Your current or former spouse, or your dependents, could be awarded a portion of your TSP account if a valid Retirement Benefits Court Order (RBCO) to divide your account is issued. The RBCO can be issued at any time in the divorce, annulment, and separation proceedings.

Does TSP know if your married?

The TSP determines marital status by how that status is listed on the participant’s federal income tax form.

Can married couples combine TSP accounts?

Yes, you CAN combine your TSP accounts when you separate from uniformed services or federal civilian service (or both).

What is a TSP Uniformed Services account?

TSP allows service members to take their retirement savings with them when they transition to civilian employment. TSP participants leaving federal service may leave their savings in their TSP account or “roll” it into an IRA or other retirement program and continue to defer taxes. I.R.C. § 402(c).

What should you do with your TSP when you leave the service?

Options for your TSP when you leave the service

1. Leave the assets in your TSP account.
2. Roll your TSP account assets into an IRA.
3. Roll your TSP account into your new employer’s 401(k) plan.
4. Withdraw your TSP account assets in a lump sum.
5. Transfer your TSP account assets to a qualified annuity.

What happens to my TSP in divorce?

A court order will freeze your TSP account, meaning that no withdrawals or loans can be made until the divorce is finalized. Unless excluded from the court order, any outstanding loan balances will be included in the account balance when calculating your former spouse’s award.

What happens if you have 2 TSP accounts?

Although the account numbers are the same, the funds in your two TSP accounts remain separate. That means that you manage the accounts separately, and most rules and limitations apply individually to each account. Managing your accounts separately becomes especially important when you consider taking money out.

What happens to a TSP account when a spouse dies?

A surviving spouse who is entitled to receive all or a part of a deceased participant’s TSP account will have his or her entire death benefit automatically deposited into a Beneficiary Participant Account (BPA). When the TSP establishes a BPA, the account balance will be invested solely in the Government Securities Investment (G) Fund.

Do you have spousal rights in the TSP?

The TSP provides spousal rights for spouses of employees and retirees, as do all employer sponsored retirement plans. Because we have two different retirement systems (FERS and CSRS), we have two different sets of rights available to spouses.

Can a FERS spouse have a TSP account?

In addition, many CSRS employees would be retiring in the near future with small TSP balances. Therefore, they offered protection only to the spouses of FERS employees and retirees. If you’re a federal employee or retiree who is getting divorced, assets such as your Thrift Savings Plan can be divided by court order.

What do you need to know about the TSP form?

TSP Form: TSP-3, Designation of Beneficiary. Use this form to designate a beneficiary or beneficiaries to receive your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) account after your death. TSP Form: TSP-1, Election Form. Use this form to start, stop, or change the amount of your contributions to the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP).