How to Use the FERS Service Credit Payback Calculator
Federal employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) can sometimes "buy back" prior periods of federal service where retirement contributions weren't withheld — for example, certain temporary or non-deduction appointments — by making a deposit. That deposit adds creditable years of service, which increases your future pension under the FERS formula.
This calculator estimates the deposit cost as roughly 1.3% of your prior salary during that period (the actual rate depends on the years involved and accrues interest over time, so treat this as an approximation), and estimates the pension increase using the standard FERS multiplier of about 1% of your high-3 average salary per year of credited service.
Note that this program is specific to federal employees with a defined-benefit pension. Private-sector workers don't have an equivalent "buy back missed years" option — the closest analog is simply making catch-up contributions to a 401(k) or IRA once you're 50 or older, which builds your own account balance rather than restoring pension service credit. Always verify your exact deposit cost with your agency's HR office, since interest accrual makes the real number time-sensitive.
Frequently Asked Questions
It's a payment federal employees can make to get retirement credit for periods of prior federal work where retirement contributions weren't withheld (such as certain temporary appointments). Making the deposit increases your creditable years of service for pension purposes.
Not directly. FERS deposit service is specific to federal employees with a defined-benefit pension. Private-sector workers don't have missed years to "buy back" — the closest equivalent is simply making catch-up contributions to a 401(k) or IRA, which grows your own account balance rather than a pension formula.