The Newsroom
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.
Latest articles
575 articles · page 11 of 24Policy Updates
RIF'd and Your Old Job Is Reposted? Your CTAP/ICTAP Rights
State is rehiring for RIF'd positions while priority rights go unhonored. How CTAP and ICTAP actually work, the 85-score rule, the 25 exceptions, and your remedies.
Pay & Compensation
FEHB Plans 2027: OPM's New Rules and the 10.9% Premium Rise
OPM's first FEHB carrier principles update in a decade puts cost containment first. What each of the 10 principles means for your 2027 premiums and Open Season.
Career
Guard/Reserve vs. 20 Active Years: The $1M Pension Gap
Leave active duty at 10 years or push to 20? The 2026 math on reserve pensions, FERS buyback, and the $1 million timing gap most service members miss.
Pay & Compensation
Your OPF Decides Your RIF Standing. Check These 12 Things
Your eOPF sets your RIF retention order, retirement date, and leave accrual. The 12-item review checklist, the four SCDs explained, and a free PDF.
Policy Updates
OPM's 30-Day PIP Rule: Removal Becomes the Default
OPM's July 2026 proposed rule caps PIPs at 30 days and makes removal the default outcome. Who's covered, what survives, and the reopened September 29 comment deadline.
Policy Updates
Accommodation Request Stuck for Months? The Delay May Be Illegal
EEOC case law treats unreasonable delay as a Rehabilitation Act violation. The 20-day standard, the 45-day counselor rule, and what to do about both.
Pay & Compensation
Shutdown Prep Checklist: 15 Money Moves Before December 11
The 2026 shutdown financial prep checklist: NFCU and USAA 0% loan terms, how the TSP match make-up actually works, the unemployment repayment trap, and a free PDF.
Career
Space Force Part-Time Guardians: Pay, TSP, and the TRICARE Gap
The first 18 part-time Guardians joined July 17. How nonsustained duty pay, retirement points, and BRS matching work, and the TRICARE question nobody has answered.
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.
Retirement
The Traditional TSP Triple Tax Cliff: RMDs, IRMAA, Widowhood
A $1.2M Traditional TSP triggers three tax cliffs in retirement: RMD bracket stacking, IRMAA surcharges, and the widow's penalty. The 2026 numbers and the fix.
Retirement
6(c) TSP Math: The $718,800 Gap for Federal Firefighters
Federal LEOs, firefighters, and ATCs retire at 47-57 but draw for 40+ years. The 6(c) TSP model: 5% vs 15% contributions is a $718,800 difference.
Policy Updates
8,218 Left, 106 Hired: The Federal Jobs Not Coming Back
OPM data shows management analysts replaced at 1%, IT at 2%. See which federal occupations aren't being backfilled and what it means for your severance.
Pay & Compensation
Federal Uniform Allowance Jumps $800 to $1,500: Who Gets It
OPM raised the federal uniform allowance cap to $1,500 on July 13, 2026, the first increase since 2007. See who qualifies and what to check at your agency.
Retirement
The Federal Widow's Tax Trap: Less Income, $7,953 More Tax
When a federal retiree dies, the surviving spouse's income drops but their tax bill jumps. The FedTools model shows +$7,953 a year. Here's the math and the fixes.
Retirement
Why Your FERS Application Is Stuck: A View From the Trenches
OPM's backlog fell 48% while processing time rose to 108 days. The nine things that actually stall FERS applications, from the people who process them.
Policy Updates
FEVS Decentralization 2026: What Changes Now
The FEVS comment period closed in August. September 2026 status: no final rule yet, but OPM's July 9 memo requires each agency to run its own survey by year-end.
Career
How to File for SBP Survivor Benefits: Free, Step by Step
Filing for the military Survivor Benefit Plan costs nothing. The DFAS process, DD Form 2656-7, timelines, and the $6,000 scam targeting surviving spouses.
Policy Updates
Reclassified to Schedule P/C: What Changes Day 1 (and What Doesn't)
8,000 feds are now Schedule Policy/Career. The day-one guide: which protections are gone, which benefits survive untouched, and the first-week checklist.
Retirement
6(c) Retirees: The FERS Supplement Earnings Test Exemption
LEO, firefighter, ATC, and CBPO retirees are exempt from the FERS supplement earnings test until MRA. What the exemption is worth and when it ends.
Policy Updates
Federal Workforce Lawsuit Tracker 2026: 11 Cases to Watch
Every active court case deciding federal employees' job protections, in one continuously updated table: status, next date, and what each means for you.
Benefits
The FEHB 5-Year Rule: 4 Myths, Debunked With OPM Sources
You don't need the same FEHB plan for 5 years. Spouse coverage counts, TRICARE counts, and breaks in service get skipped. The real rule, with citations.
Policy Updates
FLRA Union Election Rule Struck Down: What It Means for You
A federal judge vacated the FLRA rule that gave political appointees control of union elections. What Regional Directors do, and what happens to pending petitions.
Career
$1,608/Year Apart: House vs Senate 2027 Military Pay Raise
Trump's August 26 letter set 7%/6%/5% tiers matching the House NDAA; the Senate's flat 3.6% is now the outlier. The per-rank dollar gap, updated August 30.
Retirement
$616/Month: Social Security's 2032 Cut for FERS Retirees
The 2026 Trustees Report moved OASI depletion to late 2032, with a 22% automatic cut. What that does to a GS-11 or GS-12 FERS retirement income, modeled.
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.
Get updates in your inbox
Federal pay news, retirement tips, and benefits updates — free, and no more than weekly.