 8432(g)(5) of this title, an obligation of the Executive Director to make a transfer under section 415(d)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415(d)(3)), or an obligation of the Executive Director to make a payment to another person under section 8467 of this title, and shall be subject to a Federal tax levy under section 6331 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. For the purposes of this paragraph, an amount contributed for the benefit of an individual under section 8432(c)(1) (including any earnings attributable thereto) shall not be considered part of the balance in such individual’s account unless such amount is nonforfeitable, as determined under applicable provisions of section 8432(g).
(f)The sums in the Thrift Savings Fund shall not be appropriated for any purpose other than the purposes specified in this section and may not be used for any other purpose.
(g)All sums contributed to the Thrift Savings Fund by an employee or Member or by an employing agency for the benefit of such employee or Member and all net earnings in such Fund attributable to investment of such sums are held in such Fund in trust for such employee or Member.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
section 6331 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in subsec. (e)(3), is classified to section 6331 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code.
Amendments
2018—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 115–397 inserted “an obligation of the Executive Director to make a transfer under section 415(d)(3) of the Congressional Accountability Act of 1995 (2 U.S.C. 1415(d)(3)),” before “or an obligation”. 2013—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 112–267, in first sentence, substituted “659),” for “659)” and inserted “, and shall be subject to a Federal tax levy under section 6331 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986” before period. 2009—Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 111–31 which directed substitution of “the
Enforcement
of an order for restitution under section 3663A of title 18, forfeiture under section 8432(g)(5) of this title, or an obligation of the Executive Director to make a payment to another person under section 8467 of this title” for “or relating to the
Enforcement
of a judgment for the physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child as provided under section 8467(a)” in the first sentence, was executed by making the substitution for “or relating to the
Enforcement
of a judgment for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child as provided under section 8467(a)”, to reflect the probable intent of Congress. 1994—Subsec. (c)(5). Pub. L. 103–226 substituted “section 8433(g)” for “section 8433(i)”. Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 103–358 substituted “or relating to the
Enforcement
of a judgment for physically, sexually, or emotionally abusing a child as provided under section 8467(a).” for period at end of first sentence. 1988—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–238, § 117(a)(1), struck out “attributable to sums contributed to such Fund under section 8432(c) of this title” after “such Fund”. Subsec. (e)(1). Pub. L. 100–238, § 117(a)(2), inserted “subsection (d) and” after “Subject to”. Subsec. (e)(3). Pub. L. 100–238, § 116, inserted at end “For the purposes of this paragraph, an amount contributed for the benefit of an individual under section 8432(c)(1) (including any earnings attributable thereto) shall not be considered part of the balance in such individual’s account unless such amount is nonforfeitable, as determined under applicable provisions of section 8432(g).”
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 2018 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 115–397 applicable with respect to claims made on or after Dec. 21, 2018, see section 111(c) of Pub. L. 115–397, set out as a note under section 1415 of Title 2, The Congress.
Effective Date
of 1994
Amendments
Amendment by Pub. L. 103–358 effective Oct. 14, 1994, and applicable with respect to any decree, order, or other legal process, or notice of agreement received by Office of Personnel Management or Executive Director of Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board on or after Oct. 14, 1994, see section 3 of Pub. L. 103–358, set out as a note under section 8345 of this title. Amendment by Pub. L. 103–226 effective Mar. 10, 1995, see section 9(j) of Pub. L. 103–226, set out as a note under section 8351 of this title.
Effective Date
of 1988 Amendment Pub. L. 100–238, title I, § 117(b), Jan. 8, 1988, 101 Stat. 1751, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on the first day of the first month beginning on or after the date of the enactment of this Act [Jan. 8, 1988].” Disposition of Amounts Pub. L. 112–267, § 2, Jan. 14, 2013, 126 Stat. 2440, provided that: “Any potential revenue gain attributable to the enactment of this Act [amending this section], as determined by the Director of the Congressional Budget Office— “(1) shall be deposited in the general fund of the Treasury of the United States; and “(2) shall be used solely for purposes of deficit reduction.”
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 8437
Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73