Editor, FedTools
Jonathan D.
Editor of FedTools. U.S. federal employee with 20+ years of federal experience, publishing under a pen name to keep outside writing cleanly separated from official duties.
Jonathan D. is the editor of FedTools and is publishing under a pen name. He is a U.S. federal employee with more than 20 years of federal experience and built FedTools to give fellow federal employees a modern, transparent alternative to the legacy worksheets and PDF charts that still dominate federal-benefits search results. He chose to publish under a pen name to maintain a clear separation between his official duties and his outside writing — a separation explicitly encouraged by the federal Standards of Ethical Conduct (5 CFR Part 2635) and by the appearance-of-impropriety standard. Jonathan is not a registered investment advisor, attorney, CPA, or financial planner. Every calculator, blog post, and resource on FedTools is written, audited, and edited by him personally, with editorial direction informed by ongoing conversations with federal employees, retirees, HR specialists, and benefits advisors. Where FedTools projects, models, or estimates, the underlying formulas and primary OPM / GAO / CRS / BLS / FRTIB source data are linked inline so readers can verify the math themselves. FedTools is an independent commercial project; it is not affiliated with OPM, OMB, GSA, the TSP, or any federal agency or department.
Recent posts by Jonathan D.
- Government Shutdown October 2026: 2 of 12 Bills, 92 Days
FY2027 funding expires October 1, 2026. Only 2 of 12 bills passed the House, the Senate is at zero. Per-grade paycheck-at-risk table and 92-day prep plan.
- OPM Back Pay Tax Trap 2026: The $1,148 Medicare Surprise
OPM pays 60-80% interim pay, then a catch-up lump sum taxed in one year. See grade-by-grade tax math, the $1,148 IRMAA trap, and the SSA-44 fix.
- TSP Fund Returns June 2026: S Fund Jumps 4.34%, C Fund Dips
The S Fund jumped 4.34% in June 2026 while the C Fund fell 0.95%, the widest monthly gap of the year. Full TSP returns, YTD leaders, and what changed.
- 2027 Military Pay Raise: Tiered 5-7% vs Flat 3.6%
The 2027 NDAA proposes a tiered military pay raise (7% for E-5 and below) while the Senate wants a flat 3.6%. See the exact dollar impact by grade, E-1 through O-6.
- 2026 BAH Rates: Same Rank, $45,000 Apart by Zip Code
2026 BAH rose 4.2% on average, but duty stations ranged from -6.9% to +15.8%. See which bases gained, which dropped, and the rate-protection rule that blindsides PCS arrivals.
- BRS vs High-3: Optimize Your Military Retirement (2026)
You're in the Blended Retirement System if you joined after 2018. Here's how to optimize BRS in 2026: protect your TSP match, time continuation pay, and run the numbers.
- Guard & Reserve Retirement Points: The 'Good Year' Trap (2026)
Reserve and Guard retirement runs on points and 'good years.' Missing one good year can cost an E-7 over $10,000 in lifetime pension. Here's how points work and how to protect yours.
- What Your Military Rank Is Worth in GS Pay (2026)
Comparing military basic pay to a GS salary understates your military pay by 40 to 70%. Here's the honest rank-to-GS math using Regular Military Compensation, with 2026 figures.
- SBP vs Life Insurance: The Military Retiree's 6.5% Math
Military SBP costs 6.5% of your pension; the survivor gets 55% for life. Here's the real break-even vs term life, the four advantages competitors skip, and when term wins.
- VA Disability + a Federal Job: What You Can Collect (2026)
Can you collect VA disability and a federal GS salary at the same time? Yes. Here's how VA comp, military retired pay (CRDP/CRSC), and a FERS pension interact in 2026, with a decision matrix.
- Which FEHB Plan Shares the Most Data With OPM? (2026)
OPM wants monthly medical claims on 8M feds. Some FEHB carriers already send your data; HMOs send less. A carrier-by-carrier privacy comparison for 2026.
- What a Forced Level 3 Rating Costs You in 2026
OPM's forced distribution caps top ratings. A Level 5-to-3 downgrade costs a GS-13 ~$3,298/yr and up to 8 years of RIF retention credit. The real math, by grade.
