@StevenI697963 wrote:
So I think this might be an unusual situation.
I worked for the federal govt just shy of the minimum of 5 years required to be vested. When I left the job, they automatically refunded all of my retirement contributions for 20 quarters. I never really gave it much thought until today when my brother told me that he was able to repay contributions for the 4 years he was in the military back in the late 60s early 70s. I immediately wondered if I could recover those 5 years of full time federal work without any contributions. It seems to me I should be covered for one or the other don't you think.?
I know of no way for you to get these earnings recorded on your social security file if you were under the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) retirement system. You didn't pay into social security during that period nor did your employer (government) pay their part of the program.
Whether you got vested or not has nothing to do with the social security matter - it only has to do with whether or not you would get a pension benefit from the government. They refunded your contributions when you left federal government employment after those (less than) 5-years.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/fedgovees.html
from the link:
Social Security Benefits for Federal Workers
The federal government has special retirement programs for its employees. How this affects your Social Security benefit amount depends on when you worked for the federal government.
If you worked for the federal government in 1983 or earlier, you did not pay Social Security taxes on your earnings, and your Social Security earnings record will not show those earnings. This is because the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS)—not Social Security—provided retirement benefits for federal workers at the time.
A newer program called the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) replaced CSRS. Workers who participate in FERS are eligible for Social Security.
If you chose to stay in CSRS after 1983, you are not eligible for Social Security.
Your brother got to do this because he was most likely active duty or active duty training during that time - this special MILITARY benefit only covered the period from 1957 - 2001; stopped in 2002.
https://www.ssa.gov/benefits/retirement/planner/military.html
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