I All of them, at once
| Age | What changes |
|---|---|
| 50 | Catch-up contributions begin. Special category TSP penalty exception |
| 55 | Rule of 55 — separate this calendar year, no 10% penalty |
| 59½ | Universal penalty-free age. In-service withdrawals open |
| 60 | FERS immediate annuity with 20 years. Higher catch-up limit begins |
| 62 | 1.1% multiplier with 20 years. FERS supplement ends. Social Security opens |
| 64 | Catch-up drops back to the regular limit |
| 65 | Medicare eligibility |
| 73 or 75 | Required minimum distributions begin |
Your Minimum Retirement Age sits in here too, somewhere between 55 and 57 depending on your birth year — and it is the one that varies by person rather than being fixed.
II The two clocks
This is the distinction that costs people money, and almost nothing explains it.
| Rule | Runs on |
|---|---|
| Rule of 55 | The calendar year you turn 55 |
| Age 59½ | Your actual date of birth |
Separate in January of the year you turn 55, with a birthday in December, and the Rule of 55 still applies — you were 54 on the day you left. The exception turns on the year, not the day.
Age 59½ is the opposite. TSP determines it from the date of birth reported by your employing agency. No calendar-year generosity at all.
For special category employees — law enforcement, firefighters, air traffic controllers — the Rule of 55 threshold is 50, or any age with 25 years of covered service.
III The rollover trap
You can earn the Rule of 55 exception and then destroy it yourself.
How it happens
Someone separates at 56, qualifies under the Rule of 55, and then rolls their TSP into an IRA because the fund menu looks better.
If you may need access between 55 and 59½, that is a decision to take with a planner before moving anything. See TSP fund allocation for what the TSP itself offers.
IV Your Next Milestones
What Is Coming, and When?
V Why 62 matters most
Three things land at once, and only one of them is good news.
| At 62 | |
|---|---|
| FERS multiplier rises to 1.1% | With 20+ years — 10% more annuity for life |
| FERS supplement ends | Whether or not you claim Social Security |
| Social Security opens | At a permanently reduced rate |
Retiring at 61 and 10 months with 30 years, rather than at 62, means the 1.0 percent multiplier instead of 1.1 — permanently. On a $120,000 high-3 that is $3,600 a year, for life. Model it in the FERS pension estimator before setting a date.
VI 73, or 75
SECURE 2.0 raised the RMD start age from 72 to 73 effective 1 January 2023, and raises it again to 75 from 1 January 2033.
| Born | RMD age |
|---|---|
| 1951–1959 | 73 |
| 1960 or later | 75 |
Your first distribution can be delayed to 1 April of the year after you reach RMD age; every one after that is due by 31 December. Roth TSP balances are no longer subject to lifetime RMDs, so an RMD calculation now runs on the traditional balance only.
From 2026, eligible catch-up contributions must be Roth if your prior-year wages from TSP-eligible positions exceeded a threshold the IRS adjusts annually — $150,000 for 2025 wages. It changes the tax treatment of catch-up contributions for higher earners, not the ability to make them. For 2026 the elective deferral limit is $24,500, regular catch-up $8,000, and the ages 60–63 limit $11,250.
VII Playbook
| Situation | What to do |
|---|---|
| Leaving before 59½ | Check the Rule of 55. It runs on the calendar year. |
| Tempted to roll TSP to an IRA | Before 59½, that can forfeit the Rule of 55. |
| LEO, firefighter or ATC | Your threshold is 50, or any age with 25 years. |
| Turning 60 to 63 | Higher catch-up limit. Four-year window only. |
| Higher earner in 2026 | Catch-up may now have to be Roth. Check your election. |
| Near 62 with 20+ years | Two months can mean 10% more annuity for life. |
| Retiring before 62 | The supplement ends at 62 regardless of Social Security. |
| Born 1960 or later | Your RMD age is 75, not 73. |
Pin down your own dates
- Write down the calendar year you turn 55.
- Write down the actual date you turn 59½.
- Work out your MRA from your birth year.
- Check whether you reach 62 with 20 years of service.
- Confirm your RMD age from your birth year, not a general figure.
- If leaving before 59½, decide about rollovers before you move anything.
- If 60 to 63, use the higher catch-up limit while it lasts.
- Check whether the 2026 Roth catch-up rule applies to your wages.
Questions
An exception to the 10 percent early withdrawal penalty. If you separate from federal service during or after the calendar year you turn 55, TSP withdrawals are not subject to the penalty even before 59 and a half. Ordinary income tax still applies to traditional balances. For special category employees such as law enforcement officers, firefighters and air traffic controllers the threshold is 50, or any age with 25 years of covered service. It is a nickname rather than a statute, describing one of the exceptions the IRS recognises.
Because they run on different clocks, which catches people out. The Rule of 55 turns on the calendar year: separate at any point during or after the year you turn 55 and it applies, even if you separate in January and your birthday is in December. Age 59 and a half turns on your actual date, and TSP determines it from the date of birth reported by your employing agency. One is a year, the other is a day, and planning that assumes both behave the same way produces expensive mistakes.
Rolling your TSP into an IRA before 59 and a half. The Rule of 55 exception attaches to the employer plan you separated from, not to an IRA, so moving the money out before 59 and a half can destroy a penalty exception you had already earned. Anyone who may need access to the money between 55 and 59 and a half should think very carefully before rolling anything anywhere, and should take that decision with a planner rather than on general reading.
It depends on when you were born. SECURE 2.0 raised the start age from 72 to 73 with effect from 1 January 2023, and it rises again to 75 from 1 January 2033. In practice that means an RMD age of 73 for those born from 1951 to 1959 and 75 for those born in 1960 or later. Your first distribution can be delayed to 1 April of the year after you reach RMD age, but every one after that is due by 31 December. Roth TSP balances are no longer subject to lifetime RMDs.
Three things at once, which is why it is the most consequential age in federal retirement. The FERS multiplier rises from 1.0 to 1.1 percent if you retire at 62 or later with at least 20 years of creditable service, which is 10 percent more annuity for life. The FERS annuity supplement ends, regardless of whether you claim Social Security. And Social Security itself becomes available at a permanently reduced rate. Retiring at 61 and 10 months rather than 62 can therefore cost a great deal.
Under SECURE 2.0, participants who turn 60, 61, 62 or 63 have a higher catch-up limit than the ordinary one, and it drops back to the regular amount in the year they turn 64 and after. For 2026 the TSP elective deferral limit is $24,500, the regular catch-up limit is $8,000, and the higher limit for ages 60 to 63 is $11,250. It is a four-year window rather than a permanent increase, which makes it worth using deliberately.
Yes. Beginning in 2026, eligible catch-up contributions must be Roth contributions if your prior-year wages from TSP-eligible positions were above a threshold that the IRS adjusts for inflation and announces each year. For 2025 wages that threshold was $150,000. If you are a higher earner accustomed to making traditional catch-up contributions, this changes the tax treatment of those contributions rather than your ability to make them, and it is worth checking against your own election.
Work out which of them fall inside the window you are actually planning in, and ignore the rest. Someone at 52 considering an early departure needs 55 and 59 and a half. Someone at 60 with 20 years needs 62 more than anything else on the list. The failure mode is treating this as a list to memorise rather than as a small number of dates that interact with your own retirement date, and the interaction is where the money is.