— Annual Leave
There are so many things potential retirees must consider when looking forward to the next adventure in life – retiring well.  Although many people will not consider their accrued Annual Leave a prime subject when discussing retirement, your Annual leave needs to be considered both for you peace of mind and the ability to recharge your batteries away from work, but also for the potential retirement benefits for leave that is not used. Obviously, you should be taking advantage of your TSP account and making sure that you are prepared to maximimize any CSRS and FERS benefits you might be eligible for.  But you also need to recognize that you have worked for a long time, most of us since high school. Once we entered the work world there was no turning back because we had to make a living. Having a job and taking on the responsibilities of life afforded us membership into the world of bona fide ADULTS.
There might have been times during your work career where accumulating annual leave meant taking a vacation or using your leave at your leisure. But when we start planning the next phase of our lives – retiring well – part of the process is making sure you are maximizing every benefit available to you. That includes viewing Annual Leave as money that will help sustain you as you transition from the work world into retirement.
You may wish to refresh your knowledge about Interim Payments and how it can be used to bridge the gap from retirement to full Annuity payments, because your lump sum annual leave payment is another piece of the puzzle we need to collect in order to make it complete. Preserving your annual leave when you are contemplating retirement is a way of building a cushion to cover your financial responsibilities until you receive your full annuity payment. The Lump Sum Payment you receive as a result of your annual leave accrual will create comfort and security; thus the importance for preserving as much annual leave as possible as you prepare to move into retirement.
The maximum annual leave carryover for most employees is 30 days or 240 hours. It is a good course to visit your human resources office or with a knowledgeable financial professional and discuss the importance of understanding the beginning and ending of the leave year versus the calendar year. Retiring before the end of the leave year impacts your annual leave accrual.  Find out what you need to know in order to maximize every benefit that is available to you.
P. S.  Always Remember to Share What You Know.
LINKS
For more information on your Interim Payments and retirement income sources
Your TSP (Thrift Savings Plan) structure and investment options
How can your accued Annual Leave be used as a retirement tool
