Built by a federal employee, for federal employees

Retiring at 57 or 62? Model the lifetime difference before you commit.

FedHorizon is the decision-modeling platform for federal employees — retirement timing, FERS Supplement, VERA offers, private sector comparisons, FEHB eligibility, and more. Every major financial decision in your federal career, quantified.

Example · GS-13, 28 yrs service, High-3 $112,000

Retire at MRA (57)

EST. $3,136/mo

pension + $1,040 supplement
until age 62

Retire at 62

EST. $4,588/mo

1.1% multiplier + 5 more
years of service credit

Break-even age: 77 — your numbers will differ. Calculate yours below →

Get My Free Report →Try the Free Estimate →

✓Math tested against OPM published examples

✓LEO, FF, and ATC special category fully supported

✓FERS Supplement modeled — the pre-62 income bridge most calculators miss

✓No account required — results appear on this page instantly

Free instant estimate·Results appear on this page instantly

Free Instant EstimateNo account required

Built for FERS employees (hired after 1983). CSRS is not currently supported.

What FedHorizon does

Your federal retirement — modeled, not guessed.

FedHorizon models your federal benefits system based on OPM formulas — pension, Supplement, TSP, and FEHB — so you can see the financial outcome of every major decision before you commit to it.

Not rules of thumb. Not generic calculators. Detailed, OPM-sourced scenario outputs built around your grade, your years, your timeline.

✓

Your full results are delivered as a professional, downloadable PDF — built to bring to your advisor or share with a loved one to support your decision conversation.

Example scenarios below. Your figures will differ based on your grade, salary, and years of service.

Retirement timing

Example scenario

$1,452/mo difference

Example: GS-13, 28 yrs service, retiring at 57 vs. 62. Break-even age: 77.

FERS Supplement

Example scenario

$1,040/mo

Example: estimated supplement added at MRA — then stops completely at age 62. Most employees don't plan for it.

Survivor protection

Example scenario

$287/mo cost

Example: the 25% election costs $287/mo and provides $1,900/mo to a spouse for life.

Lifetime value

Example scenario

$218K more

Example: waiting 3 years to retire at 60 adds $218,000 in estimated cumulative pension income by age 85.

FERS Supplement cliff· interactive · adjust your numbers

The supplement stops at 62 — permanently. This is the income cliff most employees don't see until they're close to it.

Income before 62

$3,375/mo

Income at 62+

$1,875/mo

The cliff

−$1,500/mo

High-3 salary$90,000

Years of service25 yrs

FERS supplement (bridge to 62)

Pension (lifetime)

Example — Section 1: Executive Summary

Illustrative · Not a real report

FedHorizon · Federal Retirement Decision Report · 1 Executive Summary

Illustrative example · Your numbers will differ

Retiring at 60 instead of 57 adds $605 to your monthly estimated pension — and the math shows a significant advantage to waiting.

At your MRA of 57 with 28 years of service, your FERS annuity comes to $3,180/month. Waiting until 60 adds three more years of service credit and a higher High-3, bringing your pension to $3,785/month — a difference of $605 every month for the rest of your life.

The FERS Supplement adds $1,040/month at both ages until you turn 62 — so the income gap between retiring at 57 and 60 is smaller in the early years. But once the Supplement stops, the $605 monthly gap becomes permanent. Your break-even age is 77 — meaning if you live past 77, waiting until 60 pays off more in total lifetime income.

The full tradeoff, survivor election costs, and FEHB eligibility impact are detailed in Sections 2 through 7.

Retire at 57

$3,180/mo

Retire at 60

$3,785/mo

Break-even age

See what else is in the report →

Why FedHorizon

What every other option gets wrong.

OPM calculators model one scenario. HR offices cannot legally give retirement recommendations. Fee-only advisors who understand FERS charge $200–$500/hr — and most don't model the Supplement cliff. None of them show you the side-by-side lifetime trade-off before you commit to a date.

FedHorizon fills the gap — free estimate, no account required.

Feature	FedHorizon	OPM calculator	Agency HR office	Fee-only advisor
Lifetime income modeled at 3 retirement ages	✓ 57, 60, and 62 side-by-side	✗ Single scenario only	✗ Not their job	~ Only if you ask (and pay)
FERS Supplement — the pre-62 income cliff	✓ Modeled in every report	✗ Not included	✗ HR can't advise on this	~ Varies by advisor
Survivor election: cost, spouse income, break-even	✓ All three elections	✗ Not included	✗ HR cannot give recommendations	✓ At $200–$500/hr
FEHB eligibility check — the 5-year rule	✓ Checked in every report	✗ Not checked	~ Only if you think to ask	~ Varies by advisor
Special Category (LEO / FF / ATC / CBPO)	✓ Full support	~ Partial	~ Rarely understood	~ Rare expertise

Lifetime income modeled at 3 retirement ages

FedHorizon✓ 57, 60, and 62 side-by-side

OPM✗ Single scenario only

HR office✗ Not their job

Fee-only advisor~ Only if you ask (and pay)

