Federal Retirement Planning Resources

WAEPA has a partnership with the National Institute for Transition Planning Inc. (NITP) – a nationally recognized name in financial and retirement planning. Like WAEPA, the NITP specializes in world-class resources for employees of the federal government. You don’t need to be a WAEPA member to access our resources; it’s part of our mission to support the success, health, and well-being of Civilian Federal Employees.

NITP Webinar Directory

NITP has developed dozens of webinars on financial planning and retirement you can easily access in our webinar directory, and learn about upcoming topics, too.

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Get Ahead with Pre-Retirement Planning

Pre-retirement planning is important for anyone, but it’s even more vital for employees of the federal government.

Action-oriented Checklists

Gain a head start on planning for retirement by crossing key planning actions off your list. Turn to our checklists to be well-prepared for these years of your life.

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Helpful Planning Guides

Access resources that’ll prepare you for life after work, including our informative guides tailored exclusively to the unique needs of Civilian Federal Employees.

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Resources for Retirement

Plan ahead for retirement with our blogs, checklists, guides, webinars, and more to help ensure you’ll have the resources you need for a comfortable and enjoyable retirement.

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Key Questions About Retirement Planning for Federal Employees

How Long Will I Need to Work?

Eligibility for immediate retirement depends upon age and total years of service. Only under rare circumstances can individuals pursue early retirement and still receive full annuity benefits. You can request retirement estimates for your first available eligibility through your agency.

How Do I Find Out About Unpaid Deposits?

Service credit deposits are required in situations when you have a period of service not covered by the Civil Service Retirement System or Federal Employees Retirement. This includes active military service. Agency retirement specialists can estimate deposit amounts for you.

How Much Will I Need to Save?

It can be challenging to estimate expenses and assets following retirement. Recognizing this, the Office of Personnel Management recommends the Federal Ballpark Estimate as one way of clarifying how much you will need to save over time to finance the retirement you want.

What is the Best Date to Retire?

Federal employees often wait for the ideal time to retire, whether it takes place at the end of the pay period, the quarter, or the year. For background information on choosing the best retirement dates, see this article from Government Executive.

For more information about annuities and savings topics, see our FedCheck for Pre-Retirement Employees.

Financial Planning Throughout Your Career

New Federal Hires

Be diligent with your planning by making sure to:

Check everything in your Electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF) for accuracy
Update beneficiary forms, including SF 1152, SF 2823, TSP 3, and CSRS, or FERS
Update your TSP 1 Election form to ensure agency matching on your TSP savings
Learn about Health Savings Accounts (HSA) and the FSAFEDS program

View our FedCheck for New Federal Employees.

Mid-Career Professionals

Mid-career marks another shift in your financial planning strategy:

Review your eOPF to find out your retirement SCD
Correct any errors in your documentation
Determine whether you might owe any further deposits upon retirement
Make sure your beneficiary information is correct and up-to-date

Learn more by using our FedCheck for Mid-Career Employees.

Estate Planning

You can start on estate planning any time in your career. Important documents to double-check include your will, power of attorney, healthcare directive, and temporary guardianship document for any minor children.

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