Eligibility: age and service
A chart of minimum age, minimum years of service and special requirements for optional, early, discontinued service and disability retirement.
SF2801A
Applying for Immediate Retirement Under the Civil Service Retirement System - Retirement Pamphlet
- Agency
- GSA
- Revision
- Revised June 2013
- Fillable fields
- 1
- Pages
- 33
- Official source
- GSA form page
- Checked
- October 20, 2026
Standard Form 2801A (SF 2801A): Applying for Immediate Retirement Under CSRS
Standard Form 2801A (SF 2801A), Applying for Immediate Retirement Under the Civil Service Retirement System, is a U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) pamphlet, Revised June 2013. GSA hosts a copy in its forms library. The pamphlet says it is for a current Federal employee covered by the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) who wants to apply for retirement which begins within 30 days after the date of final separation from Federal service.
It goes with SF 2801, Application for Immediate Retirement, and covers eligibility, continuing health, life and long term care insurance, applying, payments, how the basic annuity is computed, military service, unused sick leave, voluntary contributions, workers' compensation and survivor benefits.
The pamphlet says former employees applying for a deferred annuity do not use it or SF 2801. SF 2801A is information, not an application. You can open it free in your browser on this page and download it without an account.
What's in SF 2801A
Health, life and long term care insurance
The five-year enrollment rule for continuing FEHB and FEGLI, SF 2818 for continuing basic life insurance, SF 2823 for a beneficiary, and continuing Federal Long Term Care Insurance.
Applying and payments
Where to get and submit SF 2801, what happens after you file, when the annuity begins, Direct Deposit or Direct Express, Federal and State tax withholding and cost-of-living increases.
How the basic annuity is computed
High-3 average pay, the basic annuity formula, reductions for service you have not paid for or took a refund on, the reduction for voluntary early retirement and the guaranteed minimum disability annuity.
Military service and other credits
Post-1956 military service deposits, military retired pay, the 80% limitation on basic annuity, unused sick leave, voluntary contributions and benefits from the Office of Workers' Compensation Programs.
Survivor benefits
The maximum survivor benefit, spousal consent and its waiver, former spouse and insurable interest elections, when the reduction ends, changing an election after retirement and survivor eligibility.
The pamphlet's table of contents lists these topics.
How to use SF 2801A
- 1
Ask your agency for counseling
The pamphlet says to contact the Human Resources Office at your agency for retirement counseling. It says your agency certifies that you are eligible for an immediate annuity and OPM employees cannot advise you before your records are forwarded.
- 2
Check the age and service chart
The chart on page 2 lists the minimum age, minimum years of service and any special requirements for each type of retirement: optional, early, discontinued service and disability.
- 3
Get and complete SF 2801
Use SF 2801, Application for Immediate Retirement, which the pamphlet says you can obtain from your employing agency or from the OPM website.
- 4
Give your agency at least 60 days notice
Submit the completed application to your employing agency. The pamphlet says to give your agency at least 60 days notice before the date you intend to retire.
- 5
Review the SF 2801-1
Your agency completes SF 2801-1, Certified Summary of Federal Service, and forwards it to you for review and signature. The pamphlet says errors, omissions or discrepancies will delay processing.
- 6
Watch for your CSA claim number
After OPM receives the application, it assigns a claim number beginning with the letters CSA. The pamphlet says to refer to it any time you contact OPM about your annuity.
Why fill Form SF2801A on indox
You get the real form, filled in a browser tab, with nothing standing between you and the finished PDF.
- Fill the form right in your browser, no software to install
- Free to fill and free to download, with no account
- The official blank straight from the GSA, not a copy someone retyped
- Works on a phone, tablet or computer
Where the application goes and what the pamphlet says
Where the application goes
To your employing agency, which completes Schedule D and SF 2801-1 and forwards the application to OPM. The pamphlet says that in most cases the agency should forward the package within 30 days after your separation.
Processing time stated
The pamphlet says OPM's goal is to process nondisability retirement applications within 35 days of receipt from your former employing agency. Disability applications are processed differently.
Payments
All annuities are payable on the first business day of the month following the one for which the annuity has accrued. If payments are not electronic and you have no Direct Express card, the pamphlet gives the Department of the Treasury at 1-800-333-1795.
Taxes
Without instructions, Federal income tax is withheld at the rate for a married person with 3 exemptions. The pamphlet says to attach a copy of your W-4 on file to keep your salary rate, or indicate no withholding in Section H of SF 2801.
Contacting OPM
Call 1-888-767-6738 (TTY 1-855-887-4957) or email [email protected]. For a new address by mail: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, ATTN: Change of Address, P.O. Box 440, Boyers, PA 16017-0440.
Related forms
SF2801
Application for Immediate Retirement CSRS
454 fields, 21 pages
SF3112
Documentation in Support of Disability Retirement Application
213 fields, 10 pages
SF2818
Continuation of Life Insurance Coverage as an Annuitant or Compensationer (FEGLI)
30 fields, 5 pages
SF2823
Designation of Beneficiary - FEGLI
64 fields, 3 pages
SF1199A
Direct Deposit Sign-Up Form
213 fields, 4 pages
SF2800-1
Applying for Death Benefits Under the Civil Service Retirement System - Retirement Pamphlet
2 fields, 17 pages
Who reads SF 2801A?
The introduction says who the pamphlet is for and who it is not for.
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Questions about Form SF2801A
Is SF 2801A an application?
No. It is an information pamphlet that goes with SF 2801, Application for Immediate Retirement Under the Civil Service Retirement System. The application itself is SF 2801.
Who issues SF 2801A?
The pamphlet is printed by the United States Office of Personnel Management, Retirement Services, Revised June 2013. GSA hosts a copy in its forms library.
How much notice does the pamphlet suggest giving my agency?
It says to give your agency at least 60 days notice before the date you intend to retire, and to submit the completed SF 2801 to your employing agency.
How is the annuity reduced for a survivor benefit?
The pamphlet says the maximum survivor benefit for a spouse or former spouse is 55% of your unreduced annuity, and your annual annuity is reduced by 2-1/2% of the first $3,600 and 10% of the remainder to provide it.
What does it say about post-1956 military service?
It says you may pay a deposit of 7% of your military basic pay, plus interest, for military service on or after January 1, 1957, paid to your agency while you are still employed. The effect of not paying depends on when you were first employed under civil service retirement.
Can I change my survivor election after I retire?
The pamphlet says you may change it by filing a new election in writing not later than 30 days after the date of your first regular monthly payment, and describes limited changes after that, within 18 months after the annuity begins, with a deposit.
How long does OPM take to process the application?
The pamphlet says OPM's goal is to process nondisability retirement applications within 35 days of receipt from your former employing agency, and that time varies with whether the agency's package is complete and accurate.