---
kind: "section"
citation: "22 U.S.C. § 4050"
title: "22"
title_heading: "Foreign Relations and Intercourse"
number: "4050"
heading: "Discontinued service retirement"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/22/4050"
units:
  - "Chapter 52 — Foreign Service"
  - "Subchapter VIII — Foreign Service Retirement and Disability"
  - "Part I — Foreign Service Retirement and Disability System"
---

# §4050. Discontinued service retirement


Any [participant](/usc/22/4071a.md?p=5) who voluntarily separates from the Service after obtaining at least 5 years of service credit toward retirement under the [System](/usc/22/4071a.md?p=10) (excluding [military and naval service](/usc/22/4044.md?p=9)) may upon separation from the Service or at any time prior to becoming eligible for an annuity elect to have his or her contributions to the [Fund](/usc/22/4071a.md?p=2) returned in accordance with [section 4055 of this title](/usc/22/4055.md), or to leave his or her contributions in the [Fund](/usc/22/4071a.md?p=2) and receive an annuity, computed under [section 4046 of this title](/usc/22/4046.md), commencing at age 60.


## Source credit

(Pub. L. 96–465, title I, § 810, Oct. 17, 1980, 94 Stat. 2112.)