Booklet: Withdrawing Your TSP Account After Leaving Federal Service (Web Version - 7/2004)

Federal Retirement

Thrift Investment Board

Thrift Savings Plan

July 2004

Withdrawing

Your TSP

Account

After Leaving

Federal Service

Table of Contents

Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

I. Leaving Your Money in the TSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Limitations on Leaving Your Money in the TSP . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2

Reporting Changes in Personal Information. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

II. Withdrawing Your TSP Account. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Requesting Your Withdrawal. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3

Your Withdrawal Options . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Partial Withdrawal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Full Withdrawal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5

Transferring Your Withdrawal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6

Depositing Your Payment(s) Electronically . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Taxes on TSP Payments . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

Changing Your Withdrawal Election . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7

III. Special Considerations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Vesting Requirements . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Automatic Cashout of Small Accounts . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8

Spouses’ Rights . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9

Required Minimum Distributions. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Combining a Uniformed Services and a Civilian TSP Account. . . . . . . . . . . 10

Court Orders . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10

Death Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11

Withdrawal Rules for Rehired Participants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12

TSP Forms and Materials for Separated Participants. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . back page

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Introduction

This booklet describes the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)

withdrawal options available to all separated parti-

cipants — Federal civilian employees and members of

the uniformed services.

If you are still employed and

want access to the money in your TSP account, you

should read the booklets TSP Loan Program and TSP

In-Service Withdrawals.

Participants with both a civilian and a uniformed

services TSP account should apply the information in

this booklet to each account separately.

As a separated participant, you have a number of

choices with regard to your TSP account: If you are

less than 70½ years old and are not ready to withdraw

your account, you may leave it in the TSP and make a

withdrawal decision later. You also may be able to

withdraw part of your account in a single payment. If

you wish to withdraw your entire account balance,

you can choose to receive it as a single payment, a

series of monthly payments, a life annuity, or any

combination of these options (a “mixed withdrawal”).

You can have the TSP transfer all or a part of a single

payment or, in some cases, a series of monthly pay-

ments, to a traditional IRA or eligible employer plan.

The Thrift Savings Plan Service Office is your contact

regarding your TSP account after you leave service:

TSP Service Office

National Finance Center

P.O. Box 61500

New Orleans, LA 70161-1500

The TSP Service Office can answer questions about

your account and can send you TSP withdrawal mate-

rials to supplement the Withdrawal Package provided

to you by your agency or service when you separated.

Submit your withdrawal forms directly to the TSP

Service Office. To reach the Service Office, call the

TSP ThriftLine at 1-TSP-YOU-FRST (1-877-968-3778) or

the TDD at 1-TSP-THRIFT5 (1-877-847-4385). Outside

the U.S. and Canada, please call 1-504-255-8777.

The TSP Web site, www.tsp.gov, provides current

TSP booklets, forms, fact sheets, and tax notices. As a

separated participant, with your Social Security num-

ber (SSN) and four-digit TSP Personal Identification

number (PIN) you can begin (or in some cases com-

plete) a withdrawal request on the Web site. (Note:

Your ability to complete a withdrawal request on the

Web will depend on your retirement system, your

marital status, the option(s) you choose, and whether

you are transferring any of your withdrawal to a tradi-

tional IRA or an eligible employer plan.) You can also

find out your current account balance, request (or

check the status of) an interfund transfer, change your

name, update your address, and check the status of

your withdrawal request.

In addition, you can use the ThriftLine for a number

of purposes. The ThriftLine is an automated telephone

service for participants which provides current account

information 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. After you

have applied to withdraw your TSP account, you can

call the ThriftLine to find out if your withdrawal is

ready to be paid or if payment has been made. Call

the ThriftLine from a touch-tone telephone. You will

need your SSN and your TSP PIN.

If you do not know your TSP PIN, you can request a

new one from the Account Access section of the TSP

Web site, from the ThriftLine, or from the TSP Service

Office.

This Withdrawal Booklet consists of three sections:

• Section I, Leaving Your Money in the TSP, tells

you what you need to know if you decide to

leave your account in the TSP after separating

from service.

• Section II, Withdrawing Your TSP Account, ex-

plains your withdrawal options and tells you

how to apply for the option you want.

• Section III, Special Considerations, describes rules

that affect withdrawals for certain participants.

– If you are a FERS

participant with fewer than

3 years of Federal service, read “Vesting Re-

quirements,” page 8.

FERS refers to the Federal Employees’ Retirement System,

the Foreign Service Pension System, and other equivalent

Government retirement plans.

¹ The Floyd D. Spence National Defense Authorization Act

for 2001 (Public Law 106-398) extended participation in

the TSP to members of the uniformed services. For TSP

purposes, the uniformed services include members of the

Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, Public

Health Service, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric

Administration, as well as members of the Ready Reserve,

including the National Guard.

² Participants who are both Federal civilian employees and

members of the uniformed services (i.e., as members of

the Ready Reserve) may have an account related to each

type of employment and will thus have two separate ac-

counts. If such a participant separates from one type of

employment, he or she may withdraw the TSP account

related only to that employment.

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– If your vested account balance is less than

$200, read “Automatic Cashout of Small

Accounts,” page 8.

– If you are a married participant whose vested

account balance is more than $3,500, read

“Spouses’ Rights,” page 9.

– If you are nearing age 70 ½, read “Required

Minimum Distributions,” on page 10.

– If you have a uniformed services and a civilian

TSP account, read “Combining a Uniformed

Services and a Civilian TSP Account,” page 10.

– If your account is subject to a court order,

read “Court Orders,” page 10.

– If you want to know how your account is dis-

tributed after you die, read “Death Benefits,”

page 11.

– If you anticipate being rehired by the Federal

Government or rejoining the uniformed serv-

ices, read “Withdrawal Rules for Rehired Par-

ticipants,” page 12.

I. Leaving Your Money in the TSP

When you separate, you can leave your entire account

balance in the TSP if it is $200 or more. Your account

will continue to accrue earnings and you can continue

to change the way your money is invested in the five

TSP investment funds by making interfund transfers.

You can make an interfund transfer at any time. (The

most efficient way to make an interfund transfer is by

using the TSP Web site or the ThriftLine, described on

page 1. Alternatively, you may mail Form TSP-50 or

TSP-U-50,

Investment Allocation, to the TSP Service

Office. Because the Investment Allocation form is de-

signed to be optically scanned, it is available only from

agency personnel offices, service TSP representatives,

and the TSP Service Office.)

