OPM's direct final rule rewrites the Civil Service Rules October 13 unless adverse comments land by September 14. What changes, and how to comment.
August 30, 2026 · 7 min readPay · Retirement · Benefits
Know exactly what your federal pay, pension and benefits add up to.
Free, source-backed calculators for FERS retirement, TSP growth, GS pay and FEHB premiums — built by people who actually read the regulations.
2026 at a glance
1.0%average GS pay raiseOPM · Jan 2026
$197,200EX-IV basic pay capOPM · 2026
46.3%top locality (SF–San José)OPM · 2026
$24,500TSP elective deferral limitTSP · 2026
Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Thrift Savings Plan and General Services Administration. Figures current as of January 2026.
The Calculators
41 tools · IndexEvery tool below draws from official OPM, TSP and GSA data and runs free in your browser.
- GS Pay CalculatorFind your General Schedule pay by grade, step, and locality — and model future raises and promotions.Calculate my pay
- FERS Retirement CalculatorCalculate your FERS annuity from age, service years, and High-3 salary, with survivor options.Estimate my pension
- TSP Growth & WithdrawalProject your Thrift Savings Plan balance at retirement and model safe withdrawal rates.Model my TSP
- FEHB Premium CalculatorCompare Federal Employee Health Benefits premiums for active employees and retirees.Compare plans
- High-3 Salary CalculatorIdentify your highest 36 consecutive months of basic pay — the foundation of your FERS pension.Find my High-3
- Federal Leave OptimizerAlign annual leave with federal holidays and weekends, and burn use-or-lose hours before year-end.Optimize my leave
- Severance Pay CalculatorCalculate federal severance from years of service and age, including the 52-week cap and tax.Estimate my severance
The full toolkit
34 more toolsPay & Salary
Retirement
Benefits & Insurance
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From the Newsroom
View all articlesAgencies paid $15B for feds to leave under the DRP, then refilled 20,557 of those jobs at lower grades. The dollar math on what the backfill actually saves.
August 30, 2026 · 6 min readAll 26 pay periods for the 2026 and 2027 leave years, payday rules by payroll provider, use-or-lose deadlines, and the 26-vs-27 pay period answer.
August 30, 2026 · 8 min readResources & Tools
Planning guides, professional tools, and resources for every stage of a federal career.
Benefits Calculators
Seven interactive tools covering pay, leave, TSP, FEHB, High-3 salary, severance, and retirement.
Open calculatorsResource Library
Guides, templates, and agency-specific briefings for every stage of your federal career.
Browse resourcesFederal Pay & Benefits Reports
In-depth, source-backed analysis — locality pay, TSP benchmarks, and retirement timing.
Read the reports