{"id":683,"date":"2021-04-16T15:54:29","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T19:54:29","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/gpswp.com\/certaadvisors\/?p=683"},"modified":"2023-01-11T11:22:01","modified_gmt":"2023-01-11T15:22:01","slug":"what-are-my-former-spouses-rights-to-my-federal-employee-retirement-benefits","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/what-are-my-former-spouses-rights-to-my-federal-employee-retirement-benefits\/","title":{"rendered":"What Are My Former Spouse\u2019s Rights To My Federal Employee Retirement Benefits?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><em>By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads <\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large\"><img loading=\"lazy\" width=\"1024\" height=\"512\" src=\"https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/700\/wedding.jpeg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-684\" srcset=\"https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/700\/wedding.jpeg 1024w, https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/700\/wedding-300x150.jpeg 300w, https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/700\/wedding-150x75.jpeg 150w, https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/700\/wedding-768x384.jpeg 768w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p>If you\u2019re a federal employee going through a divorce, one of the first questions on your mind is probably: <em>What are my former spouse\u2019s rights to my federal employee retirement benefits?<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>As with most things in life, there\u2019s no black-and-white answer. There are certain retirement benefits that court orders can\u2019t touch, and there are others that are fair game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Our goal is to run through each of these lists with you today, so you know what your former spouse\u2019s rights may be to your federal employee benefits.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Federal Employee Retirement Benefits <strong><em>Can <\/em><\/strong>Be Impacted By A Court Order?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>As I mentioned early, certain federal employee retirement benefits are \u201cfair game\u201d when it comes to state court orders. For example, a judge could rule that you have to:<a href=\"#_ftn1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Divide your CSRS or FERS annuity.<\/li><li>Divide a retirement contributions refund if you leave your federal job early.<\/li><li>Keep your former spouse or your children on your federal health insurance plan.<\/li><li>Assign your federal life insurance coverage to your former spouse.<\/li><li>Keep your former spouse or your kids as the beneficiary on your federal life insurance policy.<\/li><li>Garnish your annuity to pay for alimony or child support.<\/li><li>Make distributions from your Thrift Savings Plan to your former spouse.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>What Benefits <strong><em>Can\u2019t <\/em><\/strong>Be Impacted By A Court Order?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>No matter what the court rules on a state level, there are a handful of benefits that can\u2019t be touched based on federal law. For example, a court order can\u2019t legally require you to:<a href=\"#_ftn2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul><li>Keep a former spouse on your federal dental or vision plan.<\/li><li>Enroll in a new federal dental or vision insurance plan just to cover your children.<\/li><li>List n former spouse as a \u201cqualified relative\u201d eligible to enroll in the Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program.<\/li><\/ul>\n\n\n\n<h2>When Can My Former Spouse Start Claiming My Benefits?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Your former spouse can start claiming your federal employee retirement benefits as soon as you\u2019ve retired and started applying for them. This is different from private-sector pensions where your ex can start collecting benefits at your full retirement age\u2014even if you\u2019re still working and haven\u2019t applied for them yet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2>Get Help Now<\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Sorting through federal employee retirement benefits during a divorce is quite complex. The best way to know what your ex-spouse is entitled to is to talk it over with a professional. The <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opm.gov\/\">Office of Personnel Management (OPM)<\/a> has tons of free resources on its website regarding divorce and separation. Even still, reaching out to a trusted financial advisor who specializes in federal employee benefits may be the best way to quickly get the support and answers you need to make a smooth transition.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>At <a href=\"https:\/\/www.certaadvisors.com\/\">Certa Advisors<\/a>, we\u2019re a financial planning firm specifically for federal employees. If you\u2019d like professional help figuring out exactly what benefits your ex is entitled to, reach out to us at (301) 798-5250 or <a href=\"https:\/\/meetings.hubspot.com\/jshareef\">schedule a phone call now<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-css-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref1\"><sup>[1]<\/sup><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opm.gov\/retirement-services\/publications-forms\/pamphlets\/ri84-1.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\">https:\/\/www.opm.gov\/retirement-services\/publications-forms\/pamphlets\/ri84-1.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><a href=\"#_ftnref2\"><sup>[2]<\/sup><\/a> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.opm.gov\/retirement-services\/publications-forms\/pamphlets\/ri84-1.pdf\">https:\/\/www.opm.gov\/retirement-services\/publications-forms\/pamphlets\/ri84-1.pdf<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads If you\u2019re a federal employee going through a divorce, one of the first questions on your mind is probably: What are my former spouse\u2019s rights to my federal employee retirement benefits? As with most things in life, there\u2019s no black-and-white answer. There are certain [&#8230;]<br \/><a class=\"read-more small\" href=\"https:\/\/gpswp.com\/wealthflowfinancial\/what-are-my-former-spouses-rights-to-my-federal-employee-retirement-benefits\/\">Continue Reading <i class=\"fa fa-long-arrow-right\"><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[],"tags":[],"acf":[],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v19.7.1 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>What Are My Former Spouse\u2019s Rights To My Federal Employee Retirement Benefits? - Wealthflow Financial<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"What Are My Former Spouse\u2019s Rights To My Federal Employee Retirement Benefits? - Wealthflow Financial\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"By Jay Shareef and Chris Rhoads If you\u2019re a federal employee going through a divorce, one of the first questions on your mind is probably: What are my former spouse\u2019s rights to my federal employee retirement benefits? 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