---
kind: "section"
citation: "5 U.S.C. § 8350"
title: "5"
title_heading: "Government Organization and Employees"
number: "8350"
heading: "Retirement counseling"
release: "119-102"
date: "2026-07-12"
url: "https://uscodex.org/usc/5/8350"
units:
  - "Part III — Employees"
  - "Subpart G — Insurance and Annuities"
  - "Chapter 83 — Retirement"
  - "Subchapter III — Civil Service Retirement"
---

# §8350. Retirement counseling

- (a) For the purposes of this section, the term “retirement counselor”, when used with respect to an [agency](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1), means an [employee](/usc/5/8311.md?p=1) of the [agency](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1) who is designated by the head of the [agency](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1) to furnish information on benefits under this subchapter and [chapter 84](/usc/5/chptIII/sptG/ch84.md) of this title and counseling [services](/usc/5/8331.md?p=12) relating to such benefits to other [employees](/usc/5/8311.md?p=1) of the [agency](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1).
- (b) The [Director](/usc/5/8331.md?p=32) of the [Office](/usc/5/5402.md?p=3) of Personnel Management shall establish a [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) program for all retirement counselors of [agencies](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1) of the Federal [Government](/usc/5/8331.md?p=7).
- (c)
  - (1) The [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) program established under [subsection (b)](#b) of this section shall provide for comprehensive [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) in the provisions and [administration](/usc/5/9801.md?p=1) of this subchapter and [chapter 84](/usc/5/chptIII/sptG/ch84.md) of this title, shall be designed to promote fully informed retirement decisions by [employees](/usc/5/8311.md?p=1) and [Members](/usc/5/8331.md?p=2) under this subchapter and individuals subject to [chapter 84](/usc/5/chptIII/sptG/ch84.md) of this title, and shall be revised as necessary to assure that the information furnished to retirement counselors of [agencies](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1) under the program is current.
  - (2) The [Director](/usc/5/8331.md?p=32) shall conduct a [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) session under the [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) program at least once every 3 months.
  - (3) Once each year, each retirement counselor of an [agency](/usc/5/3132.md?p=a-1) shall successfully complete a [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) session conducted under the [training](/usc/5/4101.md?p=4) program.

## Source credit

(Added Pub. L. 99–335, title II, § 205(a), June 6, 1986, 100 Stat. 592; amended Pub. L. 99–556, title II, § 202, Oct. 27, 1986, 100 Stat. 3135.)

## Notes

### Editorial Notes

### Amendments

1986—Subsec. (c)(1). Pub. L. 99–556 substituted “subsection (b)” for “subsection (b)(1)”.

### Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries

### Effective Date

Section effective June 6, 1986, see section 702(b)(3) of Pub. L. 99–335, set out as a note under section 8401 of this title.

### Enhancing Financial Literacy

Pub. L. 108–469, § 2, Dec. 21, 2004, 118 Stat. 3892, provided that: In General.—The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (in this section referred to as the ‘Board’) shall periodically evaluate whether the tools available to participants provide the information needed to understand, evaluate, and compare financial products, services, and opportunities offered through the Thrift Savings Plan. The Board shall use these evaluations to improve its existing education program for Thrift Savings Plan participants. Report on Financial Literacy Efforts.—The Board shall annually report to the Committee on Governmental Affairs [now Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs] of the Senate and the Committee on Government Reform [now Committee on Oversight and Accountability] of the House of Representatives on its Thrift Savings Plan education efforts on behalf of plan participants. Strategy.—As part of the retirement training offered by Office of Personnel Management under section 8350 of title 5, United States Code, the Office, in consultation with the Board, shall— not later than 6 months after the date of enactment of this Act [Dec. 21, 2004], develop and implement a retirement financial literacy and education strategy for Federal employees that— shall educate Federal employees on the need for retirement savings and investment; and provide information related to how Federal employees can receive additional information on how to plan for retirement and calculate what their retirement investment should be in order to meet their retirement goals; and submit a report to the Committee on Governmental Affairs [now Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs] of the Senate and the Committee on Government Reform [now Committee on Oversight and Accountability] of the House of Representatives on the strategy described under paragraph (1).”