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Contents
Every choice shapes your path to retirement
Finding the right investment fund
Add direct deposit to your TSP account for security and convenience
New TSP Life Events Hub makes reporting a death easier
Free TSP webinars and webinar recordings
Choosing tax withholding on your RMDs
Protect your TSP by locking your account
Third quarter statements available in My Account
 Every choice shapes your path to retirement
The retirement you want isn’t built overnight. It takes shape over time through the choices you make along the way.
In this issue, learn how to choose investments that fit your goals, explore the benefits of direct deposit, discover a new tool for reporting a participant’s death, and find resources to help protect and manage your TSP account.
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Finding the right investment fund
Wondering whether you're invested in the right TSP funds? Your investment choices should reflect when you expect to need retirement income and how much risk you’re comfortable taking. Having a thoughtful investment strategy can help you balance growth potential with the level of risk that's right for you. If you're not sure where to start, our Lifecycle Funds (L Funds) can help simplify the decision.
L Funds are designed to automatically adjust over time based on when you'll need retirement income. If you're a new federal employee eligible for automatic enrollment, your contributions are automatically invested in the L Fund considered most appropriate for your age.
If you prefer a more hands-on approach, you can create your own investment mix using the individual TSP funds, which offer broad diversification across stocks, bonds, and U.S. Treasury securities.
A fund that changes as you do
As you move through your career and closer to retirement, the amount of investment risk that's appropriate for your goals may change. L Funds are designed to adjust automatically over time to reflect those changing needs.
Each of the eleven L Funds is a professionally designed mix of the five individual TSP funds (G, F, C, S, and I). As you move closer to retirement, your L Fund gradually becomes more conservative, shifting from a higher allocation of stocks (C, S, and I Funds) to investments focused on preserving your savings (G and F Funds). L Funds are also rebalanced daily to keep their investment mix on track.
Built for the long term
The L Fund you choose doesn't stop working for you when you retire. Over time, each L Fund gradually becomes more conservative and eventually transitions into the L Income Fund, which is designed for participants who are already withdrawing retirement income or expect to start soon. This helps keep your investments aligned with your needs as you move through retirement.
Want to learn more? Use the updated Fund Comparison Tool to compare up to three L Funds, explore their investment objectives, historical performance, expenses, and levels of risk.
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Add direct deposit to your TSP account for security and convenience
Direct deposit is the fastest and most secure way to receive your money, reducing the risk of lost, stolen, or delayed checks. You can add or update your bank account information in My Account now, even if you’re not currently planning to take a loan or withdrawal. For your protection, a bank account must be on file for at least seven days before it can receive funds from your TSP account. Adding bank information now can save you time later.
Log in to My Account and select the “Financial Institutions” link to add or update your direct deposit information today.
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New TSP Life Events Hub makes reporting a death easier
No one likes to think about what happens after they're gone, but a little planning now can make things easier for your loved ones later. That’s why we’ve launched the TSP Life Events Hub, a secure online portal that makes it easier to report the death of a TSP participant and manage the process in one place.
When a TSP participant dies, someone must notify the TSP and provide documentation before any death benefits can be processed. If the participant was still actively employed by the federal government or serving in the uniformed services, their agency or service will also notify the TSP of the death.
The TSP Life Events Hub allows the person reporting the death to
- submit a death certificate and other required documents;
- receive claim status updates by text, email, or both; and
- track the claim from start to finish.
To use the portal, the person reporting the death must create a Life Events Hub account. The person who creates the account is responsible for managing the claim, submitting required documentation, and receiving claim-related communications.
Note: Once the account is set up, the reporter’s name cannot be changed, and the reporter cannot deactivate the account.
Have you reviewed your beneficiaries lately?
Keeping your beneficiary designations up to date can help ensure your TSP account is distributed the way you intend and make the process easier for your loved ones. Take a few minutes to review your beneficiaries in My Account and make any needed updates.
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Free TSP webinars
Thousands of TSP participants join our free webinars every month!
Our official TSP trainers host free webinars on a variety of TSP topics and always include time to answer your specific questions. We add new sessions throughout the year, so check frequently to find times that work for you.
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TSP webinar recordings on YouTube!
You can watch recordings of TSP webinars on our YouTube channel. If the live webinars don’t fit your schedule, or you’d like to review specific topics on your own, we have you covered.
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Choosing tax withholding on your required minimum distributions (RMDs)
We get a lot of questions from participants about IRS required minimum distributions (RMDs).
Many participants have asked if they can have more money withheld from their RMD payment for federal taxes.
The answer is yes: You can have any amount from 0% to 100% withheld when satisfying your RMD. If we issue an automatic RMD payment, we must withhold 10% for federal taxes. However, you can request a withdrawal that satisfies your RMD amount and choose how much to withhold. You’ll need to request the withdrawal before we issue an automatic RMD payment before the deadline each year.
You can take a withdrawal online in My Account or by calling the ThriftLine. For details about RMD calculations and deadlines, read the TSP booklet, Tax Rules about TSP Payments.
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Protect your TSP by locking your account
Locking your account is one way to help protect your TSP account from unauthorized transactions. To do this, you'll need to create a 10-digit “unlock key” and follow these steps:
- Log in to My Account.
- From the My Account homepage, scroll down and select Security Center.
- Select Access Account Lock, then the green Get Started button.
- Enter your 10-digit key and keep it in a safe place.
- Select Lock Your Account.
The next time you log in, you'll still be able to do things like update information and change your investment allocations. However, if you try to perform a transaction that would take money out of your account, you'll be prompted to enter your key. Your account will automatically lock again when you log out.
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Third quarter statements in My Account
Your third quarter TSP statement covers account activity for July 1–September 30, 2026. You'll receive an email when your statement is available online in My Account.
Request a custom statement
You can generate an electronic statement in My Account at any time. After you log in, go to Account Statements from the Quick Links menu and select the date range you want for your statement. (In the TSP Mobile App, you’ll find this link in the Retirement tab.)
Getting your TSP statement by postal mail
If you have postal mail selected as your delivery preference in your current My Account profile, you’ll also receive a copy of your quarterly statement by mail. The way you receive TSP notices and statements depends on your delivery preference in your My Account profile.
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Download the official TSP Mobile App
Download the TSP Mobile App from the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store, the only authorized sources for our app.
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Providing your TSP account credentials to unapproved third-party software, apps, or services may jeopardize your account security. We cannot endorse any information or advice you may receive from third-party software, apps, or services.
Schedule for the Thrift Savings Planner
You'll receive your TSP newsletter by email in January, April, July, and October each year.
You can unsubscribe from the Thrift Savings Planner at any time.
View this email in your browser.
Contact us
Privacy
About the TSP
ThriftLine Service Center
C/O Broadridge Processing
P.O. Box 1600
Newark, NJ 07101-1600
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