In addition, if you leave your money in the TSP, you

can transfer funds into the TSP from a traditional

IRA or an eligible employer plan. (See page 6, foot-

note 7, for definitions.) Note: The TSP will not accept

funds that are not subject to income tax from a tradi-

tional IRA or an eligible employer plan, or tax-exempt

funds from a uniformed services TSP account if you

are combining it into your civilian TSP account.

In order to transfer funds into the TSP, you must have

an open TSP account and you cannot be receiving

monthly payments from it. Use Form TSP-60 or

TSP-U-60, Request for a Transfer Into the TSP, which is

available from the TSP Web site or the TSP Service

Office. The transfer will be considered an employee

contribution and will be distributed among the TSP

investment funds according to your most recent con-

tribution allocation request on file. You can make a

contribution allocation on the TSP Web site or the

ThriftLine, or by completing Form TSP-50 or TSP-U-50,

Investment Allocation.

The funds that are transferred into the TSP are subject

to all the rules that apply to all TSP employee contri-

butions, such as those pertaining to spouses’ rights.

If you have both a uniformed services and a civil-

ian TSP account when you separate, you can com-

bine the accounts into one, provided you are not

receiving monthly payments from the remaining ac-

count. Read “Combining a Uniformed Services and a

Civilian TSP Account” on page 10 for more information.

If your account balance in the TSP account related to

your separation is less than $200, cashout rules will

apply to that account. (See “Automatic Cashout of

Small Accounts,” page 8.)

When you are ready to choose a withdrawal option,

you can get a copy of the current tax and withdrawal

information from the TSP Web site. If you do not want

to initiate your request on the Web site, you can down-

load the withdrawal forms or request them from the

TSP Service Office. Submit Form TSP-70 or TSP-U-70,

Request for Full Withdrawal, or Form TSP-77 or TSP-

U-77, Request for Partial Withdrawal When Separated,

as described on page 4.

Limitations on Leaving Your

Money in the TSP

Contributions, loans, and in-service withdrawals.

You cannot make additional contributions to your

account after you separate (other than transfers from

traditional IRAs, eligible employer plans, or another TSP

account), and you cannot borrow from your account

or make an in-service withdrawal. If you have an out-

standing loan at the time you separate, it must be re-

paid or a taxable distribution will be declared. Until the

loan is disposed of, you cannot make a withdrawal.

Required withdrawal date. You are required to with-

draw your account balance in a single payment, begin

receiving monthly payments, or begin receiving

annuity payments by April 1 of the later of:

• the year following the year you become age

70 ½, or

Forms for civilian TSP participants are identified by the

prefix “TSP-” followed by the form number. Forms related

to uniformed services TSP accounts are identified by the

prefix “TSP-U-” before the form number. The only excep-

tion is Form TSP-65, Request to Combine Uniformed Serv-

ices and Civilian TSP Accounts, which is used to combine

the participant’s civilian and uniformed services accounts

after separating.

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• To change your name, submit Form TSP-15

or TSP-U-15, Change in Name for Separated

Participant.

You can also report a change of address and/or name

for your TSP account by writing to the TSP Service

Office; your dated and signed letter must contain your

Social Security number and your date of birth, which

will be used to identify your account. Your letter

should also state whether you are reporting a change

of address and/or name for a civilian or a uniformed

services TSP account. Note: If you submit withdrawal

forms, your new address on the forms will automatical-

ly update your TSP account information.

If you have both a civilian and a uniformed services

TSP account, you must submit a separate request to

change your address or name for each account (e.g., if

you are separated from both civilian employment and

the uniformed services, submit Form TSP-9 to change

your address for your civilian TSP account; submit

Form TSP-U-9 if the change of address applies to your

uniformed services TSP account.) Alternatively, access

each account separately on the Web site and make the

changes there. If you are still employed, your agency

or service must change your address for the account

relating to your employment.

II. Withdrawing Your TSP Account

This section tells you how to withdraw your account,

explains your withdrawal options, and summarizes the

tax consequences of the options. It also tells you how

to change your withdrawal election. If you have both

a civilian and a uniformed services TSP account, you

should keep in mind that the withdrawal rules apply

to each account separately.

Requesting Your Withdrawal

What your agency or service must do. When you

separate, your agency or service is required to give

you a TSP Withdrawal Package, which contains the

forms you will need to make a withdrawal and the tax

notice “Important Tax Information About Payments

From Your TSP Account.” (If you did not receive the

package, you can obtain this material from the TSP Web

site or the TSP Service Office, or you can contact your

former personnel office or service TSP representative.)

Your agency or service must also notify the TSP that

you have separated and provide the date of your sepa-

ration. The agency or service ordinarily provides this

information to the TSP at the time it pays the last pay-

check to a separated employee or service member. In

most cases, this will be between two and four weeks

after the actual date of separation. The TSP cannot

• the year following the year you separate from

Federal service or the uniformed services.

Note: In order for you to receive annuity payments by

April 1, your annuity must be purchased no later than

March 1.

The TSP will notify you before your required with-

drawal date and mail you important tax information

about your TSP withdrawal, as well as information

about IRS minimum distribution requirements.

If you do not make a withdrawal election by the re-

quired deadline, your TSP account must be paid to

you in the form of an annuity, as required by law. If

you do not provide the necessary information for the

TSP to purchase an annuity for you (and your spouse,

if applicable), or if you cannot be located, your ac-

count will be declared abandoned and it will be for-

feited to the TSP. You may reclaim your account later

and make an appropriate election, but you will re-

ceive no earnings from the date your account was de-

clared abandoned. When you reclaim your account,

you must make a full withdrawal. If you are married

and your account balance is over $3,500, spouses’

rights will apply to the spouse to whom you were

married at the time of your required withdrawal date.

Note: If you are 70 ½ or older in the year you sepa-

rate, you may make a partial withdrawal of your ac-

count through December of that year. However, you

must select a withdrawal option for the balance before

April 1 of the following year.

Reporting Changes in Personal

Information

Until your TSP account is completely withdrawn, you

must keep the TSP informed of any changes in your

mailing address and other personal information main-

tained by the TSP. Otherwise, you may not receive

your participant statement and other important mail-

ings, including checks. You should also inform the

TSP of any address change through January following

the year your account is closed, so that you will re-

ceive tax reporting information.

