Federal · Title 5 — Government Organization and Employees
5 U.S.C. § 8344: Annuities and pay on reemployment
Read the full statutory text
a disability annuitant whose annuity is terminated because of his recovery or restoration of earning capacity; an annuitant whose annuity, based on an involuntary separation (other than an automatic separation or an involuntary separation for cause on charges of misconduct or delinquency), is terminated under subsection (b) of this section; an annuitant whose annuity is terminated under subsection (c) of this section; or a Member receiving annuity from the Fund; deductions for the Fund may be withheld from his pay (if the employee so elects), and his annuity on termination of employment is increased by an annuity computed under section 8339(a), (b), (d), (e), (h), (i), (n), (q), (r), and (s) as may apply based on the period of employment and the basic pay, before deduction, averaged during that employment; and his lump-sum credit may not be reduced by annuity paid during that employment. If an annuitant, other than a Member receiving an annuity from the Fund, whose annuity is based on an involuntary separation (other than an automatic separation or an involuntary separation for cause or charges on misconduct or delinquency) is reemployed in a position in which he is subject to this subchapter, payment of the annuity terminates on reemployment. If an annuitant, other than a Member receiving an annuity from the Fund, is appointed by the President to a position in which he is subject to this subchapter, or is elected as a Member, payment of the annuity terminates on reemployment. Upon separation from such position, an individual whose annuity is so terminated is entitled to have his rights redetermined under this subchapter, except that the amount of the annuity resulting from such redetermination shall be at least equal to the amount of the terminated annuity plus any increases under section 8340 of this title occurring after the termination and before the commencement of the redetermined annuity. the day Member annuity commences; or the day after the date of separation from the appointive position; his annuity continues during the employment and is not increased as a result of service performed during that employment; retirement deductions may not be withheld from his pay; an amount equal to the annuity allocable to the period of actual employment shall be deducted from his pay, except for lump-sum leave payment purposes under section 5551 of this title ; and the amounts so deducted shall be deposited in the Treasury of the United States to the credit of the Fund; if the retired Member becomes employed after December 31, 1958 , in an appointive position without pay on a full-time or substantially full-time basis, his annuity continues during the employment and is not increased as a result of service performed during the employment; and if the retired Member takes office as Member and gives notice as provided by section 8331(2) of this title , his service as Member during that period shall be credited in determining his right to and the amount of later annuity. This section does not apply to an individual appointed to serve as a Governor of the Board of Governors of the United States Postal Service. Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a) of this section, if an annuitant receiving annuity from the Fund, except a Member receiving annuity from the Fund, becomes employed as a justice or judge of the United States, as defined by section 451 of title 28 , annuity payments are discontinued during such employment and are resumed in the same amount upon resignation or retirement from regular active service as such a justice or judge. A former employee or a former Member who becomes employed as a justice or judge of the United States, as defined by section 451 of title 28 , may, at any time prior to resignation or retirement from regular active service as such a justice or judge, apply for and be paid, in accordance with section 8342(a) of this title , the amount (if any) by which the lump-sum credit exceeds the total annuity paid, notwithstanding the time limitation contained in such section for filing an application for payment. Subject to paragraph (2) of this subsection, subsections (a), (b), (c), and (d) of this section shall not apply to any annuitant receiving an annuity from the Fund while such annuitant is employed, during any period described in section 5532(f)(2) of this title (as in effect before the repeal of that section by section 651(a) of Public Law 106–65 ) or any portion thereof, under the administrative authority of the Administrator, Federal Aviation Administration, or the Secretary of Defense to perform duties in the operation of the air traffic control system or to train other individuals to perform such duties: Provided, however , That the amount such an annuitant may receive in pay, excluding premium pay, in any pay period when aggregated with the annuity payable during that same period shall not exceed the rate payable for level V of the Executive Schedule. Paragraph (1) of this subsection shall apply only in the case of any annuitant receiving an annuity from the Fund who, before December 31, 1987 , applied for retirement or separated from the service while being entitled to an annuity under this chapter. waive the application of the preceding provisions of this section on a case-by-case basis for employees in positions for which there is exceptional difficulty in recruiting or retaining a qualified employee; or grant authority to the head of such agency to waive the application of the preceding provisions of this section, on a case-by-case basis, for an employee serving on a temporary basis, but only if, and for so long as, the authority is necessary due to an emergency involving a direct threat to life or property or other unusual circumstances. The Office shall prescribe regulations for the exercise of any authority under this subsection, including criteria for any exercise of authority and procedures for terminating a delegation of authority under paragraph (1)(B). If warranted by circumstances described in subsection (i)(1)(A) or (B) (as applicable), the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts shall, with respect to an employee in the judicial branch, have the same waiver authority as would be available to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, or a duly authorized agency head, under subsection (i) with respect to an employee of an Executive agency. Authority under this subsection may not be exercised with respect to a justice or judge of the United States, as defined in section 451 of title 28 . If warranted by circumstances described in subsection (i)(1)(A) or (B) (as applicable), an official or committee designated in paragraph (2) shall, with respect to the employees specified in the applicable subparagraph of such paragraph, have the same waiver authority as would be available to the Director of the Office of Personnel Management, or a duly authorized agency head, under subsection (i) with respect to an employee of an Executive agency. with respect to an employee of an agency in the legislative branch, by the head of such agency; with respect to an employee of the House of Representatives, by the Committee on House Oversight of the House of Representatives; and with respect to an employee of the Senate, by the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate. Any exercise of authority under this subsection shall be in conformance with such written policies and procedures as the agency head, the Committee on House Oversight of the House of Representatives, or the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate (as applicable) shall prescribe, consistent with the provisions of this subsection. For the purpose of this subsection, “agency in the legislative branch”, “employee of the House of Representatives”, “employee of the Senate”, and “congressional employee” each has the meaning given to it in section 5531 of this title . the head of an Executive agency, other than the Department of Defense or the Government Accountability Office; the head of the United States Postal Service; the Director of the Administrative Office of the United States Courts, with respect to employees of the judicial branch; and any employing authority described under subsection (k)(2), other than the Government Accountability Office; and the term “limited time appointee” means an annuitant appointed under a temporary appointment limited to 1 year or less. fulfill functions critical to the mission of the agency, or any component of that agency; assist in the implementation or oversight of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 ( Public Law 111–5 ) or the Troubled Asset Relief Program under title I of the Emergency Economic Stabilization Act of 2008 ( 12 U.S.C. 5211 et seq.); assist in the development, management, or oversight of agency procurement actions; assist the Inspector General for that agency in the performance of the mission of that Inspector General; promote appropriate training or mentoring programs of employees; assist in the recruitment or retention of employees; or respond to an emergency involving a direct threat to life of property or other unusual circumstances. for more than 520 hours of service performed by that annuitant during the period ending 6 months following the individual’s annuity commencing date; for more than 1040 hours of service performed by that annuitant during any 12-month period; or for more than a total of 3120 hours of service performed by that annuitant. The total number of annuitants to whom a waiver by the head of an agency under this subsection or section 8468(i) applies may not exceed 2.5 percent of the total number of full-time employees of that agency. a report with an explanation that justifies the need for the waivers in excess of that percentage; and not later than 180 days after submitting the report under clause (i), a succession plan. The Director of the Office of Personnel Management may promulgate regulations providing for the administration of this subsection. provide standards for the maintenance and form of necessary records of employment under this subsection; to the extent not otherwise expressly prohibited by law, require employing agencies to provide records of such employment to the Office of Personnel Management or other employing agencies as necessary to ensure compliance with paragraph (3); authorize other administratively convenient periods substantially equivalent to 12 months, such as 26 pay periods, to be used in determining compliance with paragraph (3)(B); include such other administrative requirements as the Director of the Office of Personnel Management may find appropriate to provide for the effective operation of, or to ensure compliance with, this subsection; and encourage the training and mentoring of employees by any limited time appointee employed under this subsection. Any hours of training or mentoring of employees by any limited time appointee employed under this subsection shall not be included in the hours of service performed for purposes of paragraph (3), but those hours of training or mentoring may not exceed 520 hours. If the primary service performed by any limited time appointee employed under this subsection is training or mentoring of employees, the hours of that service shall be included in the hours of service performed for purposes of paragraph (3). The authority of the head of an agency under this subsection to waive the application of subsection (a) or (b) shall terminate on December 31, 2024 . For the purpose of subsections (i) through ( l ), “Executive agency” shall not include the Government Accountability Office. An employee as to whom a waiver under subsection (i), (j), (k), or ( l ) is in effect shall not be considered an employee for purposes of this chapter or chapter 84 of this title. Subject to paragraph (2), the amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall apply to individuals whose annuities terminate under section 8344(c) of title 5 , United States Code, on or after October 1, 1976 . In the case of an individual whose reemployment ended before the date of the enactment of this Act [ Dec. 29, 1981 ], the amendment shall apply only upon application by the individual to the Office of Personnel Management within one year after the date of enactment. Upon receipt of such application, the Office shall recompute the annuity, effective as of the day following the day reemployment ended.” the date of the enactment of this Act [ Dec. 5, 1980 ], or October 1, 1980 , The provisions of subsection (f) of section 8344 of title 5 , United States Code, as added by the first section of this Act, shall apply only to an individual who becomes employed as a justice or judge of the United States on or after the effective date of this Act. The provisions of subsection (g) of such section, as added by the first section of this Act, shall apply to an individual employed as a justice or judge of the United States on the effective date of this Act and to an individual appointed as such a justice or judge on or after such effective date.” Except as provided under subsection (b) of this section, the amendments made by this Act [amending this section and section 8339 of this title ] shall become effective on the date of the enactment of this Act [ Sept. 3, 1976 ] or October 1, 1976 , whichever is later, and shall apply to annuitants serving in appointive or elective positions on and after such date. The amendment made by subsection (c) of the first section of this Act [amending this section] shall become effective on the date of the enactment of this Act [ Sept. 3, 1976 ] or October 1, 1976 , whichever is later, but shall not apply to any annuitant reemployed before such date.” For the purpose of this subsection, the term ‘agency in the legislative branch’ has the meaning given such term by section 5531(4) of title 5 , United States Code, as amended by subsection (a). Each agency in the legislative branch shall submit to the Speaker of the House of Representatives and the Committee on Rules and Administration of the Senate, for each calendar year, a written report on how any authority made available as a result of the enactment of this section [amending this section and sections 5531, 5532, and 8468 of this title] was used by such agency during the period covered by such report. shall include the number of instances in which each type of authority was exercised, the circumstances justifying the exercise of authority, and, unless previously submitted, a description of the policies and procedures governing each type of authority exercised; and shall be submitted not later than 30 days after the end of the calendar year to which it relates.”
Verify at the official source: Federal legislative text
Facing this? Know exactly what happens next.
MOFRD turns this code section into your situation: the deadlines that apply to you, the forms your county uses, and the resolution paths people in your position actually take. Free for 3 days — no card required.
This page is legal information, not legal advice. Code text is sourced from official publications and may lag amendments — always confirm at the official source linked above. Plain-English summaries and relationship data are AI-derived and reviewed on an ongoing basis; verify with a licensed attorney before acting.