Should I check whether my old position was refilled?

If you took the DRP and are weighing a return to federal service, search USAJOBS for your former occupational series and component. The Partnership's data shows agencies are hiring in many vacated series, typically at lower grades, which affects the salary you would re-enter at.

DRP Report Card: 20,557 Backfills, Hired 1.4 Grades Lower

Q: How many DRP departures have been backfilled?

The Partnership for Public Service found 20,557 positions refilled in the same occupational series by June 2026, using USAJOBS posting data. Against OPM's official count of 139,928 DRP participants, that works out to about 14.7 percent, a figure FedTools calculated from the two sources.

Q: What does '1.4 GS grades lower' mean in dollars?

Using the 2026 GS base table, 1.4 grades of compression at a mid-career GS-11 to GS-12 starting point is roughly $8,000 to $13,000 per year less in base pay per backfilled position. Across 20,557 positions, that is about $159 million to $265 million per year, modest next to the $15 billion the DRP cost in administrative leave.

Q: Does OPM dispute the backfill numbers?

OPM Director Kupor disputes the method, arguing occupational series are too broad to serve as a backfill proxy and that the analysis likely overstates true backfills. He also argues the 14.7 percent figure proves 85 percent of the reductions are real and lasting. Notably, he repeats the 1.4-grade figure without disputing it.

Q: How does the backfill number compare to total federal separations?

GAO counted about 378,000 separations across 22 agencies from December 2024 through January 2026, against 127,000 new hires, a net loss of roughly 251,000. The 20,557 backfills measure only same-series refills of DRP-specific departures, so they are 5.4 percent of all separations but 14.7 percent of DRP departures.

Last Updated: August 30, 2026 Reading Time: 7 min

The government paid roughly $15 billion for about 140,000 employees to leave under the Deferred Resignation Program. A new Partnership for Public Service analysis answers the question nobody in the administration wanted quantified: how many of those jobs came back? The DRP backfill count: 20,557 positions refilled by June 2026, at an average of 1.4 GS grades below the people who left.

What the Partnership Actually Measured

The Partnership for Public Service matched USAJOBS postings against DRP departures by occupational series and component through June 2026. Where an agency posted a job in the same series a DRP participant vacated, that counted as a backfill. The result: 20,557 positions, published August 20 in the Partnership's "Inside the chaos of the Deferred Resignation Program" analysis.

One attribution note, because precision matters here: the Partnership published the 20,557 count. The 14.7 percent rate is a FedTools calculation, dividing that count by OPM's official 139,928 DRP participant figure. GovExec and Federal News Network covered the report in late August; neither ran the percentage or the dollar math below.

The Grade Gap, Priced Out

The finding with lasting payroll consequences is not the count. It is the compression: replacement hires came in an average of 1.4 GS grades below the employees they replaced. For the FBI's criminal investigator series, the gap was 3.1 grades.

Here is what 1.4 grades is worth at 2026 base pay, Step 1 to Step 1:

Departing grade	Step 1 base	Replacement ~1.4 grades lower	Annual base pay difference
GS-11 ($63,795)	$63,795	between GS-9 ($52,727) and GS-10 ($58,064)	~$7,700
GS-12 ($76,463)	$76,463	between GS-10 ($58,064) and GS-11 ($63,795)	~$12,900
GS-13 ($90,925)	$90,925	between GS-11 ($63,795) and GS-12 ($76,463)	~$18,900

FedTools 2026 analysis using the OPM 2026 GS base table, Step 1 comparison, no locality. Because most departing employees sat above Step 1 and locality adds 15 to 34 percent on top, these figures understate the real gap.

Scale that across 20,557 positions and the annual base-payroll reduction lands between $159 million (GS-11 midpoint) and $265 million (GS-12 midpoint) per year.

$265 Million a Year Against a $15 Billion Bill

That savings number needs its denominator. The DRP's administrative-leave cost ran about $15 billion, roughly $117,000 per departure. At $265 million a year in grade-compression savings on the backfilled slots, the payroll math alone would need more than 50 years to offset what the program cost up front.

The honest version of the story cuts both ways. OPM Director Kupor's response to the Partnership's report argues occupational series are "too broad to serve as a proxy for backfills" and that the analysis "likely significantly overstates actual backfills." He also flips the frame: if only 14.7 percent came back, then 85 percent of the reductions are real and lasting. Both readings sit on the same data. What Kupor's response does not dispute is the 1.4-grade figure, which he quotes back directly.

The Bigger Denominator: 378,000 Separations

The DRP is one program inside a larger drawdown. GAO's count across 22 agencies from December 2024 through January 2026:

Metric	Figure	Source
Total separations	~378,000	GAO-26-108583
New hires, same period	~127,000	GAO-26-108583
Net workforce loss	~251,000	GAO-26-108583
Same-series DRP backfills by June 2026	20,557	Partnership for Public Service

Against the full separation universe, the backfills are 5.4 percent. Against DRP departures specifically, 14.7 percent. Which denominator you cite changes the story, so cite both.

What This Means If You Took the DRP, or Stayed

If you left: agencies are actively hiring in many vacated series, typically a grade or more below where you sat. If you are weighing a return, search your former series on USAJOBS and check the posted grade before assuming you would re-enter at your old level. Our occupation replacement gap analysis tracks which series are refilling fastest.

If you stayed: grade compression on backfills is a preview of promotion-ladder math at your agency. A workforce refilled at lower grades means more competition per promotion slot in the middle grades over the next several years. Use the free GS Pay Calculator to price the grade difference in your own locality, the same math that turns 1.4 grades into a five-figure annual gap.

Frequently Asked Questions

How many DRP departures have been backfilled?

20,557 same-series positions by June 2026, per the Partnership for Public Service's USAJOBS analysis. That is about 14.7 percent of OPM's official 139,928 DRP participants (FedTools calculation).

What does "1.4 GS grades lower" mean in dollars?

Roughly $8,000 to $13,000 per year less in base pay per position at mid-career grades, or $159 million to $265 million per year across all backfilled slots. With locality pay the real gap is larger.

Does OPM dispute the backfill numbers?

Director Kupor disputes the series-matching method as too broad and says it likely overstates backfills, while arguing the same data proves 85 percent of reductions are lasting. He does not dispute the grade gap.

How does the backfill number compare to total federal separations?

GAO counted ~378,000 separations and ~127,000 hires across 22 agencies through January 2026. Backfills are 5.4 percent of all separations, 14.7 percent of DRP departures specifically.

DRP Cost Per Employee: The $117K Question: The administrative-leave bill this analysis prices against.
Federal Occupation Replacement Gap: Which series are refilling and which are staying empty.
Is Your Agency Next? RIF Risk Ranking: Where continued reductions are most likely.
GS Pay Calculator: Price any grade gap in your locality.

Sources: Partnership for Public Service, "Inside the chaos of the Deferred Resignation Program" · GovExec coverage · OPM Director response (Secrets of OPM) · OPM 2026 GS base pay table