Before you separate, your agency or service is re-

sponsible for updating your personal information for

your TSP account. After separating, you must report

changes to your personal information. You can make

these changes through the TSP Web site (you will

need your SSN and TSP PIN). You may also complete

the applicable form and send it to the TSP Service Of-

fice as follows:

• To change your address, submit Form TSP-9

or TSP-U-9, Change of Address for Separated

Participant.

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administrator complete the relevant information

before you send the completed form to the TSP

Service Office.)

• If you would like the TSP to send any portion of

your single or monthly payments (that are not

transferred to a traditional IRA or an eligible em-

ployer plan) to your checking or savings account

electronically as a direct deposit (also referred to

as Electronic Funds Transfer or EFT), you must

provide your financial institution’s routing num-

ber, as well as the account number to which you

would like your funds sent.

• If you are married and making a full withdrawal,

requirements for a survivor annuity (FERS and

uniformed services) or a spousal notice (CSRS)

apply. A spouse of a FERS employee or uni-

formed service member can waive his or her

right to the prescribed annuity, but the spouse’s

signature must be notarized. (See “Spouses’

Rights,” page 9.)

• If you are married and making a partial with-

drawal, requirements for spousal consent (FERS

and uniformed services) or spousal notice (CSRS)

apply — regardless of the amount you are re-

questing or your account balance.

• If you have both a civilian and a uniformed ser-

vices TSP account and would like to combine the

accounts, complete Form TSP-65, Request to

Combine Uniformed Services and Civilian TSP

Accounts.

When submitting a form to the TSP Service Office,

whether you are manually filling out a paper form or

have printed out your partially completed withdrawal

form from the Web, make sure your forms are com-

plete and correct before you mail them. Do not change

or cross out any of the preprinted information on

a form that you printed from the Web; otherwise, it

may not be accepted for processing. Keep a copy of

the form for your records. Mail completed forms to the

TSP Service Office.

The timing of your withdrawal. You should allow

several weeks between the time that you submit your

completed request and the time that payment is re-

ceived. You can check the Web site or call the Thrift-

Line to find out the status of your withdrawal,

including whether payment has been made. The TSP

will also notify you in writing when payment has been

process your withdrawal until your agency or service

reports this information.

What the TSP Service Office will do. When informa-

tion about your separation is received (and your ac-

count balance is $200 or more), the TSP Service Office

will send you current account and withdrawal infor-

mation and a tax notice (unless the TSP has already

received a withdrawal election from you). If you do

not receive this material within 60 days after separat-

ing, contact your former agency or service to make

sure it has reported your separation to the TSP.

If you have an outstanding TSP loan at the time your

agency or service reports your separation, the TSP

Service Office will notify you about closing the loan.

An outstanding loan will delay your withdrawal be-

cause you cannot withdraw the account until you

have repaid the loan in full or until the loan has been

declared a taxable distribution. (For more information,

see the booklet TSP Loan Program, available from the

TSP Web site, your agency personnel office, or your

service.)

What you should do. Read this Withdrawal Booklet

and the tax notice “Important Tax Information About

Payments From Your TSP Account.” When you are

ready to withdraw, use the TSP Web site or the paper

form that applies to the type of withdrawal you would

like (i.e., use Form TSP-70 or Form TSP-U-70, Request

for Full Withdrawal, to withdraw your entire account

balance; or Form TSP-77 or Form TSP-U-77, Request

for Partial Withdrawal When Separated, to request a

portion of your account).

• If you are requesting a full withdrawal of your

account, you must choose the method(s) by

which you would like your account paid out: a

single payment, monthly payments, a life annu-

ity, or any combination of these options (a mixed

withdrawal).

• If you are requesting a partial withdrawal of your

account, you must ask for an amount of $1,000

or more. Partial withdrawals are paid only as a

single payment. (Note: If you made an age-based

in-service withdrawal while you were still em-

ployed, you are not eligible for a partial with-

drawal.)

• If you want to have the TSP transfer all or any

part of your single payment or certain monthly

payments to a traditional IRA or an eligible em-

ployer plan (see page 6, footnote 7, for defini-

tions), you and the financial institution must

complete the transfer portion of the withdrawal

form. (Note: If you are initiating your request on

the Web, you will have to print out your partially

completed form and have your IRA trustee or plan

CSRS refers to the Civil Service Retirement System, includ-

ing CSRS Offset, the Foreign Service Retirement and Dis-

ability System, and other equivalent Government retirement

plans.

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direct deposit to your savings or checking account at

your financial institution. (See “Depositing Your Pay-

ment(s) Electronically,” page 7.)

Make sure you understand the withdrawal options and

their tax consequences before you submit your re-

quest. You will not have an opportunity to change

your request once it is processed. (See “Taxes on TSP

Payments,” page 7, and “Changing Your Withdrawal

Election,” page 7.)

Note: If your account balance is less than $5.00 when

you leave service, the TSP will automatically forfeit the

balance to the Plan. Your quarterly participant state-

ment will advise you that the balance was forfeited

and tell you how to reclaim that money if you wish.

Partial Withdrawal

You can make a one-time-only withdrawal of part of

your TSP account and leave the rest in the TSP until a

later date. You cannot make a partial withdrawal of

less than $1,000.

If you made an age-based (age 59½ or older) in-serv-

ice withdrawal while you were employed by the Fed-

eral Government or the uniformed services, you are not

eligible for a partial withdrawal from that account.

Full Withdrawal

A single payment. You can withdraw your entire TSP

account balance in a single payment.

A series of monthly payments. You can withdraw

your entire account in a series of substantially equal

monthly payments. You can choose:

• Monthly payments computed by the TSP based on

IRS life expectancy tables.

Your initial payment

amount will be based on your account balance

at the time of the first payment and your age.

The TSP will recalculate the amount of your

monthly payments every year based on your

account balance at the end of the preceding year

and your age.

• A specific dollar amount. You will receive payments

in the amount that you request until your entire

account balance has been paid to you. The amount

of the monthly payments must be $25 or more.

made. Your withdrawal could take longer if your

agency or service delays in reporting your separation,

if you have an outstanding TSP loan, or if you submit

forms that are not properly completed. If you are us-

ing the Web to request a withdrawal, you will not be

allowed to begin the withdrawal unless your TSP

record indicates that you are separated and that you

have no outstanding loans.

