Thrift Savings Account 2009 Enrollment Information

Elections for 2009 Begin: December 17, 2008 (4:30 a.m. CT)
Elections for 2009 End: December 16, 2009 (3:59 a.m. CT)

TSP Contribution Limits

The new Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) contribution limit, based on the 2009 Internal Revenue Service (IRS), annual deferral limit is $16,500.

Note: If you are a Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS) employee, you may lose agency matching contributions if your contributions reach the maximum IRS limit before the last pay period in the calendar year. To evenly distribute the IRS maximum contribution over all 26 pay periods, elect to contribute $635 per pay period ($16,500 divided by 26).

The TSP 50+ catch-up limit for 2009 is $5,500.

Note: To participate, you must be age 50 or older during calendar year 2009 and must be able to self-certify that by the end of the calendar year you will have contributed the IRS annual deferral limit, $16,500, through regular contributions to TSP and/or to other plans subject to the elective deferral limit.

You can begin contributing, change your contribution amount or percentage, or cancel TSP contributions at any time.

Who Can Participate

All career employees are eligible to contribute to TSP.

How to Enroll and Make Contribution Elections or Cancellations

To use the Employee Web, the easiest way to use PostalEASE, access the system in any of these ways:

On the Internet at https://liteblue.usps.gov. Under “Employee Self Service,” select PostalEASE.
At an employee self-service kiosk.
On the Intranet at http://blue.usps.gov. Under “Employee Resources,” select Employee Self Service, and then PostalEASE.

To use the telephone, call the Employee Service Line toll-free at 877-477-3273 and select PostalEASE.

If you have a medical condition that interferes or if you cannot successfully complete your transaction using PostalEASE for another reason, contact the HR Shared Services Center (HRSSC) for assistance.

Please Post on All Bulletin Boards Through December 16, 2009.

How to Get Your USPS Personal Identification Number (PIN)

To use PostalEASE, enter your Employee ID (found at the top of your earnings statement) and USPS^® PIN. If you don’t know your USPS PIN, you can get it any one of these ways:

Go to https://liteblue.usps.gov and click Forget Your PIN? Enter your 8-digit Employee ID (printed at the top of your earnings statement). Choose a new PIN immediately with Self-Service PIN Reset — just follow the instructions.
Request your PIN from the USPS Intranet Blue or a self-service kiosk — click Employee Self-Service, then PostalEASE.
Dial 877-477-3273 and press 1. Enter your Employee ID. When prompted for your PIN, pause, then press 2. Your USPS PIN will be mailed to your address of record the next business day.

How to Make Investment Allocations

To make TSP fund investment allocations, you must contact TSP directly, anytime, in any of these ways:

Go to the TSP website at www.tsp.gov and use your TSP account number or custom ID and Web password.
Call the TSP ThriftLine toll-free at 877-968-3778 (TDD toll-free at 877-847-4385) and use your TSP account number and PIN.
Mail TSP-50, Investment Allocation, available from the HRSSC, to TSP (but the election will not take effect as quickly as by telephone or Internet).

How to Get Your TSP Security Identifiers

You now have these TSP identifiers:

Account number, used for all contacts.
Custom ID, used instead of account number for contacts via the TSP website only.
PIN (separate from the USPS PIN used for PostalEASE), used for contacts via the ThriftLine only.
Web password, used for contacts via the TSP website only.

The account number, PIN and Web password may be obtained by calling the ThriftLine toll-free at 877–968–3778 or the TDD toll-free line at 877-847-4385 and following the prompts. The account number and Web password can be mailed to you if you request them by accessing the TSP website and selecting Account Access.