Title 5 › Part III— EMPLOYEES › Subpart G— Insurance and Annuities › Chapter 83— RETIREMENT › Subchapter III— CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT › § 8333
You must have at least 5 years of civilian service to get an annuity. Except for leaving because of death or disability, you also must have at least 1 year of credited civilian service inside the last 2 years before you leave to get an annuity based on that separation. If you don’t meet that rule, the deductions taken for the time with no eligibility are returned, but any annuity rights you already earned before stay in place. A member or survivor is eligible only if the contributions required by section 8334 were deducted or deposited for the last 5 years of civilian service, or for survivor annuities under section 8341(d) or (e)(1) for total 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 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60