Spending Bill Extends Exemptions from TSP Withdrawal Penalty for Some Federal Employees

Certain “special category” federal employees will benefit from a provision in the new tax and spending bill that extends penalty free withdrawals from the Thrift Savings Plan under certain conditions.

In what has become an annual exercise, Congress passed a year-end tax and spending bill.  As always, many little changes were made to the tax laws and put in a section called “Miscellaneous Provisions”.

One such provision extends the “age 50 rule” for certain federal employees.

This past summer, Congress passed HR 2146, a bill that allowed federal Law Enforcement Officers, Firefighters, Customs and Border Protection Officers, and Air Traffic Controllers, beginning January 1, 2016, to make penalty free withdrawals from the TSP if they retired in their 50th year of birth.

Additional “special category employees” have been added to the above occupations and will also be able to make penalty free withdrawals in their 50th year of birth.

Those positions are:

  • Nuclear Materials Courier
  • Member of the U. S. Capitol Police
  • Member of the Supreme Court Police
  • Diplomatic Security Special Agent of the State Department

About the Author

John Grobe is the former President of Federal Career Experts, a firm that provides pre-retirement training and seminars to a wide variety of federal agencies.