The effect of a delay is that account balances invested

in the Common Stock Index Investment (C) Fund,

Fixed Income Index Investment (F) Fund, Small Capi-

talization Stock Index Investment (S) Fund, and In-

ternational Stock Index Investment (I) Fund will be

subject to market risk longer than you may have ex-

pected. If you do not want to incur this risk, you may

request an interfund transfer to invest your account in

the Government Securities Investment (G) Fund at the

time you request your withdrawal. To request an inter-

fund transfer, use the TSP Web site, the ThriftLine, or

Form TSP-50 (or TSP-U-50), Investment Allocation,

which you can obtain from the TSP Service Office.

Your Withdrawal Options

You have the following withdrawal options after leav-

ing Federal service:

Partial Withdrawal —

• Receive part of your account in a single payment,

leaving the remainder in the TSP to be with-

drawn later (using one of the other three with-

drawal options).

Full Withdrawal —

• Receive your entire account in a single payment

• Receive your entire account in a series of month-

ly payments

• Have the TSP purchase a life annuity for you

with your entire account balance

You can also withdraw your entire account using any

combination of the above three full withdrawal op-

tions. This is called a “mixed withdrawal.”

You can request an immediate withdrawal (i.e., to be

paid after your separation from service is confirmed

by your agency or service) or you can remain in the

TSP until a later date. If you separate at age 70½ or

later, see “Limitations on Leaving Your Money in the

TSP,” page 2. In addition, you can have the TSP trans-

fer all or part of a single payment or, in some cases, a

series of monthly payments, to a traditional IRA or an

eligible employer plan. (See “Transferring Your With-

drawal,” page 6.) Any single or monthly payment (or

part of them) that is not transferred can be sent by

IRS Single Life Table, Treas. Reg. § 1.401(a)(9)-9, Q&A 1, is

used to calculate monthly payments based on life expect-

ancy for participants who are 69 years old or younger.

Once a participant turns 70, the Uniform Lifetime Table,

Treas. Reg. § 1.401(a)(9)-9, Q&A 2, is used.

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are also exempt from Federal income taxes when they

are distributed from a uniformed services TSP account.

The TSP will make all withdrawals from a uniformed

services account on a pro rata basis from both taxable

and tax-exempt sources. A withdrawal made from a

uniformed services TSP account will therefore include

taxable and tax-exempt balances if the account in-

cludes contributions from combat zone pay.

The taxable and tax-exempt portion of each monthly

payment will be based on the proportion of taxable

and tax-exempt balances in your account at the time

the distribution is made. If you elect to use your account

to purchase an annuity, the annuity vendor will calcu-

late the taxable and tax-exempt portion of each pay-

ment based on the proportion of taxable and tax-exempt

balances used to purchase the annuity. (See the tax no-

tice “Important Tax Information About Payments From

Your TSP Account” for detailed information about taxes.)

Transferring Your Withdrawal

Your TSP account is a portable retirement benefit. This

means that when you withdraw your account, you can

have the TSP transfer part or all of your single pay-

ment or certain monthly payments to a traditional IRA

or an eligible employer plan (for example, the 401(k)

plan of a new employer).

Check with your new em-

ployer to see if its plan can accept your transfer.

Amounts transferred will continue to accrue tax-de-

ferred earnings until you receive your money.

If you choose to have the TSP transfer a single pay-

ment, you can direct the transfer to only one IRA ac-

count or eligible employer plan. The amount not

transferred will be paid directly to you unless you

have chosen to have that amount sent electronically to

your checking or savings account by direct deposit.

If you choose to have the TSP transfer your monthly

payments to a traditional IRA or an eligible employer

plan, the TSP can only transfer monthly payments that

are expected to last less than 10 years and are not

based on the IRS life expectancy table. Thus, if you

choose a dollar amount for your monthly payments,

the TSP will determine whether your payments are

expected to last less than 10 years. We will do this by

You can change the investment of your account bal-

ance among the five TSP investment funds while you

are receiving monthly payments. (If you have invest-

ments in the F Fund, C Fund, S Fund, or I Fund,

remember that investment losses could cause your ac-

count balance to decrease, which could reduce either

the amount of your monthly payments or their duration.)

You can also change to a final single payment at any

time. In addition, you can make a change to the pay-

ment amount you are receiving or make a one-time-

only change from TSP-computed payments to a specific

payment amount. These last two changes will become

effective only once a year — on January 1, if your re-

quest is received by December 15 of the preceding

year. For more information, see “Changing Your With-

drawal Election — After payments begin” on page 8.

Note: If you are receiving a series of monthly pay-

ments from your account, you will be subject to IRS

minimum distribution requirements in the year in

which you become 70½. (See “Required Minimum

Distributions,” page 10.)

A life annuity. You can withdraw your entire account

as a life annuity. An annuity is a monthly benefit paid

to you for life. The TSP can purchase an annuity for

you from the TSP’s annuity provider for a minimum

amount of $3,500. This means that if you are using

your entire account balance to purchase an annuity,

your account balance must be at least $3,500 at the

time of purchase.

You can request a single life annuity, a joint life annu-

ity with your spouse, or a joint life annuity with some-

one other than your spouse. A joint life annuity means

that monthly payments will be paid to you, and, after

either of you dies, to the surviving joint annuitant.

For detailed information about TSP annuities and their

features, read the booklet Thrift Savings Plan Annuities,

available from the TSP Web site, your agency person-

nel office, or your service.

A mixed withdrawal. You can withdraw your entire

account balance by a combination of any two, or all

three, of the available full withdrawal options (single

payment, monthly payments, or a life annuity). The

rules for each of the options that you choose will be

the same as described above. Thus, if you use only a

portion of your account balance to purchase an annu-

ity, the percentage of your balance that you specify to

purchase the annuity must equal at least $3,500.

Special note about tax-exempt balances: If you

have a uniformed services TSP account, your account

may include contributions from combat zone pay.

Combat zone pay is exempt from Federal income tax-

es; therefore, TSP contributions from combat zone pay

A “traditional IRA” is an individual retirement account de-

scribed in § 408(a) of the Internal Revenue Code (I.R.C.) or

an individual retirement annuity described in I.R.C. § 408(b).

