Military Personnel Involvement in TSP

Military personnel in the United States are qualified to join the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) under the same conditions as civilian employees. How they partake is determined by whatever retirement program they subscribe to.

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For many years, the military system had just a single retirement program (now known as the “legacy” program). However, individuals who joined after 2018 were placed in a new retirement program (known as the “blended” retirement program). In one open season held sometime in 2018, certain legacy system players had the option to switch to the blended scheme, and around one-third of them elected to do just that. In some ways, the differences between these two military programs are similar to the differences between FERS and CSRS on the civil side, at least in terms of the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) mirroring contributions.

The Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) does not provide these sorts of contributions to members of the traditional retirement system, such as CSRS workers. They’ve also got a more lenient computation element applicable to the military retirement, much as CSRS personnel. The blended retirement program members, on the flip side, get matching contributions in the same way as FERS workers do. Their retirement calculations, on the other hand, are less magnanimous.

The blended scheme was implemented since 80% of persons who enroll in the military don’t stay in uniformed duty until they complete the retirement qualification standards. Applying a match to Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) payments aids people who do not plan to continue in the program until retirement. In fact, you must donate to receive the match. No figures haven’t been released on how many mixed system personnel contributes to their Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). Still, we’re guessing it is not much more than the 90% of civilian FERS workers.

Another distinction between military and civilian Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) subscribers relates to withdrawal taxation. Government income taxes are not levied on compensation earned in combat zones. If you added to your standard Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account with a tax-exempt battle zone payment, the percentage of each withdrawal from your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) hinged on the contribution from combat payment would be tax-free when you withdraw after you start taking withdrawals. That sum will be indicated inside the Form 1099 that you got from your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).

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