FERS Supplement — the pre-62 income cliff

FedHorizon✓ Modeled in every report

OPM✗ Not included

HR office✗ HR can't advise on this

Fee-only advisor~ Varies by advisor

Survivor election: cost, spouse income, break-even

FedHorizon✓ All three elections

OPM✗ Not included

HR office✗ HR cannot give recommendations

Fee-only advisor✓ At $200–$500/hr

FEHB eligibility check — the 5-year rule

FedHorizon✓ Checked in every report

OPM✗ Not checked

HR office~ Only if you think to ask

Fee-only advisor~ Varies by advisor

Special Category (LEO / FF / ATC / CBPO)

FedHorizon✓ Full support

OPM~ Partial

HR office~ Rarely understood

Fee-only advisor~ Rare expertise

A note on OPM: OPM's retirement tools are free, government-official, and the authoritative source. FedHorizon is the analytical layer on top — we model the multi-scenario tradeoffs and income cliffs that OPM's single-scenario tool wasn't designed for. Use both.

A fee-only financial advisor is the right next step for complex decisions — FedHorizon gives you the numbers to walk in prepared, not a replacement for professional advice. Find a NAPFA fee-only advisor →

See the full breakdown of what the OPM calculator doesn't cover →

The problem

The questions HR can't answer. The clarity OPM's calculator doesn't give you.

Federal employees have the most valuable benefits in America — and most have never seen the full picture. These are the questions they ask most.

Retire at 57 or 62?

Can I afford to retire at 57 instead of waiting until 62 — and what does that actually cost me per month?

FERS Supplement?

Do I qualify for the FERS Supplement (the bridge payment that fills the income gap before Social Security at 62) — and when does it stop, and what happens to my income when it does?

Survivor benefit?

Should I elect the full survivor benefit for my spouse — what is the monthly cost and what is the break-even age?

Military buyback?

I have prior military service — should I buy it back, and what does that actually add to my monthly pension?

FEHB in retirement?

Do I meet the FEHB 5-year coverage rule to keep my health insurance in retirement — and if not, what do I do?

Special Category (LEO / FF / ATC)?

As a federal firefighter / LEO / ATC, what is my actual retirement eligibility and what does the 1.7% multiplier mean for my pension?

Common questions. Real decisions.

The questions we built this to answer

Federal employees ask these on r/govfire and FedSmith every day. FedHorizon runs the numbers.

“

I keep hearing about a FERS Supplement that pays extra until age 62. Is that real, and how much do I actually lose when it stops?

GS-11 · 14 years service · 6 years from MRA

FedHorizon shows: For a GS-11 profile with 28 yrs service, the estimated supplement adds $1,040/mo at MRA — then stops completely at 62. FedHorizon models this Supplement cliff for your specific numbers.

“

My spouse thinks I should elect full survivor benefit. It costs me $300/month. At what age does that break even — and what happens if I die before then?

GS-13 · 26 years service · Retiring next year

FedHorizon shows: For a GS-13 profile with 26 yrs service, the estimated full election costs $287/mo and breaks even at age 81. The 25% option breaks even at 79 and leaves your spouse $1,900/mo. Your numbers will differ.

“

I'm 52 with 22 years. VERA just came up. What do I actually give up compared to staying 5 more years? Nobody can give me a straight number.

GS-12 · 22 years service · Weighing VERA offer

FedHorizon shows: For a GS-12 profile with 22 yrs service, the estimated pension difference is $847/mo less by leaving now vs. staying five more years. The VERA report models every tradeoff for your actual inputs.

Common questions

Questions federal employees ask before they trust a new tool.

Built directly from OPM's published formulas — estimates align with what OPM's calculator produces for basic annuity. The difference is scope: FedHorizon adds the FERS Supplement cliff, survivor break-even, FEHB eligibility check, and side-by-side retirement ages. Every assumption is disclosed in Section 10.

Yes. LEO, FF, and ATC are fully supported — the 1.7% multiplier for the first 20 years, mandatory separation ages, and Supplement eligibility differences are all modeled correctly.

Yes — the earlier you model, the more decisions you can still change. The report shows exactly how much each additional year of service adds to your pension, which is often the most motivating number for employees in their 40s.

No. Inputs are used only to generate your estimate and purged within 30 days. FedHorizon does not sell or share your data.

Ready to see your numbers?

Try the Free Estimate →Get My Free Report →

Choose your level of clarity

Your federal retirement. Finally, clear.

ALWAYS FREE

Instant Estimate

Getting a quick baseline before committing more time

Free

no account required

Pension at 1 retirement age
FERS Supplement eligibility
TSP balance snapshot
Instant results — no email required

Try it free →

FREE · BETA

Retirement Report

Employees 0–2 years from a retirement decision

Free

free for the first 50 users

Everything in Free Estimate, plus:
3 retirement ages compared side-by-side
Break-even analysis
Net monthly deposit (FEHB, tax, Medicare)
Survivor election cost + spouse benefit
Flagged warnings & action items
12-section PDF · advisor-shareable

Get My Free Report →