• Everyone, please help make our jobs easier and choose the correct category. Thank you

Basic retirement advice.

Voglio-il mio said:
The sick leave can't be used (cashed in) for achieving retirement eligibility, but it will be added towards your (time served) pension valued at the rate of a day for a day.

Now keeping that in mind lets say a days pay (sick leave) is equal to $300 dollars, so 5 sick days (a week) is worth $1500 dollars. Now if you have 100 sick days (20 weeks) its worth to be used is $30,000 dollars.

Now look at using it to add time to your retirement at a rate of 1 Sick Day = 1 Day towards time served. That would give you 20 weeks (39% of a year) additional time towards your retirement. So roughly 40% of a year or (.004) towards your pension. Each full year counts as 1% or .01 of your high 3. So your multiplier is 30.4% or (.304).

Using the data above $300 a day equals a working salary of $78,000 per year. So your high 3 would be about $75,000 maybe. Doing the math .004% of $75K is $300. per year towards your pension.

For example lets say you have 30 years at a high 3 of $75k your Pension would be Approx. $22,500 per year without Sick Time added to it or $22800 with it included.
$22,500 / 12 = $1875.00 per/mo.
$22,800 / 12 = $1900.00 per/mo.
a $25.00 per/mo. difference.

Based on these calculations, that $30k dollars you could have received by using the Sick Days before retirement, it will take you 100 years in retirement for you to break even!
$300 x 100 = $30,000 dollars.
Click to expand...
I had some SL left when I retired... And it's a little different in my view than what you described... If you're just going to take a couple of days a week or whatever to burn it up before retirement, that's okay... But if you don't do that, it's not like you didn't get that $300 a day, you simply got it by working rather than taking the SL... then you end up with some SL that adds to your years of service... now if you can burn it all at the end, then that's a different story... Not sure how many can pull that off, but I know some do... 🤔 🤷‍♂️👉🧐
 
DB.Cooper said:
I had some SL left when I retired... And it's a little different in my view than what you described... If you're just going to take a couple of days a week or whatever to burn it up before retirement, that's okay... But if you don't do that, it's not like you didn't get that $300 a day, you simply got it by working rather than taking the SL... then you end up with some SL that adds to your years of service... now if you can burn it all at the end, then that's a different story... Not sure how many can pull that off, but I know some do... 🤔 🤷‍♂️👉🧐
Click to expand...
I was one of those that got away with it. I used a 2 or 3 a week during the last 10 months in my last year before retirement. I had none remaining on my last day! I basically worked part-time during my last 10 months for full-time pay.
 
Last edited:
Voglio-il mio said:
I was one of those that got away with it. I used a 2 or 3 a week during the last 10 months in my last year before retirement. I had none remaining on my last day! I basically worked part-time during my last 10 months for full-time pay.
Click to expand...
Yeah, it's dependent on your and your office situation... with many offices short on subs, obviously it's not gonna be all so easy for everyone to burn 2 or 3 days of SL every week... but, good on everyone who can do it... I just wanted to get out the door without any nagging hassles, which is likely what would have happened if I had tried to burn up all my SL... I ended up with getting about 6 months added to my service time for the unused SL... I'm okay with it... at some point you just want to get the hail away from the goat rope that is the USPS.. 🤔 🤷‍♂️👉🤚😎🤩🥳🤣
 
hockey94 said:
She ? Might have a spouse that still works. I highly recommend getting out if you can. This is A dangerous job.
Click to expand...
I recall a story on here about a rural carrier sliding off the road and dying on his route, on the very last day before he was to retire... as I got close to my last day, I often thought about that and vowed I'd be careful and make sure I made it to hail out safely... thankfully I did... 🤔 🤷‍♂️👉🤚😎🤩🥳
 
justacarrier said:
I do get

I get what you are saying here but the 1.1% when you reach 62 sure can make a difference. It's just 2 more years and really pays dividends over time.
Click to expand...
And sometimes 30 plus years is enough. Everyone is a bit different. If your office is decent and you aren't hurting with relief days, it's makes working longer tolerable. I had 35 years of federal service and absolutely despised my last year. The standards and BS had done me in.

However, I always planned and saved to retire early as an option. When I left I had very healthy retirement accounts. Financial security makes the leap better. I also have a second gig I can contract for additional income.
Plan, save and don't sabotage your future.
 
Gotrope said:
And sometimes 30 plus years is enough. Everyone is a bit different. If your office is decent and you aren't hurting with relief days, it's makes working longer tolerable. I had 35 years of federal service and absolutely despised my last year. The standards and BS had done me in.

However, I always planned and saved to retire early as an option. When I left I had very healthy retirement accounts. Financial security makes the leap better. I also have a second gig I can contract for additional income.
Plan, save and don't sabotage your future.
Click to expand...
The Federal jobs enabled people to do that but for those of us that came late to those perks, it isn't so cut and dry. But I stand by it. I'm not trying to change any minds here, just my opinion. Prices go up and a dozen years of inflation changes everything. I've seen a lot of people regret early retirement for numerous reasons and end up going back to work for more hours and less money.
I hope the metris will save more carriers lives when accidents do happen. USPS should pay carriers more when they have to drive a tin can LLV.
 
Sunofa said:
The Federal jobs enabled people to do that but for those of us that came late to those perks, it isn't so cut and dry. But I stand by it. I'm not trying to change any minds here, just my opinion. Prices go up and a dozen years of inflation changes everything. I've seen a lot of people regret early retirement for numerous reasons and end up going back to work for more hours and less money.
I hope the metris will save more carriers lives when accidents do happen. USPS should pay carriers more when they have to drive a tin can LLV.
Click to expand...
That sounds more like people retired before they were truly financially able. Be honest with expenses and plan for price increases before you make the decision. If you have Tricare that opens some options, too. I planned for a 50% buffer increase of living expenses before I was comfortable leaving. You cannot retire if you can barely cover costs. You have to plan for projected bills to increase, cars to increase, insurance to increase, housing to increase. In order to retire with a federal pension, you must participate early and often with TSP.
If you can't do that - talk to a good financial planner to help you.
I hope carriers stop taking Chances with their lives regardless of what they drive. You don't always get a do over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Share this page

New Media

IMG_3834.jpeg
IMG_3578.jpeg
IMG_3577 copy.jpeg
Article 16.1.png
M-38 §811(a) with §821(a).png
Screenshot_20260425_111225_Gallery.jpg
Training Guide Pg. 11.jpg
Driver Stand Up Talk.jpg
Article 15.2 & 3, Step 1 a-c.png
NRLCA 1975-78 Agreement.png
December 2008 Steward Links.png
Grievance Initiation.png
Back
Top