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News for the federal workforce, updated daily.
Pay raises, retirement planning, and benefits — expert guidance for every stage of your federal career, sourced and updated for 2026.
Featured data reports
Data report
OPM Retirement Backlog 2026: The Complete Data Report
Every month of the OPM retirement backlog, Oct 2025 to Sep 2026: the 65,237 peak, the FY2026 close at 8,814 and 66 days, and a 16,145-case residual the table never reconciles.
Jul 19, 2026 · 23 min read
Data report
State of Federal Pay 2026: 50 Data Points for Every Fed
Federal employees in San Jose-SF earn 46.34% above base in 2026, the highest of 58 localities. Full data report with 50+ sourced statistics on GS pay.
Apr 17, 2026 · 21 min read
Data report
State of Federal Retirement Readiness 2026: 50 Data Points
Median FERS TSP balance is ~$50K while the average is $217K. OPM backlog hit 65,237. Full data report on federal retirement readiness with sourced stats.
Apr 17, 2026 · 25 min read
Most read
Latest articles
558 articles · page 1 of 24RetirementNew
Air Traffic Controller Retirement at 50, 52 or 56: The FERS Math
FERS air traffic controllers can retire at 50 with 20 years of controller service. The 1.7% formula, the age-56 separation and 61 exemption, the supplement, and TSP at 50.
Pay & CompensationNew
2027 Federal Leave Year Chart: Accrual, Holidays and Use-or-Lose
On OPM's listed schedule the 2027 leave year runs Jan 10, 2027 to Jan 8, 2028. Hours earned per pay period by category, 2027 holidays, the Nov 27 deadline, free download.
Pay & CompensationNew
Federal Paycheck Late on Oct. 9? The NFC Date That Counts
NFC scheduled settlement for the period ending Oct. 3, 2026 for Tuesday, Oct. 13, with an official pay date of Thursday, Oct. 15. Why Friday was never an NFC pay date.
RetirementNew
Work Longer or Take the FERS Supplement Now? The Break-Even Math
Retire at 57 with the FERS supplement or work to 58, 59 or 60? On pension plus supplement alone, working longer does not break even before age 98. See the six-case table.
RetirementNew
OPM Disability Retirement Approval Rate: What the Data Shows
We found no current OPM approval or denial rate for federal disability retirement. What OPM's data shows, the five-part test it applies, and the clocks that decide your case.
TSPNew
TSP Growth Calculator: How to Project Your TSP Balance
How to project your TSP balance with honest assumptions: the formula, a salary-by-contribution-by-return grid for 10, 20 and 30 years, and the FERS match rules.
CareerNew
Does a New VA Claim Reopen Your Rating? P&T, SMC and the 5/10/20 Rules
A new-condition claim does not automatically reopen your ratings. What a claim can trigger, when VA can reduce a P&T or TDIU rating, and what SMC claims examine.
Policy UpdatesNew
Federal Telework Protection Act: Proposed Appeal Rights
H.R. 10713 would let executive-branch employees appeal a denied telework request to an agency office, then the MSPB, on 90-day clocks. Current law and status.
RetirementNew
GS-9 vs a Private Offer: Break-Even Is 1.02x to 1.19x
We priced FERS accrual, the 5% TSP agency money, the FEHB share and 20 leave days for a 2026 GS-9 step 5. Break-even: 1.19x with no benefits, 1.02x with some.
RetirementNew
Medicare Open Enrollment vs FEHB Open Season: Which Window?
Medicare Open Enrollment (Oct 15 to Dec 7) vs FEHB Open Season (Nov 9 to Dec 14): what a federal annuitant can change in each, and the one move you can't undo.
TSPNew
TSP 27 Pay Periods 2026: Fix Your Election Before PP26
2026 has 27 pay dates for GSA-paid feds, 26 for IBC and NFC. The exact TSP election change that spreads $24,500 over every check and keeps your 4% match.
