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Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial ProcedureRelease 119-73not60

§611 Retirement of Director

Title 28 › Part III— COURT OFFICERS AND EMPLOYEES › Chapter 41— ADMINISTRATIVE OFFICE OF UNITED STATES COURTS › § 611

Last updated Apr 5, 2026|Official source

Summary

A Director can choose, in writing to the Chief Justice within 6 months after starting the job, to leave the regular federal retirement system and be covered by these special rules instead. If he chooses this, he is treated as an employee for the Federal Employees’ Retirement System rules. Choosing this does not stop him from buying retirement credit later if he leaves before retiring. To get credit under the federal system for time served as Director, he must pay the required deposit with interest. For service from January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1986, that deposit is 1.3% of basic pay; for service after December 31, 1986, it is the amount in section 8422(a) of title 5. Interest is figured under section 8334(e) of title 5. When a Director who made this choice retires, the Administrative Office pays a lifetime annuity based on the office salary at retirement. If he has at least 15 years of service and is 65 or older, the annuity is 80% of that salary. If he has at least 10 years but does not meet the 15-years-and-65 rule, the annuity is (years of service ÷ 15) of the 80% amount, and it is reduced by 0.25% for every full month he is under age 65 at separation. If he becomes permanently unable to do the job, he is retired and gets 80% if he has 15+ years, or the same years-of-service share if less than 15 years, but never below 50% of the salary. “Service” means time as Director and up to five years of certain other federal service (examples: federal judge, Member of Congress, top congressional staff, or a Presidential appointee confirmed by the Senate). Each annuity is raised by the same percentage and on the same date as cost-of-living increases that apply under section 8340 of title 5.

Full Legal Text

Title 28, §611

Judiciary and Judicial Procedure — Source: USLM XML via OLRC

(a)The Director may, by written election filed with the Chief Justice of the United States within 6 months after the date on which he takes office, waive coverage under chapter 83 of title 5, subchapter III (the Civil Service Retirement System) or chapter 84 of title 5 (the Federal Employees’ Retirement System), whichever is applicable, and bring himself within the purview of this section. A Director who elects coverage under this section shall be deemed an “employee” for purposes of chapter 84 of title 5, subchapter III, regardless of whether he has waived the coverage of chapter 83, subchapter III, or chapter 84. Waiver of coverage under chapter 83, subchapter III, and election of this section shall not operate to foreclose to the Director, upon separation from service other than by retirement, such opportunity as the law may provide to secure retirement credit under chapter 83 for service as Director by depositing with interest the amount required by section 8334 of title 5. A Director who waives coverage under chapter 84 and elects this section may secure retirement credit under chapter 84 for service as Director by depositing with interest 1.3 percent of basic pay for service from January 1, 1984, through December 31, 1986, and the amount referred to in section 8422(a) of title 5, for service after December 31, 1986. Interest shall be computed under section 8334(e) of title 5.
(b)Upon the retirement of a Director who has elected coverage under this section and who has at least fifteen years of service and has attained the age of sixty-five years the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall pay him an annuity for life equal to 80 per centum of the salary of the office at the time of his retirement.Upon the retirement of a Director who has elected coverage under this section and who has at least ten years of service, but who is not eligible to receive an annuity under the first paragraph of this subsection, the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall pay him an annuity for life equal to that proportion of 80 per centum of the salary of the office at the time of his retirement that the number of years of his service bears to fifteen, reduced by one-quarter of 1 per centum for each full month, if any, he is under the age of sixty-five at the time of separation from service.
(c)A Director who has elected coverage under this section and who becomes permanently disabled to perform the duties of his office shall be retired and shall receive an annuity for life equal to 80 per centum of the salary of the office at the time of his retirement if he has at least fifteen years of service, or equal to that proportion of 80 percentum of such salary that the aggregate number of years of his service bears to fifteen if he has less than fifteen years of service, but in no event less than 50 per centum of such salary.
(d)For the purpose of this section, “service” means service, whether or not continuous, as Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, and any service, not to exceed five years, as a judge of the United States, a Senator or Representative in Congress, a congressional employee in the capacity of primary administrative assistant to a Member of Congress or in the capacity of staff director or chief counsel for the majority or the minority of a committee or subcommittee of the Senate or House of Representatives, or a civilian official appointed by the President, by and with the advice and consent of the Senate.
(e)Each annuity payable under this section shall be increased by the same percentage amount and effective on the same date as annuities payable under chapter 83 of title 5, are increased as provided by section 8340 of title 5.

Legislative History

Notes & Related Subsidiaries

Editorial Notes

Amendments

2000—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 106–518, § 301(a)(2), substituted “who has at least fifteen years of service and has” for “who has served at least fifteen years and” in first par. and “who has at least ten years of service,” for “who has served at least ten years,” in second par. Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 106–518, § 301(a)(3), substituted “at least fifteen years of service,” for “served at least fifteen years,” and “less than fifteen years of service,” for “served less than fifteen years,”. Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 106–518, § 301(a)(1), inserted “a congressional employee in the capacity of primary administrative assistant to a Member of Congress or in the capacity of staff director or chief counsel for the majority or the minority of a committee or subcommittee of the Senate or House of Representatives,” after “Congress,”. 1988—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 100–702, § 1006(a)(1), amended subsec. (a) generally. Prior to amendment, subsec. (a) read as follows: “The Director may, by written election filed with the Chief Justice of the United States within six months after the date on which he takes office, waive coverage under subchapter III (relating to civil service retirement) of chapter 83, Title 5, United States Code, and bring himself within the purview of this section. Such waiver and election shall not operate to foreclose to the Director, upon separation from service other than by retirement, such opportunity as the law may provide to secure civil service retirement credit for service as Director by depositing with interest the amount required by section 8334 of title 5, United States Code.” Subsec. (e). Pub. L. 100–702, § 1004(a), added subsec. (e).

Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

Effective Date

of 1988 Amendment Pub. L. 100–702, title X, § 1004(b), Nov. 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 4666, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section and section 627 of this title] shall apply to cost-of-living increases that go into effect on or after the date of enactment of this title [Nov. 19, 1988] with respect to any annuity being paid or becoming payable on or after such date.” Pub. L. 100–702, title X, § 1006(b), Nov. 19, 1988, 102 Stat. 4667, provided that: “The

Amendments

made by this section [amending this section and section 627 of this title] shall apply to persons holding the offices of Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, Director of the Federal Judicial Center, and Administrative Assistant to the Chief Justice on the date of enactment of this title [Nov. 19, 1988].” Retroactive Effect Pub. L. 90–219, title II, § 205, Dec. 20, 1967, 81 Stat. 669, provided that: “(a) Except as provided in subsection (b), the

Amendments

made by this title [enacting this section and amending section 376 and 604 of this title], insofar as they relate to retirement and survivorship benefits of the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, shall be applicable only with respect to persons first appointed to such office after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 1967]. “(b) The provisions of section 611(a), the first paragraph of section 611(b), and section 376(s), of title 28, United States Code, as added by such

Amendments

, shall be applicable to a Director or former Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts who was first appointed prior to the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 1967] if at the time such Director or former Director left or leaves such office he had, or shall have, attained the age of sixty-five years and completed fifteen years of service as Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts and if, on or before the expiration of six months following the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 20, 1967], he makes the election referred to in section 611(a) or section 376(s), or both, as the case may be.”

Reference

Citations & Metadata

Citation

28 U.S.C. § 611

Title 28 — Judiciary and Judicial Procedure

Last Updated

Apr 5, 2026

Release point: 119-73not60