§ 4046. Computation of annuities

(a) 1 Measurements; reduction for special contributions; Foreign Service investigator/inspectors

(1) The annuity of a participant shall be equal to 2 percent of his or her average basic salary for the highest 3 consecutive years of service multiplied by the number of years, not exceeding 35, of service credit obtained in accordance with sections 4056 and 4057 of this title, except that the highest 3 years of service shall be used in computing the annuity of any participant who serves an assignment in a position, as described in section 3942 (b) of this title, to which the participant was appointed by the President and whose continuity of service in that position is interrupted prior to retirement by appointment or assignment to any other position determined by the Secretary of State to be of comparable importance. In determining the aggregate period of service upon which the annuity is to be based, the fractional part of a month, if any, shall not be counted. The annuity shall be reduced by 10 percent of any special contribution described in section 4045 (d) of this title which is due for service for which no contributions were made and which remains unpaid unless the participant elects to eliminate the service involved for purposes of annuity computation.

(2) Notwithstanding the percentage limitation contained in paragraph (1) of this subsection—

(A) utilizing the definition of average pay contained in section 8331 (4) of title 5, the annuity of a Foreign Service criminal investigator/inspector of the Office of the Inspector General, Agency for International Development, who was appointed to a law enforcement position, as defined in section 8331 (20) of title 5, prior to January 1, 1984, and would have been eligible to retire pursuant to section 8336(c) of that title, after attaining 50 years of age and completing 20 years as a law enforcement officer had the employee remained in the civil service shall be computed in the same manner as that of a law enforcement officer pursuant to section 8339(d) of that title, except as provided in paragraph (3); and

(B) the annuity of a Foreign Service criminal investigator/inspector of such office, who was appointed to a law enforcement position as defined in section 8401(17) of that title on or after January 1, 1984, and who would have been eligible to retire pursuant to section 8412(d) of that title, after attaining 50 years of age and completing 20 years of service as such a law enforcement officer, had the employee remained in the civil service, shall be computed in the same manner as that of a law enforcement officer pursuant to section 8415(d) of that title.

(3) The annuity of a Foreign Service investigator/inspector of the Office of the Inspector General, Agency for International Development, appointed to a law enforcement position prior to January 1, 1984, who exercised election rights under section 4071i of this title, shall be computed as follows: for the period prior to election the annuity shall be computed in accordance with section 8339 (d) of title 5; for the period following election the annuity shall be computed in accordance with section 8415(d) of that title.

(4) All service in a law enforcement position, as defined in section 8331(20) or 8401(17) of that title, as applicable, in any agency or combination of agencies shall be included in the computation of time for purposes of this paragraph.

(5) The annuity of a Foreign Service criminal investigator/inspector of the Office of the Inspector General of the Agency for International Development who has not completed 20 years of service as a law enforcement officer, as defined in section 8331(20) or 8401(17) of that title, shall be computed in accordance with paragraph (1).

(6)

(A) The annuity of a special agent under this part shall be computed under paragraph (1) except that, in the case of a special agent described in subparagraph (B), paragraph (1) shall be applied by substituting for “2 percent”—

(i) the percentage under subparagraph (A) of section 8339 (d)(1) of title 5 for so much of the participant’s total service as is specified thereunder; and

(ii) the percentage under subparagraph (B) of section 8339 (d)(1) of title 5 for so much of the participant’s total service as is specified thereunder.

(B) A special agent described in this subparagraph is any such agent or former agent who—

(i)

(I) retires voluntarily or involuntarily under section 4007, 4008, 4010a, 4051, 4052, or 4053 of this title, under conditions authorizing an immediate annuity, other than for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency, or retires for disability under section 4048 of this title; and

(II) at the time of retirement—

(aa) if voluntary, is at least 50 years of age and has completed at least 20 years of service as a special agent; or

(bb) if involuntary or disability, has completed at least 20 years of service as a special agent; or

(ii) dies in service after completing at least 20 years of service as a special agent, when an annuity is payable under section 4049 of this title.

(C) For purposes of subparagraph (B), included with the years of service performed by an individual as a special agent shall be any service performed by such individual as a law enforcement officer (within the meaning of section 8331 (20) or section 8401 (17) of title 5), or a member of the Capitol Police.

