FERS retirement specialist in Silver Spring: get matched with a Federal Retirement Consultant

Looking for a FERS retirement specialist in Silver Spring?

Silver Spring is a federal town, and the questions are the same at every desk.

When can I retire, what does the survivor election really cost, does the FERS Supplement apply to me, how do I turn the TSP into income. The rules that answer those are federal and identical everywhere. What is specific to you is your service history, your goals, and how Maryland taxes what you take home. A consultant matched on your state reads all three together.

Where Silver Spring federal employees work

Maryland has about 144,000 federal civilian employees, and Silver Spring carries a large share of them. The largest federal employers in the area:

• FDA White Oak campus The FDA's White Oak campus in Silver Spring is the agency's headquarters, part of a nationwide workforce of more than 18,000 employees.
• NOAA headquarters, Silver Spring Metro Center NOAA's operational headquarters campus is at Silver Spring Metro Center, part of an agency with about 12,000 personnel worldwide.
• National Institutes of Health, Bethesda campus The NIH main campus in Bethesda, a few miles from Silver Spring, employs nearly 6,000 scientists in its own laboratories.
• Walter Reed National Military Medical Center, Bethesda Walter Reed in Bethesda is a large military hospital near Silver Spring, staffed by federal civilians alongside uniformed medical personnel.
• NIST, Gaithersburg campus NIST's main campus sits in Gaithersburg, further up the I-270 corridor from Silver Spring, and is a Commerce Department research laboratory.

How Maryland taxes a federal retirement

Maryland taxes retirement income but excludes part of a FERS annuity for many retirees. Your FERS annuity is taxable in Maryland, but if you are 65 or older on the last day of the year, or you or your spouse is totally disabled, you can claim Maryland's pension exclusion of up to $41,200 for 2025 and $40,600 for 2026. The exclusion is reduced dollar for dollar by all Social Security and Railroad Retirement benefits you receive, taxable or not, so if your Social Security exceeds the cap the exclusion is zero. The full picture, including TSP withdrawals and Social Security, is on the Maryland page.

Tax year 2026 rates. Confirm with the Maryland revenue department or a tax professional.

How matching works for Silver Spring federal employees

1. Step 1

   Tell us where you are

   Pick a time below and share your city, state and the decision you are weighing. Nothing is filed and you can stop at any step.

2. Step 2

   We match you with an FRC who serves Maryland

   FFEBA, the organization behind the FRC designation, refers you to a Federal Retirement Consultant in its network who works with federal employees in your state. Look them up by name before the call.

3. Step 3

   A free review, by phone

   The consultant reads your situation against the federal rules and your goals, in plain terms. If your plan already fits, you will hear that.

What the review covers

The consultant walks the same ground for every federal employee, whether you work at FDA White Oak campus or anywhere else in Silver Spring and the Bethesda corridor:

• Your retirement date. Eligibility, the FERS Supplement, COLA timing, and how the date shapes your first years of income.
• The survivor election. What it costs, what it protects, and how it affects FEHB for a spouse.
• FEHB and Medicare. The five-year rule, and how your plan coordinates with Medicare later.
• FEGLI. Which options you carry into retirement, and where coverage stops earning its cost.
• The TSP. How it is invested today and how you will turn it into income once the paychecks stop.

Also serving

Federal employees in Bethesda, Takoma Park, Wheaton, Rockville, Gaithersburg and the rest of Silver Spring and the Bethesda corridor use the same form above; the match is by state, so distance from Silver Spring does not matter. Elsewhere in Maryland: Baltimore. Or start from the Maryland page or the full state list.

This page is education, not tax, legal or investment advice. State rules change; confirm the Maryland figures with the state revenue department or a tax professional before you file anything.