TSPNew
Changing Your TSP Allocation Doesn't Move Your Balance
A new contribution allocation steers only future money. Moving what you have takes a reallocation or fund transfer: two unrestricted a month, noon ET cutoff.
TSPNew
Born in 1953? Your First TSP RMD and the April 1, 2027 Trap
Born in 1953 and retired? Your first TSP RMD can wait until April 1, 2027, but that stacks two RMDs into 2027. $300,000 and $800,000 examples show the tax and IRMAA cost.
CareerNew
Union Contract Cases, Agency by Agency: VA, BOP, EPA, DoD
A judge ordered BOP to restore its union contract Sept. 29; BOP ended it again Oct. 7. Here is where VA, BOP, EPA and DoD employees stand before Oct. 13.
CareerNew
VR&E Denied at 10 or 20%? The 3 Findings That Decide It
Denied VR&E with a 10 to 20% rating? The employment-handicap test VA applies, the no-time-limit rule for discharges since 2013, the 48-month cap, what to file.
CareerNew
Chapter 1606 Rates 2026-27: $508 a Month vs. the Post-9/11 GI Bill
VA's Montgomery GI Bill Selected Reserve rates from Oct. 1, 2026: $508 full-time, the $350 kicker cap, the repealed 14-year rule, and what a 90-day mobilization really earns.
CareerNew
Continuous Vetting Flagged You? What Happens Next and Your Rights
A continuous vetting alert is a lead, not a decision. What the checks pull, why failing to self-report can count against you, and the rights that attach at revocation.
BenefitsNew
OPM's '$2.4 Billion' FEHB Fraud Number: What OPM Measured, $531M
The $2.4 to $4 billion figure is OPM's director's arithmetic, not a fraud count. What OPM published ($531.5M reported, $21.9M recovered) and what to have ready by Dec. 14.
BenefitsNew
FEHB TCC After You Leave: 18 or 36 Months, Two Deadlines, $2,963
TCC runs 18 months from your separation date, 36 for a child or former spouse. The 60-day election clock, the RIF rule, and $2,962.99 a month for BCBS Standard family in 2027.
RetirementNew
IRMAA After Federal Retirement: Form SSA-44 Rules and Deadlines
Retiring is a life-changing event SSA accepts. File Form SSA-44 in the right window. A couple who both pay IRMAA and both file can drop $5,769.60 in 2026 surcharges.
RetirementNew
Federal Employee Records Relief Act: Your Rights Now vs. H.R. 10718
H.R. 10718 would let feds who left a civilian job on or after Jan. 20, 2025 ask OPM to fix record errors. It is not law. The four correction clocks you can use today.
Policy UpdatesNew
SSA to End AWS Nov. 16, FNN and GovExec Report: Your Rights
Per FNN and GovExec, SSA's Oct. 5 email ends 4/10 and 5/4/9 schedules from Nov. 16. If the AFGE contract provides your schedule, 5 U.S.C. 6131(c)(3) limits how SSA can end it.
CareerNew
Tuition Waivers for Children of 100% P&T Veterans: State by State
DEA pays $1,621 a month from Oct. 1, 2026 in every state. State programs for a 100% P&T veteran's family exist in more than half. Threshold, residency, age cap by state.
TSPNew
TSP RMD Deadline Dec 31, 2026: What You Owe and 6 Steps to Take
Your 2026 TSP RMD is your Dec. 31, 2025 traditional balance divided by the IRS factor. Who owes one, what the TSP does if you wait, the born-1953 April 1 choice, and IRAs.
What we cover
The topics that matter most to federal employees.Policy Updates
Pay raises, OPM guidance, RIFs, and the legislation that reshapes federal employment.
Retirement Planning
FERS guides, High-3 strategy, the supplement, survivor benefits, and real retirement case studies.
TSP Strategies
Data-backed allocation, contribution timing, and withdrawal news for every investing style.
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