(7) In the case of a special agent who becomes or became subject to part II of this subchapter—

(A) for purposes of paragraph (6)(B), any service performed by the individual as a special agent (whether under this part or under part II of this subchapter), as a law enforcement officer (within the meaning of section 8331 (20) or section 8401 (17) of title 5), or as a member of the Capitol Police shall be creditable; and

(B) if the individual satisfies paragraph (6)(B), the portion of such individual’s annuity which is attributable to service under the Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System or the Civil Service Retirement System shall be computed in conformance with paragraph (6).

(8) For purposes of paragraphs (2), (3), (4), and (6) of this subsection, the term “basic pay” includes pay as provided in accordance with section 3972 of this title or section 5545 (c)(2) of title 5.

(9) For purposes of any annuity computation under this subsection, the basic salary or basic pay of any member of the Service whose official duty station is outside the continental United States shall be considered to be the salary or pay that would have been paid to the member had the member’s official duty station been Washington, D.C., including locality-based comparability payments under section 5304 of title 5 that would have been payable to the member if the member’s official duty station had been Washington, D.C.

(b) Married participants

(1)

(A) Except to the extent provided otherwise under a written election under subparagraph (B) or (C), if at the time of retirement a participant or former participant is married (or has a former spouse who has not remarried before attaining age 60), the participant shall receive a reduced annuity and provide a survivor annuity for his or her spouse under this subsection or former spouse under section 4054 (b) of this title, or a combination of such annuities, as the case may be.

(B) At the time of retirement, a married participant or former participant and his or her spouse may jointly elect in writing to waive a survivor annuity for that spouse under this section (or under section 4054 (b) of this title if the spouse later qualifies as a former spouse under section 4044 (6) of this title), or to reduce such survivor annuity under this section (or section 4054 (b) of this title) by designating a portion of the annuity of the participant as the base for the survivor benefit. In the event the marriage is dissolved following an election for such a reduced annuity and the spouse qualifies as a former spouse, the base used in calculating any annuity of the former spouse under section 4054 (b) of this title may not exceed the portion of the participant’s annuity designated under this subparagraph.

(C) If a participant or former participant has a former spouse, the participant and such former spouse may jointly elect by spousal agreement under section 4060 (b)(1) of this title to waive a survivor annuity under section 4054 (b) of this title for that former spouse if the election is made

(i) before the end of the 24-month period after the divorce or annulment involving that former spouse becomes final or

(ii) at the time of retirement, whichever occurs first.

(D) The Secretary of State may prescribe regulations under which a participant or former participant may make an election under subparagraph (B) or (C) without the participant’s spouse or former spouse if the participant establishes to the satisfaction of the Secretary of State that the participant does not know, and has taken all reasonable steps to determine, the whereabouts of the spouse or former spouse.

(2) The annuity of a participant or former participant providing a survivor benefit under this section (or section 4054 (b) of this title), excluding any portion of the annuity not designated or committed as a base for any survivor annuity, shall be reduced by 21/2 percent of the first $3,600 plus 10 percent of any amount over $3,600. The reduction under this paragraph shall be calculated before any reduction under section 4054 (a)(5) of this title.

(3)

(A) If a former participant entitled to receive a reduced annuity under this subsection dies and is survived by a spouse, a survivor annuity shall be paid to the surviving spouse equal to 55 percent of the full amount of the participant’s annuity computed under subsection (a) of this section, or 55 percent of any lesser amount elected as the base for the survivor benefit under paragraph (1)(B).

(B) Notwithstanding subparagraph (A), the amount of the annuity calculated under subparagraph (A) for a surviving spouse in any case in which there is also a surviving former spouse of the participant who qualifies for an annuity under section 4054 (b) of this title may not exceed 55 percent of the portion (if any) of the base for survivor benefits which remains available under section 4054 (b)(4)(B) of this title.

(C) An annuity payable from the Fund under this part to a surviving spouse under this paragraph shall commence on the day after the participant dies and shall terminate on the last day of the month before the surviving spouse’s death or remarriage before attaining age 60. If such a survivor annuity is terminated because of remarriage, it shall be restored at the same rate commencing on the date such remarriage is terminated if any lump sum paid upon termination of the annuity is returned to the Fund.

