FAQ
These answers are intentionally direct. FERSCalc is meant to be useful, free to use, and plain about its limits, but it is not presented as official, exhaustive, or risk-free.
FERSCalc is a free tool built by a federal employee for federal employees who want a practical view of retirement timing, income, taxes, and household cash flow. It is most useful when you are actively comparing retirement dates or pressure-testing whether a plan looks workable.
Yes. FERSCalc is free to use, does not require an account, and is intended to remain a genuinely free option for federal employees rather than a near-term subscription product. If sustainability ever becomes a real constraint, that would be reassessed then and communicated plainly.
No. FERSCalc is an independent planning tool, not an official estimate from OPM or any federal agency. It is intended to help you understand scenarios and tradeoffs before you make final decisions.
No calculator scenario data is uploaded. The calculator runs in your browser and stores your scenario locally on your device unless you explicitly export it yourself.
You will get the best results if you have your birth date, service start date, target retirement date, high-3 salary, TSP balances, expected Social Security figures, FEHB details, and your filing state. You can still start with partial information and refine later.
Federal tax is modeled for all filers. All 50 states and DC are covered: detailed income tax bracket and deduction rules are implemented for Alabama, Arizona, Arkansas, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, North Dakota, Ohio, Oklahoma, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, West Virginia, Wisconsin; the 9 states with no income tax (Alaska, Florida, Nevada, New Hampshire, South Dakota, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, Wyoming) are also fully correct. Implementations are planning approximations — not CPA-level filings — and some state-specific edge rules are intentionally simplified.
Yes. The calculator supports adding a second person for household planning, survivor-benefit considerations, combined income, and joint tax effects.
FERSCalc focuses on monthly retirement income, taxes, TSP drawdown, scenario comparison, and cash-flow context rather than a single headline number. The goal is to show what retirement may actually feel like, not just gross benefit components. If you enable it under Assumptions, the Results → Stress tab adds illustrative historical replay charts and tables using bundled annual market data — separate from your main projection assumptions and from Monte Carlo.
No. FERSCalc provides planning output based on your inputs and built-in assumptions. It should support decision-making, not replace professional advice or official benefit confirmation.
