JOINT BASE SAN ANTONIO-RANDOLPH, Texas — Civilian employees will have 27 pay dates in 2015 compared with the usual 26, so some employees might need to adjust their Thrift Savings Plan contribution elections to receive the maximum agency matching contributions for 2015.
The Internal Revenue Code imposes a limit each year on the amount that an employee can contribute annually to a tax deferred retirement plan like TSP. The maximum 2015 contribution amount for traditional or Roth TSP is $18,000, and the maximum amount for 2015 catch-up contributions is $6,000.
Catch-up contributions are additional tax-deferred contributions and are separate from regular TSP contributions. To be eligible to make catch-up contributions, you must be at least age 50 in the year the contributions are made, must be in a pay status, and must be scheduled to reach the elective deferral limit for regular TSP contributions during the calendar year. For those who are eligible, catch-up contributions provide a way for individuals to secure their retirement, especially for those who begin investing later in their careers.
“If employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System wish to receive the maximum matching contributions for 2015, they must ensure they do not reach the $18,000 contribution limit before the last pay day of the year because TSP contributions stop when an employee’s contributions reach the annual maximum limit,” said Erica Cathro, an Air Force Personnel Center human resources specialist.
Air Force civilians can adjust TSP elections through the Employee Benefits Information System.
For more information about this topic, to include viewing the TSP and Catch-Up Contributions Chart and other personnel programs, visit the myPers website. To access EBIS, select the link under the “I would like to” section and log into the site with the social security number and EBIS personal identification number.
New users who do not have a PIN must click the “new user” option to create one. Employees who have forgotten their PIN can reset it by providing six pieces of previously established information. After answering the security questions, select the “forgot login” link and enter the requested information.