(1) If an annuitant who was a participant dies and is survived by a spouse or a former spouse who is the natural or adoptive parent of a surviving child of the annuitant and by a child or children, in addition to the annuity payable to the surviving spouse, there shall be paid to or on behalf of each child an annuity equal to the smaller of—

(A) $900, or

(B) $2,700 divided by the number of children.

(2) If an annuitant who was a participant dies and is not survived by a spouse or a former spouse who is the natural or adoptive parent of a surviving child of the annuitant but by a child or children, each surviving child shall be paid an annuity equal to the smaller of—

(A) $1,080, or

(B) $3,240 divided by the number of children.

(3) The amounts specified in this subsection are subject to—

(A) cost-of-living adjustments as specified under section 4066 (c)(3) of this title, and

(B) the minimum specified in subsection (l)(2) of this section.

(d) Recomputation for remaining children

On the death of the surviving spouse or former spouse or termination of the annuity of a child, the annuity of any other child or children shall be recomputed and paid as though the spouse, former spouse, or child had not survived the participant. If the annuity to a surviving child who has not been receiving an annuity is initiated or resumed, the annuities of any other children shall be recomputed and paid from that date as though the annuities to all currently eligible children in the family were then being initiated.

(e) Payment period for child

The annuity payable to a child under subsection (c) or (d) of this section shall begin on the day after the participant dies, or if the child is not then qualified, on the first day of the month in which the child becomes eligible. The annuity of a child shall terminate on the last day of the month which precedes the month in which eligibility ceases.

(f) Unmarried participants

At the time of retirement an unmarried participant who does not have a former spouse for whose benefit a reduction is made under subsection (b) of this section may elect to receive a reduced annuity and to provide for an annuity equal to 55 percent of the reduced annuity payable after his or her death to a beneficiary whose name is designated in writing to the Secretary of State. The annuity payable to a participant making such election shall be reduced by 10 percent of an annuity computed under subsection (a) of this section and by 5 percent of an annuity so computed for each full 5 years the designated beneficiary is younger than the retiring participant, but such total reduction shall not exceed 40 percent. No such election of a reduced annuity payable to a beneficiary shall be valid until the participant has satisfactorily passed a physical examination as prescribed by the Secretary of State. The annuity payable to a beneficiary under this subsection shall begin on the day after the annuitant dies and shall terminate on the last day of the month preceding the death of the beneficiary. An annuity which is reduced under this subsection (or any similar prior provision of law) shall, effective the first day of the month following the death of the beneficiary named under this subsection, be recomputed and paid as if the annuity had not been so reduced.

(g) Marriage after retirement

A participant or former participant who was unmarried at retirement and who later marries may, within one year after such marriage, irrevocably elect in writing to receive a reduced annuity and to provide a survivor annuity for the spouse (if such spouse qualifies as a surviving spouse under section 4044 (13) of this title). Receipt by the Secretary of State of notice of an election under this subsection voids prospectively any election previously made under subsection (f) of this section. The reduction in annuity required by an election under this subsection shall be computed and the amount of the survivor annuity shall be determined in accordance with subsections (b)(2) and (3) of this section. The annuity reduction or recomputation shall be effective the first day of the month beginning one year after the date of marriage.

(h) Election of benefits

A surviving spouse or surviving former spouse of any participant or former participant shall not become entitled to a survivor annuity or to the restoration of a survivor annuity payable from the Fund under this part unless the survivor elects to receive it instead of any other survivor annuity to which he or she may be entitled under this or any other retirement system for Government employees on the basis of a marriage to someone other than that participant.

(i) Reversion to retired status

(1) Any married annuitant who reverts to retired status with entitlement to a supplemental annuity under section 4063 of this title shall, unless the annuitant and his or her spouse jointly elect in writing to the contrary at that time, have the supplemental annuity reduced by 10 percent to provide a supplemental survivor annuity for his or her spouse. Such supplemental survivor annuity shall be equal to 55 percent of the supplemental annuity of the annuitant and shall be payable to a surviving spouse to whom the annuitant was married at the time of reversion to retired status or whom the annuitant subsequently married.

(2) The Secretary of State shall issue regulations to provide for the application of paragraph (1) of this subsection and of section 4063 of this title in any case in which an annuitant has a former spouse who was married to the participant at any time during a period of recall service and who qualifies for an annuity under this part.