(It does not include a Roth IRA, a SIMPLE IRA, or a Cover-

dell Education Savings Account (formerly known as an

education IRA).) An “eligible employer plan” is a plan quali-

fied under I.R.C. § 401(a), including a § 401(k) plan, profit-

sharing plan, defined benefit plan, stock bonus plan, and

money purchase plan; an I.R.C. § 403(a) annuity plan; an

I.R.C. § 403(b) tax-sheltered annuity; and an eligible I.R.C.

§ 457(b) plan maintained by a governmental employer.

-7-

to your checking or savings account, if you so elect).

Read the tax notice for more information.

There are special requirements if you are age 70½ or

older and you request a transfer of your TSP account

to a traditional IRA or an eligible employer plan. (See

“Required Minimum Distributions,” page 10.)

Depositing Your Payment(s)

Electronically

Any single or monthly payments that are not trans-

ferred directly to a traditional IRA or an eligible em-

ployer plan can be sent to your checking or savings

account electronically by direct deposit. (Note: Direct

deposits will be made only to financial institutions in

the U.S.)

You can have your payment(s) sent electronically to

only one account at one financial institution. For ex-

ample, if you choose to receive a portion of your ac-

count as a single payment and another portion as

monthly payments, you can direct the TSP to send

either the single payment, the monthly payments, or

both types of withdrawal payments by direct deposit.

However, if you choose to send both types of pay-

ments by direct deposit, your payments must be sent

to the same account at the same financial institution.

Taxes on TSP Payments

You are responsible for paying taxes on your with-

drawal. However, different tax rules apply to the dif-

ferent withdrawal options. Also, different tax rules

may apply to Federal civilian employees and to mem-

bers of the uniformed services. For detailed informa-

tion about the tax rules, read the notice “Important

Tax Information About Payments From Your TSP Ac-

count,” available from the TSP Web site, your agency

or service, or the TSP Service Office.

Note: If after reading the TSP tax notice, you decide

to submit a Form W-4P, Withholding Certificate for

Pension or Annuity Payments, attach a copy of the

form to your withdrawal request when you mail it to

the TSP Service Office. If you request a mixed with-

drawal (e.g., a single payment and monthly pay-

ments), indicate on the top of Form W-4P the option

to which the withholding applies. Submit a separate

Form W-4P for each withdrawal option for which you

want to make an election.

Changing Your Withdrawal Election

Before payments begin. The TSP processes with-

drawals daily (i.e., each business day). Completed

withdrawal requests that are entered into the system

dividing the part of your account balance that you

chose to be paid as a monthly payment by the dollar

amount that you chose for your monthly payment. If

the result is less than 120, your payments will be eligi-

ble to be transferred.

Note: If you make a change to your monthly dollar

amount, the TSP will again determine whether your

payments are expected to last less than 10 years and

whether they are eligible to be transferred.

To request a transfer, you must indicate on your with-

drawal form the percentage of your payment(s) that

you want transferred to your traditional IRA or eligible

employer plan. In addition, you and your IRA or plan

must provide the requested information about your

IRA or plan on your withdrawal form. Do not use

forms of the plan or financial institution; the TSP can-

not accept them. If you indicate on your request that

you want the TSP to transfer your payment(s), but you

do not provide complete transfer information, your with-

drawal request will not be processed.

Note: If you use the Web to request a withdrawal, and

you decide to transfer any portion of your withdrawal

to a traditional IRA or an eligible employer plan, you

will not be able to complete your withdrawal on the

Web. You will have to print out your partially complet-

ed form and submit it to the TSP Service Office after

the transfer information is completed.

Some financial institutions and plans have minimum

transfer amounts. You should verify that the financial

institution or plan will accept the transfer of your

payment(s) before you request a transfer.

You can also receive directly any taxable payments

that are eligible to be transferred and roll them over to

a traditional IRA or an eligible employer plan yourself

within 60 days. This is described in detail in the tax

notice “Important Tax Information About Payments

From Your TSP Account.”

Special note about transferring tax-exempt balan-

ces. Tax-exempt balances resulting from contributions

from combat zone pay may also be transferred or

rolled over into a traditional IRA, or transferred to an

eligible employer plan, if the IRA or plan will accept

them. However, even though the withdrawal from

your account will be based on the proportion of tax-

able and tax-exempt balances in your account, if you

choose to transfer a portion of the withdrawal, the

taxable portion will be transferred to your IRA or plan

first. Tax-exempt money will be transferred only if the

taxable portion of your withdrawal does not satisfy the

percentage of your withdrawal that you elected to

transfer to your IRA or plan (and the IRA or plan certi-

fies that it will accept tax-exempt money). Amounts

that are not transferred will be paid directly to you (or

-8-

by 11:00 a.m. central time are processed that night.

This means that there is a very small window of time

during which you would be able to cancel your re-

quest and submit a new election. Therefore, we rec-

ommend that you carefully consider your options

before submitting a withdrawal request.

After payments begin. You cannot change your

withdrawal choice after your account has been paid

out. Also, if you have chosen an annuity, you cannot

change either the annuity option or the joint annuitant

after the TSP has purchased an annuity for you.

However, if you are receiving a series of monthly pay-

ments, you can at any time change to a final single

payment, or change where or how your payments are

sent, by submitting Form TSP-73 or TSP-U-73, Change in

Monthly Payments. In addition, you can make a one-

time-only change from TSP-computed payments to a

specified dollar amount, and, once a year, you can

change the dollar amount of your payments. To make

an annual change, the TSP must receive Form TSP-73 or

TSP-U-73 from you by December 15 for the change to

be effective January 1 of the following year.

You should ask the TSP Service Office for Form TSP-73

or TSP-U-73, if you want to:

• Change your monthly payments to a final single

payment. The final single payment can be made

directly to you, or you can have the TSP transfer

all or part of it to a traditional IRA or an eligible

employer plan. Any amount not transferred can

be sent to your checking or savings account by

direct deposit.

• Change the dollar amount you are receiving (only

allowed annually, effective at the beginning of

the following year.)

• Change from TSP-computed payments to a spe-

cific dollar amount. (This is a one-time-only change

which will become effective at the beginning of

the following year.)

• Begin transferring monthly payments or change

the portion of each monthly payment that is

transferred to a traditional IRA or an eligible em-

ployer plan. (You can transfer only a series of

payments expected to last less than 10 years.)

