The FERS annuity supplement ends on the last day of the month you turn 62. That cutoff is fixed by federal law, and it applies whether or not you have filed for Social Security.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8421 – Annuity Supplement Before that date, the supplement can also shrink or disappear if outside earnings push you past the annual earnings limit, which is $24,480 for 2026.
The Age 62 Cutoff
The supplement is designed to approximate the Social Security income you earned during your FERS career, paid to you until you can actually collect Social Security. Once you reach the age when you could file, the bridge has done its job. The statute ends the supplement on the last day of the month before the first month you would be eligible for Social Security old-age benefits, but no later than the last day of the month you turn 62.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8421 – Annuity Supplement For nearly every retiree, that means the last day of the month of the 62nd birthday.
Delaying your Social Security claim does not keep the supplement going. The law tests when you “would, on proper application, be entitled” to Social Security, not when you actually apply. OPM’s payroll system reads your birthdate and removes the payment automatically. You don’t need to file anything to stop it, and you can’t file anything to extend it.
Why the Supplement Can End Sooner
Between your minimum retirement age and 62, the supplement is subject to an annual earnings test that mirrors Social Security’s own. For every $2 you earn above the yearly exempt amount from wages, salary, or self-employment, your supplement drops by $1.2OPM. CSRS and FERS Handbook – Chapter 51 Retiree Annuity Supplement The exempt amount for 2026 is $24,480.3Social Security Administration. Exempt Amounts Under the Earnings Test Investment income, pension distributions, and annuity payments don’t count toward the limit.
The reduction can wipe the supplement out entirely for a given year. Consider a retiree whose supplement is $1,200 per month, or $14,400 for the year, who earns $44,480 from a post-retirement job. That’s $20,000 above the limit. Half of the excess — $10,000 — gets deducted from the supplement, leaving $4,400 for the year, or roughly $367 per month. Earn enough and the whole supplement is gone. The statute caps the reduction at the total annual supplement amount, so the earnings-test formula on its own won’t push you into owing money back.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8421a – Reductions on Account of Earnings From Work
The reduction is applied a year in arrears. Each spring, OPM mails the Annuity Supplement Earnings Report (form RI 92-22) to affected retirees, and completed forms are due back no later than June 30.5OPM. Retirement Eligibility Surveys OPM uses the earnings you report for the prior year to calculate the reduction that applies to the current year’s payments. Ignoring the report doesn’t make the earnings disappear. If OPM later finds you were overpaid, it will collect the debt, usually by reducing future annuity checks until the balance is recovered.6eCFR. 5 CFR Part 845 Subpart B – Collection of Overpayment Debts
Special Category Employees
Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers are exempt from the earnings test until they reach their MRA.4Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 8421a – Reductions on Account of Earnings From Work A law enforcement officer who retires at 50 can earn unlimited outside income for several years without any reduction. Once these retirees hit their MRA, the standard earnings test applies on the same terms as everyone else, and the supplement still ends at 62. Air traffic controller instructors employed under contract with the FAA have an additional carve-out: earnings from that specific contract work are excluded from the test even after MRA.2OPM. CSRS and FERS Handbook – Chapter 51 Retiree Annuity Supplement
Returning to Federal Employment
Going back to work for the federal government as a reemployed annuitant is a separate situation from taking a private-sector job. Under the general rule, the base annuity continues during the new period of federal service, but the annuitant’s salary is offset by the amount of the annuity.7OPM. CSRS and FERS Handbook – Chapter 100 Reemployed Annuitants In limited circumstances, such as appointment as a federal judge or certain interim appointments, the annuity is suspended entirely during reemployment.8eCFR. 5 CFR Part 837 – Reemployment of Annuitants
The practical effect on the supplement is the same either way. A federal salary will almost always exceed the annual earnings limit, so the earnings test reduces the supplement to zero even in cases where it technically continues. When reemployment ends, the supplement can resume if you are still under 62, but you will need to coordinate with your employing agency and OPM to confirm your separation and restart payments.
Planning the Handoff to Social Security
The gap between your last supplement check and your first Social Security payment is where retirees run into trouble. You can apply for Social Security retirement benefits up to four months before your chosen enrollment month, and your first payment arrives the month after that enrollment month.9Social Security Administration. Timing Your First Payment To keep income steady, apply a few months before turning 62 so payments begin shortly after the supplement stops.
Claiming Social Security at 62 locks in a permanently reduced benefit compared with waiting until your full retirement age, which is 66 or 67 for most FERS retirees. Some people with other savings choose to delay Social Security and absorb the income drop after the supplement ends in exchange for a higher benefit later. Whether that tradeoff makes sense depends on your finances, your health, and how long you expect to collect.
No COLA Until It Ends
The supplement does not receive annual cost-of-living adjustments. Federal regulations explicitly exclude it from COLA increases.10eCFR. 5 CFR Part 841 Subpart G – Cost-of-Living Adjustments The amount at the start is essentially the amount at the finish, absent any earnings-test reduction. Over a retirement that may span seven or more years before 62, inflation quietly erodes what the supplement buys. Build that flat payment into your long-term budget rather than assuming it will keep pace with rising costs.