A monthly pension that is payable only to you for the rest of your life is called a Single-Life Pension. If you are not married when your pension begins, this is the way your pension will be paid.

A 50% Joint and Survivor Pension is a reduced monthly pension that is payable to you for the rest of your life and, if you die before your spouse, 50% of your reduced pension that is payable to your spouse for life.

If you are married when your pension begins, Federal law requires that a 50% Joint and Survivor Pension is the way your pension will be paid. If you and your spouse reject this form of payment in writing, then you may choose another way to receive your pension.

The percent of your Single-Life Pension that you will receive under the 50% Joint and Survivor Pension is shown in the following table for various ages:

Your Spouse’s Age	Your Age When Your Pension Starts
	55	57	60	63	65
53	93.08%	91.86%	89.68%	87.04%	84.99%
55	93.61%	92.45%	90.37%	87.82%	85.83%
57	94.14%	93.05%	91.07%	88.62%	86.70%
60	94.92%	93.94%	92.13%	89.87%	88.07%
63	95.68%	94.81%	93.20%	91.14%	89.48%
65	96.16%	95.37%	93.89%	91.98%	90.43%
67	96.62%	95.91%	94.56%	92.81%	91.37%
69	97.04%	96.41%	95.20%	93.61%	92.28%

A 100% Joint and Survivor Pension is a reduced monthly pension that is payable to you for the rest of your life and, if you die before your spouse, 100% of your reduced pension that is payable to your spouse for life. Choose this form of payment if you want to provide a larger benefit to your spouse in the event of your death.

You may not choose the 100% Joint and Survivor Pension if the last year of Credited Service you earned was before your 54th year of birth.

The percent of your Single-Life Pension that you will receive under the 100% Joint and Survivor Pension is shown in the following table for various ages:

Your Spouse’s Age	Your Age When Your Pension Starts
	55	57	60	63	65
53	87.06%	84.95%	81.30%	77.06%	73.90%
55	87.99%	85.97%	82.43%	78.28%	75.17%
57	88.93%	87.00%	83.60%	79.57%	76.52%
60	90.34%	88.57%	85.41%	81.60%	78.68%
63	91.72%	90.14%	87.26%	83.72%	80.96%
65	92.60%	91.15%	88.48%	85.15%	82.52%
67	93.45%	92.14%	89.68%	86.58%	84.10%
69	94.25%	93.07%	90.84%	87.98%	85.66%

A Level Income Option is a monthly pension that is coordinated with your Social Security benefit so that you will receive approximately the same amount each month both before and after your Social Security benefit begins.

Under the Level Income Option, your monthly pension would be increased until age 62 (when you qualify for a Social Security benefit). Then your monthly pension would either decrease or end. Considering both your pension and your Social Security benefit, your retirement income would be approximately level throughout your life. This gives rise to the phrase “Level Income Option.”

You may not choose the Level Income Option unless you retire before age 62. You also may not choose this option if the last year of Credited Service you earned was before your 54th year of birth.

You may choose the Level Income Option and also choose one of the other forms of payment described above.

Level Income Option Example:

• You are retiring early at age 55
• Your Normal Pension payable at age 60 would be $1,350 but because you are retiring early, your pension payable at age 55 is $1,080
• Your estimated Social Security Benefit at age 62 is $730 based on your official transcript obtained from the Social Security Administration

Age 55 to age 62	$1,464 per month
Age 62 and after Social Security Benefit	$   734 $   730 $1,464 per month