• Change the IRA or plan to which your payments

are sent.

• Begin direct deposit for the portion of your

monthly payments that is sent to you, or stop

direct deposit and have checks sent directly to

you.

• Change the financial institution or the checking

or savings account that is receiving your monthly

payments.

III. Special Considerations

This section describes considerations relating to cer-

tain participants: vesting requirements for FERS par-

ticipants; automatic cashouts for participants with

accounts of less than $200; spouses’ rights; survivor

annuity and notice requirements for participants with

accounts over $3,500; court orders; death benefits;

withdrawal rules for participants who have received

an age-based in-service withdrawal; and withdrawal

rules for rehired participants.

Vesting Requirements

Vesting requirements apply only to FERS participants.

If you are a FERS participant, you must work for the

Federal Government for a certain number of years in

order to be entitled to (or “vested in”) the Agency Au-

tomatic (1%) Contributions in your account and the

earnings on those contributions. Most FERS employees

become vested in the agency automatic contributions

after 3 years of Federal civilian service. FERS employ-

ees in congressional and certain non-career positions

become vested in the agency automatic contributions

after completing 2 years of Federal civilian service. If

you leave Government service before meeting the vest-

ing requirement for your agency automatic contribu-

tions, those contributions and the earnings on them

will be removed from your account and forfeited to

the TSP.

If you are a FERS participant, you are always vested in

your own contributions (and their earnings) and the

matching contributions your agency makes (and the

earnings on them). If you die before leaving Govern-

ment service, your entire TSP account will be vested

automatically.

CSRS and uniformed services participants are always

vested in all the money in their accounts.

Automatic Cashout of Small Accounts

If your vested account balance is less than $200 after

your agency or service reports that you have left serv-

ice, your account will be automatically paid directly to

you in a single payment. You will not be eligible to

make any other withdrawal election, nor will you be

allowed to remain in the TSP. The TSP will not with-

hold any amount for Federal income tax on your cash-

out. Before leaving service, we recommend that you

check your address in your TSP account record to en-

sure that it is correct. You can do this on the Web or

with your agency or service personnel office or serv-

ice TSP representative. Your agency or service must

correct your address while you are still employed.

-9-

Spouses’ Rights

The Federal Employees’ Retirement System Act of

1986, which created the TSP, provides certain rights to

spouses of participants. The rules pertaining to these

rights vary depending on the type of withdrawal you

choose — a full withdrawal or a partial withdrawal of

your account. If you are a married FERS, CSRS, or uni-

formed services participant (even if you are separated

from your spouse), you are subject to spouses’ rights

requirements, as explained below:

If you are a married FERS or uniformed services

participant with an account balance of more

than $3,500 and you are making a full withdrawal,

your spouse is entitled by law to a prescribed survivor

annuity. This is a joint life annuity with a 50 percent

survivor benefit, level payments, and no cash refund

feature. If you choose any other withdrawal option, or

any combination of options, such that your entire ac-

count balance is not used to purchase the required

annuity, your spouse must sign a statement on Form

TSP-70 or TSP-U-70 waiving his or her right to the re-

quired annuity. Your spouse’s signature must be nota-

rized.

If you are a married FERS or uniformed services

participant and you are making a partial with-

drawal, your spouse must give written consent to

your withdrawal on Form TSP-77 or TSP-U-77, regard-

less of your account balance or the amount of your

withdrawal. Your spouse’s signature must be notarized.

If you are a married CSRS participant with an

account balance of more than $3,500 and you are

making a full withdrawal, the TSP must notify your

spouse of your withdrawal election.

If you are a married CSRS participant and you are

making a partial withdrawal, the TSP must notify

your spouse of your withdrawal election, regardless of

your account balance or the amount of your withdrawal.

Spouses’ rights for separated participants are summar-

ized in the chart below:

Spouses’ Rights

Retirement Withdrawal

System Type Requirement Exceptions

FERS or Full* Spouse is entitled Whereabouts

uniformed to a joint life annuity unknown or

services with 50% survivor exceptional

benefit, level circumstances

payments, and no

cash refund feature,

unless he or she

waives this right.**

FERS or Partial Spouse must give Whereabouts

uniformed written consent to unknown or

services the withdrawal. exceptional

circumstances

CSRS Full* TSP must notify Whereabouts

spouse of the unknown

participant’s

withdrawal request.

CSRS Partial TSP must notify Whereabouts

spouse of the unknown

participant’s

withdrawal request.

* For full withdrawals (which includes mixed withdrawals), spouses’

rights requirements apply only if the account balance is more

than $3,500.

** Unless the entire

account balance is used to purchase the pre-

scribed annuity, the spouse must waive his or her right to it.

Under certain circumstances, as noted in the chart,

exceptions may be made for the spouse’s waiver of a

survivor annuity (FERS and uniformed services) or

notice (CSRS), or the spouse’s consent to a partial

withdrawal (FERS or uniformed services). If the where-

abouts of your spouse are unknown, or if there are

exceptional circumstances (applicable to FERS and

uniformed services participants only) that make it

inappropriate for you to obtain your spouse’s signa-

ture, you may apply for an exception to the spouse

waiver and notice requirements by submitting Form

TSP-16 or TSP-U-16, Exception to Spousal Require-

ments, with the required documentation. The criteria

for supporting a claim on the basis of exceptional

circumstances are strict. The fact that there is a

separation agreement, a prenuptial agreement, a pro-

tective order, or a divorce petition does not in itself

support a claim of exceptional circumstances.

For more information on establishing an exception to

the spouses’ rights requirements, see Form TSP-16 or

TSP-U-16, which is available from the TSP Web site or

the TSP Service Office.

-10-

Required Minimum Distributions

The Internal Revenue Code requires that you receive a

portion of your TSP account (your “required minimum

distribution”) beginning in the calendar year you be-

come age 70 ½ and are separated from service.

If you

do not withdraw your account balance or begin receiv-

ing payments from your account, the TSP is required to

make the required distribution to you by April 1 of the

following year. This means that after you separate, your

TSP account(s) is subject to IRS minimum distribution

requirements beginning in the calendar year in which

you become age 70 ½.

The minimum distribution payment cannot be trans-

ferred or rolled over. This means that if you withdraw

your account in a single payment or are receiving

monthly payments in a year to which the required

minimum distribution applies, you cannot transfer the

entire payment(s) to a traditional IRA or an eligible em-

ployer plan. Instead, the TSP will calculate your required

minimum distribution amount and mail it directly to

you (or if applicable, to the savings or checking ac-

count designated to receive your direct deposit).

The TSP calculates minimum distributions based on

your account balance and your age, using the IRS

Uniform Lifetime Table, Treas. Reg. § 1.401(a)(9)-9,

Q&A 2. For detailed rules regarding minimum distribu-

tions see the TSP tax notice, “Important Tax Informa-

tion About Your TSP Withdrawal and Required

Minimum Distributions.”

Note: If you do not withdraw (or begin withdrawing)

your account by the required deadline, your account

balance will be forfeited to the TSP (although your

required minimum distribution for the prior year will

be sent to your last address of record). You can re-

claim your account; however, you will not receive

earnings on your account from the time the account

was forfeited.

Combining a Uniformed Services

and a Civilian TSP Account

If you have both a uniformed services and a civil-

ian TSP account when you separate, you can com-

bine the accounts into one, provided you are not

receiving monthly payments from the remaining ac-

count.

However, you can only combine the account related

to your separation into your other TSP account. For

example, if you separated from the uniformed services,

you can transfer that account into your civilian account.

If you have separated from both Federal civilian em-

ployment and the uniformed services, you can choose

the account you want to keep and combine the other

one with it. To combine uniformed services and civil-

ian TSP accounts, use Form TSP-65, Request to Com-

bine Uniformed Services and Civilian TSP Accounts.

If your uniformed services TSP account includes a tax-

exempt balance, this balance cannot be transferred

into your civilian TSP account. If you transfer your

uniformed services account into your civilian account,

the tax-exempt balance will remain in your uniformed

services TSP account until you request to withdraw it.

Also, spouses’ rights for CSRS participants will change

when your uniformed services and civilian TSP accounts

are combined. Under a uniformed services TSP ac-

count, your spouse must provide written consent to a

loan or in-service withdrawal. Furthermore, for a post-

employment withdrawal, your spouse is entitled to a

50% joint and survivor annuity with level payments

and no cash refund feature (unless he or she waives

this right). In contrast, the spouse of a TSP participant

who is under the CSRS retirement system receives

only notification regarding any loans or withdrawals

from the participant’s account. This means that, de-

pending on the way in which you choose to combine

your accounts, your spouse will either gain additional

control of loans and withdrawals from your account

by having to provide his or her signature, or your

spouse’s rights will be reduced (if he or she consents)

only to receiving notification of your loan or withdrawal.

FERS participants who are combining their civilian and

uniformed services TSP accounts are not affected, be-

cause spousal rights are the same for FERS and uni-

formed services participants.

Court Orders

The TSP must honor a valid court order that awards

all or part of a TSP account to a current or former

spouse (including a separated spouse). The TSP must

also honor a valid order that enforces obligations to

pay child support or alimony and to satisfy judgments

for child abuse. With the exception of a minimum dis-

tribution, your withdrawal will not be processed while

the TSP is reviewing such an order. If the TSP deter-

mines that an order is valid and applies to the TSP

account from which you have requested a withdrawal,

it will comply with the order before your withdrawal

is processed.

If you separate after age 70 ½, your account is immediately

subject to the minimum distribution requirements.

-11-

For more information about court orders, obtain the

booklet Information About Court Orders and the no-

tice “Tax Treatment of Thrift Savings Plan Payments

Made Under Qualifying Orders.” Both are available from

the TSP Web site, your agency personnel office, your

service TSP representative, or the TSP Service Office.

Death Benefits

You may designate beneficiaries to receive your TSP

account in the event of your death. If you do not

designate beneficiaries for your account, it will be

distributed according to the statutory order of prece-

dence described below.

Designation of beneficiaries. To name a beneficiary

or beneficiaries for your account, mail Form TSP-3 or

TSP-U-3, Designation of Beneficiary, to the TSP Serv-

ice Office; to be valid, the form must be received by

the TSP Service Office on or before the date of your

death. A will is not valid for the disposition of

your TSP account. Form TSP-3 applies only to a civil-

ian TSP account; Form TSP-U-3 applies only to a uni-

formed services TSP account.

The share of any designated beneficiary who dies be-

fore you die will be distributed proportionally among

the surviving designated TSP beneficiaries for that ac-

count (unless you designated a contingent beneficiary

for the deceased beneficiary). Your Designation of

Beneficiary will be void if none of the designated ben-

eficiaries for that account is alive at the time of your

death. In that case, the statutory order of precedence

will be followed.

If your beneficiaries’ addresses change, submit a new

Designation of Beneficiary so that the TSP can locate

the people who are entitled to your account if you

die. If there are any changes in your family status

(marriage, divorce, birth, death, etc.), you may also

want to submit a new Designation of Beneficiary to

change your beneficiary(ies). Your participant state-

ment will show whether you have a Designation of

Beneficiary on file with the TSP for an account and, if

so, the date you signed it. (Even if the TSP has a Form

TSP-3 or TSP-U-3 on file for you, you are responsible

for its correctness and completeness.) To change or

cancel a previous designation, mail a new Designation

of Beneficiary to the TSP Service Office.

Statutory order of precedence. If you do not file

Form TSP-3 or TSP-U-3 to designate a beneficiary for

that account or if the form you send in is invalid, your

account will be distributed as required by law: to your

widow or widower; if none, to your child or children

equally, and to descendants of deceased children by

representation; if none, to your parents equally or the

surviving parent; if none, to the executor or adminis-

trator of your estate; if none, to your next of kin who

is entitled to your estate under the laws of the state in

which you resided at the time of your death.

Special rules apply in the unlikely event that the TSP

learns of a participant’s death after he or she has com-

pleted a withdrawal election but before the withdrawal

has been paid. These rules are published in 5 C.F.R.

§ 1.651.2.

Distributing your account. In order for beneficiaries

to receive a participant’s account, Form TSP-17 or

TSP-U-17, Information Relating to Deceased Partici-

pant, must be submitted to the TSP Service Office, to-

gether with a copy of the participant’s death certificate.

Once the beneficiaries of an account have been deter-

mined, the TSP Service Office will provide them with

information about death benefit payments and a tax

notice. Copies of that notice, “Important Tax Informa-

tion About Thrift Savings Plan Death Benefit Payments,”

are available from the TSP Web site, agency personnel

offices, service TSP representatives, or the TSP Service

Office. Payments are ordinarily made 60 days after the

notices to the beneficiaries, have been issued.

