[Code of Federal Regulations]
[Title 5, Volume 3]
[Revised as of January 1, 2008]
From the U.S. Government Printing Office via GPO Access
[CITE: 5CFR1605.13]

[Page 212-213]
 
                    TITLE 5--ADMINISTRATIVE PERSONNEL
 
         CHAPTER VI--FEDERAL RETIREMENT THRIFT INVESTMENT BOARD
 
PART 1605_CORRECTION OF ADMINISTRATIVE ERRORS--Table of Contents
 
                    Subpart B_Employing Agency Errors
 
Sec. 1605.13  Back pay awards and other retroactive pay adjustments.

    (a) Participant not employed. The following rules apply to 
participants who receive a back pay award or other retroactive pay 
adjustment for a period during which the participant was separated from 
Government employment:
    (1) If the participant is reinstated to Government employment, 
immediately upon reinstatement the employing agency must give the 
participant the opportunity to submit a contribution election to make 
current contributions. The contribution election will be effective as 
soon as administratively feasible, but no later than the first day of 
the first full pay period after it is received;
    (2) The employing agency must give the participant the following 
options for electing makeup contributions:
    (i) If the participant had a contribution election on file when he 
or she separated, upon the participant's reinstatement to Government 
employment, that election will be reinstated for purposes of the makeup 
contributions; or
    (ii) Instead of making contributions for the period of separation in 
accordance with the reinstated contribution election, the participant 
may submit a new contribution election if he or she would have been 
eligible to make such an election but for the erroneous separation.
    (3) All contributions made under this paragraph (a) and associated 
breakage will be invested according to the participant's contribution 
allocation on the posting date. Breakage will be calculated using the G 
Fund share prices in accordance with Sec. 1605.2 unless otherwise 
required by the employing agency or the court or other tribunal with 
jurisdiction over the back pay case.
    (b) Participant employed. The following rules apply to participants 
who receive a back pay award or other retroactive pay adjustment for a 
period during which the participant was not separated from Government 
employment:
    (1) The participant will be entitled to make up contributions for 
the period covered by the back pay award or retroactive pay adjustment 
only if for that period--

[[Page 213]]

    (i) The participant had designated a percentage of basic pay to be 
contributed to the TSP; or
    (ii) The participant had designated a dollar amount of contributions 
each pay period which equaled the applicable ceiling (FERS or CSRS) on 
contributions per pay period, and which, therefore, was limited as a 
result of the reduction in pay that is made up by the back pay award or 
other retroactive pay adjustment;
    (2) The employing agency must compute the amount of additional 
employee contributions, agency matching contributions, and agency 
automatic (1%) contributions that would have been contributed to the 
participant's account had the reduction in pay leading to the back pay 
award or other retroactive pay adjustment not occurred; and
    (3) All contributions under this paragraph (b) and associated 
breakage will be posted to the participant's account based on the 
participant's contribution allocation on the posting date. Breakage will 
be calculated in accordance with Sec. 1605.2.
    (c) Contributions to be deducted before payment or other retroactive 
pay adjustment. Employee makeup contributions required under paragraphs 
(a) and (b) of this section:
    (1) Must be computed before the back pay award or other retroactive 
pay adjustment is paid, deducted from the back pay or other retroactive 
pay adjustment, and submitted to the TSP record keeper;
    (2) Must not cause the participant to exceed the annual contribution 
limit(s) contained in sections 402(g) and 415(c) of the I.R.C. (26 
U.S.C. 402(g) and 415(c)) for the year(s) with respect to which the 
contributions are being made, taking into consideration the TSP 
contributions already made in (or with respect to) that year; and
    (3) Must be accompanied by attributable agency matching 
contributions. In any event, regardless of whether a participant elects 
to make up employee contributions, the employing agency must make all 
appropriate agency automatic (1%) contributions associated with the back 
pay award or other retroactive pay adjustment.
    (d) Prior withdrawal of TSP account. If a participant has withdrawn 
his or her TSP account other than by purchasing an annuity, and the 
separation from Federal service upon which the withdrawal was based is 
reversed, resulting in reinstatement of the participant without a break 
in service, the participant will have the option to restore the amount 
withdrawn to his or her TSP account. The right to restore the withdrawn 
funds will expire if the participant does not notify the Board within 90 
days of reinstatement. If the participant returns the funds that were 
withdrawn, the number of shares purchased will be determined by using 
the share price of the applicable investment fund on the posting date. 
Restored funds will not incur breakage.
    (e) Participants who are covered by paragraph (d) of this section 
and who elect to return funds that were withdrawn may also elect to 
reinstate a loan which was previously declared to be a taxable 
distribution.

[66 FR 44277, Aug. 22, 2001, as amended at 68 FR 35500, June 13, 2003; 
68 FR 74451, Dec. 23, 2003; 70 FR 32211, June 1, 2005]