- Military Pension + FERS: Can You Collect Both? (2026)
Military retirees can keep full retired pay and a GS salary. But counting service toward FERS means waiving the pension or buying it back. The decision math, explained.
- Can the Government Revoke Your Telework Disability Accommodation?
Agencies can't blanket-cancel telework granted for a disability. The Rehabilitation Act rules, the NSF and DOJ cases, and the 45-day deadline you can't miss.
- TRICARE vs. FEHB for Military Retirees in Federal Jobs (2026)
Military retirees in federal jobs can keep TRICARE, run it with FEHB, or suspend FEHB and save thousands. The 2026 cost tables, the 5-year-rule trap, and the strategy.
- Feds Get 0%, Military Gets 7%: The 2027 Pay Gap's Pension Cost
The 2027 budget proposes 0% for civilian feds and 5-7% for military, the widest gap in the modern GS era. See the year-by-year data and the High-3 pension hit.
- Federal NDA Rights 2026: What Your Agency Can't Make You Waive
A federal NDA can restrict confidential information, but it can't strip your whistleblower rights. The anti-gag statute, the OPM NDA's flaw, and a before-you-sign checklist.
- Your $45,000 Federal Pension Really Pays ~$2,565 a Month
OPM quotes a gross annuity, but survivor election, FEHB, and taxes take a big bite. See the gross-to-net waterfall by pension size and what actually hits your bank.
- SAVE Plan Is Dead: Federal Employees Have Until Sept. 30 to Act
The SAVE student loan plan is gone. Federal employees in forbearance have 90 days to pick IBR or RAP before auto-enrollment. GS-grade payment table inside.
- Schedule Policy/Career and Student Loans: $85,000 in Hidden Risk
Reclassified to Schedule Policy/Career? You face two student-loan risks: SLRP clawback and PSLF timing traps. The mechanics, the dollar exposure, and the fixes.
- Schedule F Guide 2026: 8,000 Positions Now Reclassified
EO 14410 reclassified ~8,000 positions into Schedule Policy/Career on June 3, 2026. What changes, what doesn't, and the action checklist for every career fed.
- Schedule P/C Acknowledgment Form: Sign or Refuse? (2026)
Agencies are handing ~8,000 reclassified employees a Schedule P/C form this week. OPM says refusal can't trigger punishment. What to do before you sign.
- Is Your Job on the 8,000-Person Schedule Policy/Career List?
The 8,000-position at-will list is public. Here's the exact step-by-step to check if your federal job is on it, using your SF-50 and the White House appendix.
- Schedule Policy/Career Benefits: FEHB, TSP, FERS and Severance
Schedule Policy/Career is now active for roughly 8,000 positions. Your FEHB, TSP, and FERS rules mostly stay the same, but job-security timing changes the math.
- Divorce After Federal Retirement: Annuity, Survivor, FEHB
Divorcing after you've retired runs on different rules: your survivor election cancels automatically, a 2-year fix window, and OPM won't pay retroactively.
- EEOC's New Priorities: What Changes for Federal Workers
The EEOC adopted a new enforcement plan June 4, 2026. Which complaints get backed, which get deprioritized, and what happens to your pending EEO case.
- Federal Law Enforcement Retirement: 6c Rules Explained
The 6c enhanced FERS formula pays LEOs 1.7% per year, retirement at 50, and an earnings-test-free supplement. The rules, the math, and the coverage trap.
- Federal Science Brain Drain: A Generational Loss in Data
118,000 science-agency employees gone, 10,109 PhDs out in one year, NIH grants down 66%. The agency-by-agency numbers behind the generational loss.
- $4,080 Tax-Free: The Federal Transit Subsidy Under RTO
The federal transit subsidy pays up to $340/month tax-free, worth a $6,240 raise for some feds. How TRANServe works in 2026 and how to enroll this week.
- FEHB Self Plus One vs Family: 2 in 5 Rates Are Inverted
FedTools analyzed all 478 OPM 2026 rate combos: 196 charge Self Plus One MORE than Self & Family, up to $1,738/yr. The table, the why, and how to switch.