Payments made directly to spouses of deceased parti-

cipants are subject to 20 percent mandatory Federal

income tax withholding on the taxable balances.

Spouses of deceased participants can avoid the man-

datory withholding on all or part of these payments by

having the TSP transfer that amount to a traditional

IRA or to an eligible employer plan. Payments of mon-

ey made to beneficiaries other than a spouse are sub-

ject to 10 percent withholding (which may be avoided,

as described in the tax notice). Payments to non-spouse

beneficiaries cannot be transferred. Tax-exempt bal-

ances retain their tax-exempt status when paid to

beneficiaries, and are not subject to withholding.

In this order of precedence, a child includes a natural

child (even if the child was born out of wedlock), a child

adopted by the participant, and descendants of deceased

children; it does not include a stepchild who was not

adopted. Note: Under the order of precedence, if the par-

ticipant’s natural child was adopted by someone other

than the participant’s spouse, that child is not entitled to

a share of the participant’s TSP account.

“By representation” means that if a child of the participant

dies before the participant dies, that child’s share will be

divided equally among his or her children.

Parent does not include a stepparent unless the stepparent

adopted the participant.

-12-

Withdrawal Rules for Rehired Participants

If you separate from Federal civilian employment or the

uniformed services and then are reemployed by the

Federal Government with a break in service of less

than 31 full calendar days, you are not eligible to

withdraw your TSP account. If you are a FERS partici-

pant, your new agency should start your Agency Auto-

matic (1%) Contributions immediately. Whether you

are covered by FERS, CSRS, or the uniformed services,

your own contributions to your account should re-

sume automatically when you are rehired. (Check

your earnings and leave statement.) If contributions

do not resume, see your new agency personnel office

or service. If you have an outstanding TSP loan, con-

tact your new agency personnel office or service to

ensure that your loan payments continue to be made;

otherwise, you may be subject to a taxable distribution.

If your break in service is 31 or more full calendar

days, you are eligible, but not required, to withdraw

your TSP account. If you wish to withdraw your ac-

count, your withdrawal request must be received and

paid while you are still separated from service.

Note: If you began receiving monthly payments from the

TSP after you separated, those payments will stop if you

are subsequently rehired; annuity payments will con-

tinue despite your rehire.

TSP Forms and Materials for Separated Participants

You can obtain the following items from the TSP Web site. Also, if you are employed as a Federal civilian employee, you

can obtain them from your agency personnel office; if you are a member of the uniformed services, you can obtain these

items from your service TSP representative. After you separate, you can obtain them from the TSP Service Office. (Items with

an asterisk (*) may not be available through your agency or service.)

For Civilian TSP Participants: For Uniformed Services TSP Participants:

To withdraw your account —

• Form TSP-70, Request for Full Withdrawal

• Form TSP-77, Request for Partial Withdrawal

When Separated

• Form TSP-16, Exception to Spousal Requirements*

• Booklet: Withdrawing Your TSP Account After

Leaving Federal Service

• Booklet: TSP Annuities

• Tax Notice: “Important Tax Information About

Payments From Your TSP Account”

• Form TSP-U-70, Request for Full Withdrawal

• Form TSP-U-77, Request for Partial Withdrawal

When Separated

• Form TSP-U-16, Exception to Spousal Requirements*

• Booklet: Withdrawing Your TSP Account After

Leaving Federal Service

• Booklet: TSP Annuities

• Tax Notice: “Important Tax Information About

Payments From Your TSP Account”

To make interfund transfers in your account —

To keep your account information up to date —

• Form TSP-3, Designation of Beneficiary

• Form TSP-9, Change of Address for Separated

Participant*

• Form TSP-15, Change in Name for Separated

Participant*

• Form TSP-U-3, Designation of Beneficiary

• Form TSP-U-9, Change of Address for Separated

Participant*

• Form TSP-U-15, Change in Name for Separated

Participant*

Other materials —

• Form TSP-60, Request for a Transfer Into the TSP*

• Form TSP-73, Change in Monthly Payments*

• Tax Notice: “Important Tax Information About Your

TSP Withdrawal and Required Minimum Distributions”*

• Tax Notice: “Tax Treatment of Thrift Savings Plan

Payments Made Under Qualifying Orders”*

• Booklet: Information About Court Orders

• Form TSP-U-60, Request for a Transfer Into the TSP*

• Form TSP-U-73, Change in Monthly Payments*

• Tax Notice: “Important Tax Information About Your

TSP Withdrawal and Required Minimum Distributions”*

• Tax Notice: “Tax Treatment of Thrift Savings Plan

Payments Made Under Qualifying Orders”*

• Booklet: Information About Court Orders

To combine your civilian and uniformed services TSP accounts —

• Form TSP-65, Request to Combine Uniformed

Services and Civilian TSP Accounts*

• Form TSP-65, Request to Combine Uniformed

Services and Civilian TSP Accounts*

For beneficiaries to receive your account —

• Form TSP-17, Information Relating to Deceased

Participant*

• Tax Notice: “Important Tax Information About Thrift

Savings Plan Death Benefit Payments”*

• Form TSP-U-17, Information Relating to Deceased

Participant*

• Tax Notice: “Important Tax Information About Thrift

Savings Plan Death Benefit Payments”*

• Form TSP-50, Investment Allocation (available only

from your agency personnel office and the TSP

Service Office)

• Form TSP-U-50, Investment Allocation (available

only from your service TSP representative and the

TSP Service Office)

FPI-LOM TSPBK02 (Revised 7/2004)

EDITIONS PRIOR TO 8/02 OBSOLETE

To make your withdrawal

go smoothly:

• Obtain the withdrawal forms and tax

notice from your agency or service when

you separate.

• Make sure your agency or service prompt-

ly reports your separation to the TSP.

• If you have a TSP loan, either repay it

or ask that the TSP declare it a taxable

distribution.

• Check your withdrawal forms before you

mail them to make sure they are correct

and complete — including signature and

date. If you have both a civilian and a

uniformed services TSP account, be sure

you are using the correct forms.

• Make a copy of your withdrawal forms

for your records.

• Notify the TSP Service Office in writing

immediately if there is any change in

your address after you separate.