(j) Recomputation upon dissolution of marriage; election after remarriage

An annuity which is reduced under this section or any similar prior provision of law to provide a survivor benefit for a spouse shall, if the marriage of the participant to such spouse is dissolved, be recomputed and paid for each full month during which an annuitant is not married (or is remarried if there is no election in effect under the following sentence) as if the annuity had not been so reduced, subject to any reduction required to provide a survivor benefit under section 4054 (b) or (c) of this title. Upon remarriage the retired participant may irrevocably elect, by means of a signed writing received by the Secretary within one year after such remarriage, to receive during such marriage a reduction in annuity for the purpose of allowing an annuity for the new spouse of the annuitant in the event such spouse survives the annuitant. Such reduction shall be equal to the reduction in effect immediately before the dissolution of the previous marriage (unless such reduction is adjusted under section 4054 (b)(5) of this title), and shall be effective the first day of the first month beginning one year after the date of remarriage. A survivor annuity elected under this subsection shall be treated in all respects as a survivor annuity under subsection (b) of this section.

(k) Informing of rights by Secretary

The Secretary of State shall, on an annual basis—

(1) inform each participant of his or her right of election under subsections (g) and (j) of this section; and

(2) to the maximum extent practicable, inform spouses or former spouses of participants or former participants of their rights under this section and section 4054 of this title.

(l) Repealed. Pub. L. 100–238, title II, § 217(c)(1), Jan. 8, 1988, 101 Stat. 1775

(m) Offset of Social Security benefits

The retirement, disability, or survivor annuity payable to any person based on the service of an individual subject to section 4045 (h) of this title beginning with the first day of the month for which such person first becomes—

(1) eligible for an annuity under this part based on the service of such individual, and

(2) entitled, or would, upon proper application, be entitled to old age, disability, or survivor benefits under title II of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 401 et seq.], based on the service of such individual under this part,

shall be computed as if section 8349 of title 5 were applicable.

(n) 18-month period to elect survivor annuity

(1)

(A) A participant—

(i) who, at the time of retirement, is married; and

(ii) who elects at such time (in accordance with subsection (b) of this section) to waive a survivor annuity,

may, during the 18-month period beginning on the date of the retirement of such participant, elect to have a reduction under subsection (b) of this section made in the annuity of the participant (or in such portion thereof as the participant may designate) in order to provide a survivor annuity for the spouse of such participant.

(B) A participant—

(i) who, at the time of retirement, is married, and

(ii) who at such time designates (in accordance with subsection (b) of this section) that a limited portion of the annuity of such participant is to be used as the base for a survivor annuity,

may, during the 18-month period beginning on the date of the retirement of such participant, elect to have a greater portion of the annuity of such participant so used.

(2)

(A) An election under subparagraph (A) or (B) of paragraph (1) of this subsection shall not be considered effective unless the amount specified in subparagraph (B) of this paragraph is deposited into the Fund before the expiration of the applicable 18-month period under paragraph (1).

(B) The amount to be deposited with respect to an election under this subsection is an amount equal to the sum of—

(i) the additional cost to the System which is associated with providing a survivor annuity under subsection (b) of this section and results from such election taking into account

(I) the difference (for the period between the date on which the annuity of the former participant commences and the date of the election) between the amount paid to such former participant under this part and the amount which would have been paid if such election had been made at the time the participant or former participant applied for the annuity, and

(II) the costs associated with providing the later election; and

(ii) interest on the additional cost determined under clause (i)(I) of this subparagraph computed using the interest rate specified or determined under section 4045 (d)(3) of this title for the calendar year in which the amount to be deposited is determined.

(3) An election by a participant under this subsection voids prospectively any election previously made in the case of such participant under subsection (b) of this section.

(4) An annuity which is reduced in connection with an election under this subsection shall be reduced by the same percentage reductions as were in effect at the time of the retirement of the participant whose annuity is so reduced.

(5) Rights and obligations resulting from the election of a reduced annuity under this subsection shall be the same as the rights and obligations which would have resulted had the participant involved elected such annuity at the time of retiring.

[1] See Amendment of Section note below.

U.S. Code

§ 4046. Computation of annuities