Title 5 — Government Organization and EmployeesRelease 119-73not60
§8349 Offset Relating to Certain Benefits Under the Social Security Act
Title 5 › Part III— EMPLOYEES › Subpart G— Insurance and Annuities › Chapter 83— RETIREMENT › Subchapter III— CIVIL SERVICE RETIREMENT › § 8349
Summary
If a person covered here also is (or would be if they applied) eligible for Social Security old-age benefits, their civil service annuity is cut. The cut starts the first month the person is eligible for both the annuity and the Social Security old-age benefit. The cut equals the difference between the Social Security benefit they would get and the Social Security benefit they would get if you remove all federal wages from the calculation (assuming they meet Social Security’s “fully insured” rule). The cut cannot be bigger than a cap based on a fraction that reflects how much federal service counts toward the annuity, and the annuity can never be reduced below zero. The dollar amounts used are adjusted under the usual annuity-adjustment rule. Disability and survivor annuities for these people are reduced the same way. The reductions stop if the similar Social Security benefit ends (or would end). For these rules, “Federal service” means work that counts for Social Security and the related payroll tax rules because of the 1983 changes. People whose coverage comes from the special 1983 law change are included, and for them “Federal service” means work done after December 31, 1983. The Office will write rules to carry this out.
Full Legal Text
Title 5, §8349
Government Organization and Employees — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)(1)Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter, if an individual under section 8402(b)(2) is entitled, or would on proper application be entitled, to old-age insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act, the annuity otherwise payable to such individual shall be reduced under this subsection.
(2)A reduction under this subsection commences beginning with the first month for which the individual both—
(A)is entitled to an annuity under this subchapter; and
(B)is entitled, or would on proper application be entitled, to old-age insurance benefits under title II of the Social Security Act.
(3)(A)(i)Subject to clause (ii) and subparagraphs (B) and (C), the amount of a reduction under this subsection shall be equal to the difference between—
(I)the old-age insurance benefit which would be payable to the individual for the month referred to in paragraph (2); and
(II)the old-age insurance benefit which would be so payable, excluding all wages derived from Federal service of the individual, and assuming the individual were fully insured (as defined by section 214(a) of the Social Security Act).
(ii)For purposes of this subsection, the amount of a benefit referred to in subclause (I) or (II) of clause (i) shall be determined without regard to subsections (b) through (l) of section 203 of the Social Security Act, and without regard to the requirement that an application for such benefit be filed.
(B)A reduction under this subsection—
(i)may not exceed an amount equal to the product of—
(I)the old-age insurance benefit to which the individual is entitled (or would on proper application be entitled) for the month referred to in paragraph (2), determined without regard to subsections (b) through (l) of section 203 of the Social Security Act; and
(II)a fraction, as determined under section 8421(b)(3) with respect to the individual, except that the reference to “service” in subparagraph (A) of such section shall be considered to mean Federal service; and
(ii)may not cause the annuity payment for an individual to be reduced below zero.
(C)An amount computed under subclause (I) or (II) of subparagraph (A)(i), or under subparagraph (B)(i)(I), for purposes of determining the amount of a reduction under this subsection shall be adjusted under section 8340 of this title.
(4)A reduction under this subsection applies with respect to the annuity otherwise payable to such individual under this subchapter (other than under section 8337) for the month involved—
(A)based on service of such individual; and
(B)without regard to section 8345(j), if otherwise applicable.
(5)The operation of the preceding paragraphs of this subsection shall not be considered for purposes of applying the provisions of the second sentence of section 215(a)(7)(B)(i) or the provisions of section 215(d)(5)(ii) of the Social Security Act in determining any amount under subclause (I) or (II) of paragraph (3)(A)(i) or paragraph (3)(B)(i)(I) for purposes of this subsection.
(b)(1)Notwithstanding any other provision of this subchapter—
(A)a disability annuity to which an individual described in section 8402(b)(2) is entitled under this subchapter, and
(B)a survivor annuity to which a person is entitled under this subchapter based on the service of an individual described in section 8402(b)(2),
(2)(A)Subject to subparagraph (B), reductions under this subsection shall be made in a manner consistent with the manner in which reductions under subsection (a) are computed and otherwise made.
(B)Reductions under this subsection shall be discontinued if, or for so long as, entitlement to the similar benefits under title II of the Social Security Act (as referred to in paragraph (1)) is terminated (or, in the case of an individual who has not made proper application therefor, would be terminated).
(3)For the purpose of applying section 224 of the Social Security Act to the disability insurance benefit used to compute the reduction under this subsection, the amount of the CSRS annuity considered shall be the amount of the CSRS annuity before application of this section.
(4)The Office shall prescribe regulations to carry out this subsection.
(c)For the purpose of this section, the term “Federal service” means service which is employment for the purposes of title II of the Social Security Act and chapter 21 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by reason of the amendments made by section 101 of the Social Security Amendments of 1983.
(d)In administering subsections (a) through (c)—
(1)the terms “an individual under section 8402(b)(2)” and “an individual described in section 8402(b)(2)” shall each be considered to include any individual—
(A)who is subject to this subchapter as a result of any provision of law described in section 8347(o), and
(B)whose employment (as described in section 8347(o)) is also employment for purposes of title II of the Social Security Act and chapter 21 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986; and
(2)the term “Federal service”, as applied with respect to any individual to whom this section applies as a result of paragraph (1), means any employment referred to in paragraph (1)(B) performed after December 31, 1983.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Social Security Act, referred to in text, is act Aug. 14, 1935, ch. 531, 49 Stat. 620. Title II of the Social Security Act is classified generally to subchapter II (§ 401 et seq.) of chapter 7 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare. section 203, 214, 215, and 224 of the Social Security Act are classified to section 403, 414, 415, and 424a, respectively, of Title 42. For complete classification of this Act to the Code, see section 1305 of Title 42 and Tables. Chapter 21 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986, referred to in subsecs. (c) and (d)(1)(B), is classified to chapter 21 (§ 3101 et seq.) of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code. section 101 of the Social Security
Amendments
of 1983 [Pub. L. 98–21], referred to in subsec. (c), amended section 3121 of Title 26 and section 409 and 410 of Title 42, The Public Health and Welfare, and enacted provisions set out as notes under section 3121 of Title 26 and section 410 of Title 42.
Amendments
1988—Subsec. (d). Pub. L. 100–238 added subsec. (d). 1986—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 99–514 substituted “Internal Revenue Code of 1986” for “Internal Revenue Code of 1954”.
Effective Date
of 1988 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 100–238 effective Jan. 1, 1987, see section 108(b)(3) of Pub. L. 100–238, set out as a note under section 8334 of this title.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
Section effective Jan. 1, 1987, see section 702(a) of Pub. L. 99–335, set out as a note under section 8401 of this title. Offsets To Prevent Full Double Coverage for Employees of Park Police and Secret ServiceFor provisions relating to offsets for prevention of full double coverage for employees of Park Police and Secret Service, see section 103(e) of Pub. L. 100–238, set out as a note under section 8334 of this title.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
5 U.S.C. § 8349
Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees
Last Updated
Apr 3, 2026
Release point: 119-73not60