FERS Retirement Help in Columbia, SC
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By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated
If you are a federal civilian in the Midlands, we can walk through your FERS numbers with you on a phone or video call. We have no Columbia office, and you won't need one.
Federal employers in the area
- Fort Jackson is the Army's largest and most active Initial Entry Training center, training 50% of all Soldiers entering the Army each year. Close to 3,500 civilians work there[8]. It is also home to the U.S. Army Soldier Support Institute, the Institute for Religious Leadership, the Drill Sergeant Academy and DIA's National Center for Credibility Assessment[8].
Benefits contacts
Army civilians, including most Fort Jackson staff, use the Army Benefits Center-Civilian (ABC-C) at 1-877-276-9287[2]. Retirees with annuity questions call OPM at 1-888-767-6738[3].
How SC treats a federal pension
Your FERS annuity counts as "qualified retirement income" in South Carolina[5]. That lets you deduct $3,000 a year under 65 and $10,000 at 65 or older. Once you turn 65, the separate $15,000 age deduction can shelter more, minus whatever retirement deduction you claimed[4].
Cost of living
BEA puts the 2024 price level for the Columbia, SC metro at 93.7, where 100 is the U.S. average[1]. So Columbia was about 6% below the national average.
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Sources
- BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area (2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026)
- DoD DCPAS: Benefits Service Centers (official DoD civilian benefits contacts)
- OPM: Retirement Services contact
- SC Department of Revenue: Retirees, lower your Individual Income Tax bill
- SC Department of Revenue: 2025 SC1040 instructions
- U.S. Army Fort Jackson: History