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Social Security for Federal Employees
Here at The AMAC Foundation, we hear almost daily from Federal retirees who are angry than their Social Security benefits are reduced because of their Federal pension. Truth is, that applies to some Federal employees but not all (it also applies to State employees in some states, predominantly teachers, law enforcement and fire protection employees). For Federal employees (including Congress) there are two retirement systems which come into play – the older Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS), which did not include participation in Social Security, and the newer Federal Employee Retirement System (FERS) which did. Social Security benefits for those who retire under FERS are not reduced by the Federal pension, but SS benefits for those retiring under CSRS are reduced. The history of how and why the Federal Government switched from CSRS to FERS is explained in this Arizona Star (tucson.com) article by retired Social Security expert Tom Margenau. Click here to read more.