Your FERS supplement earnings survey: fill it out right

1. What this survey is and why it matters

If you retired from federal service under FERS before age 62 with an immediate, unreduced annuity, you may be receiving the FERS Annuity Supplement — the “bridge” payment that replaces the Social Security portion of your benefit until you can claim Social Security at 62.

That supplement comes with a string attached: an earnings test. And once a year, OPM checks whether you tripped it. The FERS supplement earnings survey — officially Form RI 92-22, the Annuity Supplement Earnings Report — is how that check happens. OPM Retirement Services mails it each April and May to non-disability FERS annuitants who are between their Minimum Retirement Age and age 62 and receiving the supplement. If you’re in that group, the form is landing in your mailbox right about now.

The survey asks you to report the wages you earned during the previous tax year — for the 2026 survey, that means your 2025 earnings. If those earnings exceeded the limit, OPM reduces your supplement. The reduction takes effect with your July annuity payment, payable August 1.

This is not junk mail, and it is not optional if it applies to you. Filling it out correctly — and knowing what does and doesn’t count — is the difference between an accurate result and giving up money you were entitled to keep.

2. The earnings limit and how the reduction works

The FERS supplement uses the same earnings limit as the Social Security earnings test. For 2026 that limit is $24,480 — up from $23,400 in 2025.

The reduction formula: for every $2 you earn over the limit, your supplement is reduced by $1. It’s a 50-cent-on-the-dollar haircut on the amount above the threshold.

A few worked examples make it concrete:

Read the bottom row carefully. If your annual supplement is $12,000, earning about $48,480 generates a $12,000 reduction — the supplement is gone entirely for that year. Earn more than that and there’s simply nothing left to reduce; the supplement can’t go negative.

The earnings test is not a tax. It’s a dollar-for-two reduction of one specific benefit — and it only touches the supplement. Your basic FERS pension is never affected by what you earn, no matter how large the number.

That last point matters and gets missed: the earnings test reduces only the supplement. Your basic FERS annuity — the lifetime pension — is completely untouched by the earnings test. You could earn a million dollars and your basic pension would not move by a cent. Only the bridge payment is at risk.

3. What counts as earnings — and what doesn’t

This is where FERS retirees lose money they didn’t need to lose. The earnings test applies only to earned income, and that’s a narrower category than most people assume.

What counts:

• Wages and salary from a job
• Net earnings from self-employment

That’s essentially it — money you work for.

What does NOT count:

• TSP withdrawals — Traditional or Roth, every penny is exempt
• Your FERS pension and the supplement itself
• Social Security benefits
• Military retired pay and VA benefits
• Interest, dividends, and capital gains from investments
• Rental income (unless real estate is your active trade or business)
• Unemployment compensation and workers’ compensation
• Gifts, inheritances, and trust distributions
• Pensions and annuities generally

The single most important line there is the first one: TSP withdrawals do not count as earnings. A FERS retiree under 62 can withdraw from the TSP — Traditional or Roth — without it touching the earnings test at all. This is central to how the supplement years should be planned. If you need income before 62 and you’re worried about the earnings limit, the TSP is the source that doesn’t put your supplement at risk. For the full set of withdrawal options, see TSP withdrawal options in 2026.

4. Filling it out without losing money

A few practical points for handling the survey itself.

Report the right number. The form asks for earned income from the prior tax year — wages and net self-employment income only. Do not include TSP withdrawals, investment income, or pension income. Reporting a too-high number because you lumped in non-earned income creates a reduction you don’t actually owe.

Have your documents ready. Your W-2s and, if self-employed, your Schedule C or relevant tax records establish the correct figure. If your earnings genuinely exceeded the limit, the reduction is legitimate — but it should be based on the accurate number, not an estimate.

If your supplement was already wrongly reduced, OPM has a correction process. You can request reinstatement in writing with your claim number, and provide your 1040, associated W-2s, and the Social Security Administration’s earnings record to document the actual figure. A reduction based on bad information can be fixed.

Plan next year before it happens. If you’re considering part-time work while receiving the supplement, run the math first. A $30,000 job costs $2,760 of supplement; a $34,000 job costs $4,760. That doesn’t mean don’t work — earning $30,000 and losing $2,760 still leaves you well ahead. But know the trade before you take the job, and remember the earnings test disappears entirely at 62.

The earnings survey is routine, but it’s not trivial. Report earned income accurately, leave out everything that isn’t earned income, and keep your TSP in mind as the income source that doesn’t touch your supplement.