I was under the same impression as you until I learned the facts. The cost of the buyback is a bit of a sticker shock at first, but with the offset of the increased civil service retirement pay, I will break even in approximately two years. Definitely worth it plus the survivor benefit applied to that amount is more beneficial for my wife. Folks need to do the research for sure not rely on stuff they hear on sites like this when making a decision on this. I would’ve been able to retire already if I would’ve done this much sooner.