§ 8351 — Participation In The Thrift Savings Plan

(1) An employee or Member may elect to contribute to the Thrift Savings Fund established by section 8437 of this title. (2) An election may be made under paragraph (1) as provided under section 8432(b) for individuals who are subject to chapter 84 of this title. (1) Except as otherwise provided in this subsection, the provisions of subchapters III and VII of chapter 84 of this title shall apply with respect to employees and Members making contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund under subsection (a) of this section. (A) An employee or Member may contribute to the Thrift Savings Fund in any pay period any amount not exceeding the maximum percentage of such employee’s or Member’s basic pay for such pay period allowable under subparagraph (B). (B) The maximum percentage allowable under this subparagraph shall be determined in accordance with the following table:In the case of a pay period beginning in fiscal year:The maximum percentageallowable is:20016  20027  20038  20049  200510  2006 or thereafter100. (C) Notwithstanding any limitation under this paragraph, an eligible participant (as defined by section 414(v) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986) may make such additional contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund as are permitted by such section 414(v) and regulations of the Executive Director consistent therewith. (3) No contributions may be made by an employing agency for the benefit of an employee or Member under section 8432(c) of this title. (4) Section 8433(b) of this title applies to any employee or Member who elects to make contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund under subsection (a) of this section and separates from Government employment. (A) The provisions of section 8435 of this title that require a waiver or consent by the spouse of an employee or Member (or former employee or Member) shall not apply with respect to sums in the Thrift Savings Fund contributed by the employee or Member (or former employee or Member) and earnings in the fund attributable to such sums. (B) An election or change of election authorized by subchapter III of chapter 84 of this title shall be effective in the case of a married employee or Member, and a loan or withdrawal may be approved under section 8433(g) and (h) of this title in such case, only after the Executive Director notifies the employee’s or Member’s spouse that the election or change of election has been made or that the Executive Director has received an application for such loan or withdrawal, as the case may be. (C) Subparagraph (B) may be waived with respect to a spouse if the employee or Member establishes to the satisfaction of the Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board that the whereabouts of such spouse cannot be determined. (D) Except with respect to the making of loans or withdrawals under section 8433(g) or (h), none of the provisions of this paragraph requiring notification to a spouse or former spouse of an employee, Member, former employee, or former Member shall apply in any case in which the nonforfeitable account balance of the employee, Member, former employee, or former Member is $3,500 or less. (6) Notwithstanding paragraph (4), if an employee or Member separates from Government employment and such employee’s or Member’s nonforfeitable account balance is less than an amount that the Executive Director prescribes by regulation, the Executive Director shall pay the nonforfeitable account balance to the participant in a single payment. (7) For the purpose of this section, the term “nonforfeitable account balance” has the same meaning as under section 8401(32). (8) In applying section 8432b to an employee contributing to the Thrift Savings Fund after being restored to or reemployed in a position subject to this subchapter, pursuant to chapter 43 of title 38— (A) any reference in such section to contributions under section 8432(a) shall be considered a reference to employee contributions under this section, except that the reference in section 8432b(b)(2)(B) to employee contributions under section 8432(a) shall be considered a reference to employee contributions under this subchapter and section 8440e; (B) the contribution rate under section 8432b(b)(2)(A) shall be the maximum percentage allowable under subsection (b)(2) of this section; and (C) subsections (c) and (d) of section 8432b shall be disregarded. (9) For the purpose of this section, separation from Government employment includes a transfer described in section 8431. (c) A member of the Foreign Service described in section 103(6) of the Foreign Service Act of 1980 shall be ineligible to make any election under this section. (1) A foreign national employee of the Central Intelligence Agency whose services are performed outside the United States shall be ineligible to make an election under this section. (A) and making contributions to the Thrift Savings Fund out of basic pay may also contribute (by direct transfer to the Fund) any part of bonus pay received by the employee as part of the pilot project. (B) Contributions under this paragraph are subject to section 8432(d) of this title. (e) The Executive Director of the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board may prescribe regulations to carry out this section.