When Can You Retire? The FERS Eligibility Map
"When can I retire?" sounds like one question. It's really two: when are you eligible, and will your pension be reduced when you go. Eligibility under FERS comes down to a handful of age-and-service combinations. This is the map — start here, then follow the links to the deeper guides for whichever path is yours.
Step 1: Find your MRA
Almost every FERS rule references your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA), which depends on the year you were born:
| Year of birth | MRA |
|---|---|
| Before 1948 | 55 |
| 1948–1952 | 55 + 2–10 months |
| 1953–1964 | 56 |
| 1965–1969 | 56 + 2–10 months |
| 1970 or later | 57 |
For most of today's workforce, the MRA is 56-and-change or 57. Within the 1948–1952 and 1965–1969 ranges, the age rises two months per birth year.
Step 2: The unreduced paths
These three combinations give you an immediate, full annuity with no age reduction — the standard ways to retire:
| Age | Years of service | Result |
|---|---|---|
| 62 | 5 | Unreduced |
| 60 | 20 | Unreduced |
| MRA | 30 | Unreduced |
One bonus to know: if you retire at 62 or later with at least 20 years, your pension is computed at the higher 1.1% multiplier instead of 1.0% — a 10% larger annuity for life. It's often worth working a few extra months to reach it; see the 1.1% multiplier guide.
Step 3: Leaving earlier — and what it costs
MRA+10 (reduced)
If you reach your MRA with at least 10 years (but under 30), you can retire immediately — but the annuity is reduced 5% for every year you're under 62. You can shrink or erase that reduction by postponing the start date, which is a different decision than deferring. The distinction is huge for your health insurance: see deferred vs. postponed retirement.
Early-out: VERA and DSR
During a major restructuring or reduction in force, two early paths can open up at age 50 with 20 years, or any age with 25 years:
- VERA (Voluntary Early Retirement Authority) — an offer you can accept or decline. Walk through it in the VERA decision framework.
- DSR (Discontinued Service Retirement) — for involuntary separation, such as a RIF. Same age/service thresholds, but it's not optional.
Both are immediate retirements (so your FEHB and FEGLI continue if you meet the five-year rule), but if you go before your MRA, the FERS supplement doesn't start until you reach it — unless you're a special-category employee.
Leaving before you're eligible: deferred
If you separate vested (5+ years) but before any immediate path is open, you can claim a deferred annuity later — at 62 (with 5+), 60 (with 20+), or MRA (with 10+, reduced). The catch: deferred retirees lose FEHB and FEGLI permanently. Compare it carefully against postponing in the deferred-vs-postponed guide.
Special provisions: a different, earlier clock
Law enforcement officers, firefighters, and air traffic controllers retire under their own rules — age 50 with 20 years, or any age with 25 years — with an enhanced computation, a mandatory retirement age, and the supplement paid immediately. If that's you, start with special-provisions retirement and the mandatory retirement age.
The whole map, at a glance
| Path | Age + service | Reduced? |
|---|---|---|
| Immediate | 62+5, 60+20, MRA+30 | No |
| MRA+10 | MRA + 10–29 | 5%/yr under 62 |
| VERA / DSR | 50+20 or 25 at any age | No (early-out only) |
| Special provisions | 50+20 or 25 at any age | No |
| Deferred | Vested (5+), claim later | If started before 62 |
Find your earliest date — in your numbers.
The FedRetireCheck Readiness Report pinpoints when you're eligible, whether each path is reduced, and what your annuity looks like under each — every figure cited to the rule.
Get the $49 report