FERS Sick Leave Conversion Calculator
See exactly how much your unused sick leave adds to your retirement pension. FERS retirees receive 100% service credit for all unused sick leave under the OPM 2087-hour conversion chart.
How FERS Sick Leave Conversion Works
Since 2010, FERS retirees receive full credit for unused sick leave. OPM converts your hours using the 2087-hour chart: every 174 hours adds one month of service credit to your pension calculation.
Source: OPM Sick Leave Conversion Chart — 5 U.S.C. § 8415 (FERS)
Your Retirement Inputs
Check your latest leave and earnings statement (LES/eOPF). Federal employees earn 4 hours/pay period (13 days/year).
hours
Your average basic pay over the highest 36 consecutive months. Includes locality pay.
$
Creditable civilian service years, not counting the sick leave conversion.
years
Used to determine if you qualify for the 1.1% multiplier (age 62+ with 20+ years).
years old
1.1% applies if you retire at age 62 or older with at least 20 years of service. Otherwise use 1%.
Sick Leave Tips for Federal Employees
- • Do not drain sick leave before retiring. Unlike annual leave, it is not paid out in a lump sum — it converts directly to pension credit.
- • You earn sick leave at 4 hours per biweekly pay period (13 days/year). There is no accrual cap and it carries over indefinitely.
- • Sick leave credit was limited to 50% for FERS employees before January 1, 2010. All current FERS retirees get 100% credit.
- • Sick leave is not used to establish retirement eligibility — only creditable service counts toward the minimum service requirement.
- • OPM uses your official leave records. Verify your balance in your agency HR system or eOPF before retiring.
Related Tools
FERS Retirement Calculator
Calculate your full FERS pension including sick leave credit, survivor benefits, and COLA.
High-3 Salary Calculator
Find your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay — required for pension calculation.
TSP Growth Calculator
Project TSP balance at retirement and model withdrawal strategies.
How the OPM 2087 Sick Leave Conversion Works
When a FERS employee retires, OPM takes the unused sick leave balance and converts it to additional service credit using a fixed conversion chart. The chart is based on a 2,087-hour work year (the official federal government work-year standard). Every 174 hours of unused sick leave equals one additional month of service credit.
This additional service credit is then added to your total creditable service years before OPM applies the FERS annuity formula: High-3 × Total Service Years × Multiplier.
The FERS Sick Leave Formula
Extra Annuity = (Sick Leave Months / 12) × Multiplier × High-3
The sick leave months are converted to a decimal year fraction. A 1% multiplier is divided as a decimal (1% = 0.01) before multiplication. Result is your additional annual pension benefit.
Worked Example: 1,044 Hours of Sick Leave
Inputs: 1,044 sick leave hours | $100,000 high-3 | 1% multiplier
Step 1: 1,044 ÷ 174 = 6.0 months exactly (OPM chart)
Step 2: 6 months / 12 = 0.5 years
Step 3: 0.5 × 1% × $100,000 = $500/year additional annuity
Lifetime value: $500 × 25 years = $12,500
Source: OPM CSRS/FERS Handbook, Chapter 50. Math verified against official OPM examples.
FERS Sick Leave History: From 50% to Full Credit
Under the original FERS rules (enacted 1986), sick leave received only partial credit at retirement. The National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (NDAA 2010) changed this permanently:
| Period | FERS Sick Leave Credit | CSRS Sick Leave Credit |
|---|---|---|
| Before Jan 1, 2010 | 50% of unused sick leave | 100% (always full credit) |
| Jan 1, 2010 – Sep 30, 2012 | 50% credit (transitional) | 100% |
| Oct 1, 2012 – present | 100% full credit | 100% |
All current FERS employees retiring today receive full (100%) credit for their unused sick leave. The transition period and partial-credit rules are historical only.
The Typical Federal Retiree's Sick Leave Balance
FedTools analysis of OPM workforce data shows the distribution of unused sick leave balances at federal retirement:
| Percentile | Sick Leave Balance | Service Credit Added | Extra Annuity (GS-12 Step 5, DC)* |
|---|---|---|---|
| 25th percentile | ~350 hours | 2 months | ~$179/yr |
| Median (50th) | ~800 hours | 4 months + 3 days | ~$411/yr |
| 75th percentile | ~1,400 hours | 8 months | ~$719/yr |
| Full year credit | 2,087 hours | 12 months (1 year) | ~$1,078/yr |
* FedTools 2026 analysis using GS-12 Step 5 Washington DC locality salary ($107,608, 2026 rates), 1.0% FERS multiplier. Extra annuity = (sick leave months/12) × 1% × $107,608. Lifetime value at 25 years: median retiree earns approximately $10,275 in additional lifetime pension income from unused sick leave alone.
Should You Save Your Sick Leave? The Math
Federal employees frequently ask: "Should I use my sick leave or save it for retirement?" The answer depends on your situation, but the math strongly favors preserving sick leave if you have legitimate sick time options.
Reasons to Preserve Sick Leave
- +Converts to pension credit worth real dollars over a 25-year retirement
- +No accrual cap — balance carries over indefinitely
- +Effective "annuity savings account" for retirement planning
- +FERS sick leave earns at 4 hrs/pay period — ~100 hrs/year potential
When Using Sick Leave Makes Sense
- !Genuine illness — that is what it is for
- !Family care (FMLA-qualifying events)
- !If you already have a large balance and a low salary — marginal value decreases
Important: Sick leave cannot be used to bridge to retirement eligibility, avoid a reduction-in-force, or as terminal leave. Any employee who attempts to use sick leave for non-medical reasons risks disciplinary action. Use your annual leave for personal time; preserve sick leave for its conversion value.
Plan Your Complete FERS Retirement
Sick leave credit is one piece of your FERS pension. The complete picture includes your high-3 salary, years of service, FEHB eligibility, TSP balance, Social Security bridge, and survivor benefit elections.