Federal Retirement Planning Blog

Oct 5, 2026

FEHB Self Plus One vs Self & Family is a choice between two coverage tiers in FEHB, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program. Self Plus One is often, but not always, the lower-cost tier for a two-person household. For a broader look at 2027 premiums, benefit changes, and plan availability, see our 2027 FEHB changes and key updates. In 2027, some plans charge less for Self & Family. Updated October 2026.

Oct 1, 2026

OPM's proposed FEHB plan changes for 2027 arrive with a 10.9% average increase in enrollee premiums. They also tighten the rules for obesity-medication coverage, direct carriers away from vaccine incentives, and add family-member verification. As federal employees review these changes, it may also be useful to reassess other parts of their benefits and retirement strategy, including the TSP Mutual Fund Window and how it fits into their overall investment approach.

Sep 30, 2026

To maximize your TSP agency matching before the end of 2026, contribute at least 5% of your basic pay to your TSP account in every remaining pay period. Once you're reviewing your TSP strategy, you may also want to understand the TSP Mutual Fund Window and how it fits into your overall investment approach. Don't hit your annual contribution limit early.

Sep 29, 2026

Current estimates point to a 2027 cost-of-living adjustment (COLA) of about 2.5% for retirees under FERS, the Federal Employees Retirement System. A 2027 FERS COLA estimate is a projection of the January 2027 annuity increase for FERS retirees, based on inflation and reduced by a formula when inflation exceeds 2%.

Sep 25, 2026

Federal retirement income planning means converting your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) into a reliable paycheck once your federal salary stops. The TSP is the federal government's tax-advantaged defined contribution retirement savings program.

Sep 24, 2026

After OPM, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, receives your retirement application, it sets you up in its system and, if you're eligible, begins partial interim payments. You can check your OPM retirement application status to track your case and understand where it stands. It then reviews your case and finalizes your annuity.

Sep 23, 2026

Federal Pension Advisors, a retirement planning firm specializing in federal employee benefits, publishes this guide to help federal employees understand TSP borrowing rules before they apply.

Sep 22, 2026

The federal retirement backlog declined substantially in 2026. The inventory at OPM, the U.S. Office of Personnel Management, peaked at 65,237 pending claims in February. By the end of August, it had fallen to 15,427 claims, a decline of about 76% over six months.

Sep 21, 2026

The TSP Mutual Fund Window (MFW) is an optional investment option within the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP). The TSP is the federal government's tax-advantaged retirement savings program for federal employees and uniformed service members. It lets you invest up to 25% of your TSP balance in publicly available mutual funds.

Sep 17, 2026

FERS disability retirement is an annuity for federal employees covered by FERS, the Federal Employees Retirement System, whose medical condition stops them from doing their job.

Sep 16, 2026

A military buyback under FERS is a deposit, generally 3% of your military basic pay, that can make qualifying active-duty military service count toward your FERS pension. FERS, the Federal Employees Retirement System, doesn't automatically credit most post-1956 active-duty service. Making the deposit through your employing agency can add years of creditable service and increase your annuity for life.

Sep 15, 2026

For FY 2027, the standard Continental United States (CONUS) per diem consists of a maximum lodging allowance of $113 per night plus a $68 meals and incidental expenses (M&IE) allowance, for a combined listed rate of $181 per day, effective October 1, 2026, through September 30, 2027. The General Services Administration (GSA) Per Diem Bulletin FTR 27-01 raised the standard lodging rate $3, from $110 to $113. The M&IE rate held steady at $68.

Sep 11, 2026

Retiring before Medicare means leaving federal service at any age under 65 while relying primarily on your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage until Medicare eligibility begins. If you retire at your Minimum Retirement Age (MRA) of 57, that gap can stretch eight years.

Sep 10, 2026

Federal workforce cuts in 2026 continue a large-scale downsizing of the U.S. civil service. Most of the contraction, hundreds of thousands of positions, happened during 2025. Those separations are still working through the system in 2026, alongside new agency reorganization plans.

Sep 9, 2026

Federal employee retirement healthcare before age 65 rests on one core benefit. Your Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) coverage continues into retirement at the same premium you paid as an active employee, as long as you meet the "5-year rule" and retire on an immediate annuity.

Sep 7, 2026

Yes, your Social Security benefits can be taxed if you have a FERS pension (Federal Employees Retirement System). The question of Social Security tax with a federal pension comes down to one number: your combined income. The taxable portion of your FERS annuity counts as ordinary income. That raises your combined income, which can make 50% to 85% of your Social Security benefit taxable at the federal level. This guide explains how the 2026 combined income rules work, why FERS income can push you over the thresholds, and how the numbers break down.

Sep 4, 2026

FERS pension deductions are the subtractions and adjustments that make your actual FERS retirement income smaller than the gross annuity figure on your estimate. They include survivor benefit reductions, health and life insurance premiums, taxes, early-retirement penalties, and the earnings test on the FERS supplement. FERS, the Federal Employees Retirement System, calculates your gross pension from a formula. The income you live on reflects these deductions and adjustments.

Sep 3, 2026

TSP risks after early retirement are the specific financial dangers that surface when a federal employee retires at their Minimum Retirement Age with 30 years of service and may start drawing on the Thrift Savings Plan early in retirement. The core problem is time. An MRA+30 retiree may need their TSP to last 35 years or longer, which magnifies every mistake around withdrawal timing, sequence-of-returns exposure, tax treatment, and rollover errors. The seven risks below are the ones early federal retirees should understand, and you can manage each one more effectively with planning before you separate.

Sep 2, 2026

TSP performance in August 2026 was broadly positive. Every core fund and every Lifecycle Fund in the Thrift Savings Plan (TSP), the federal government's tax-advantaged retirement savings program, closed the month higher.

Sep 1, 2026

TSP mistakes before retirement are the avoidable errors federal employees make with their Thrift Savings Plan in the final years on the job. You might front-load contributions and lose the agency match, roll the account into an IRA and forfeit the Rule of 55, sit in the wrong funds, or misjudge Roth versus traditional.

Aug 31, 2026

The 2027 federal pay raise, as currently proposed, is a pay freeze for most civilian federal employees. Base pay and locality pay would stay at 2026 rates with no increase.

Aug 27, 2026

Federal employee spouse retirement benefits are the coordinated pension, health insurance, and Social Security protections a married couple relies on when one spouse works for the federal government and the other works in the private sector. In practice, the federal spouse's annuity, survivor election, and Federal Employees Health Benefits enrollment must be planned alongside the non-federal spouse's Social Security and employer retirement accounts.

Aug 26, 2026

No, FEHB does not cover long-term care. The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program is medical insurance. It pays for doctor visits, hospital stays, surgery, and prescriptions, not custodial care.

Aug 25, 2026

A major milestone for the 2027 federal pay raise arrives August 31, 2026. That's the day the president faces a statutory deadline to submit an alternative plan for the across-the-board pay adjustment under 5 U.S.C. § 5303.

Aug 24, 2026

The FERS Basic Employee Death Benefit is a death benefit payable to the eligible surviving spouse, or a qualifying former spouse, of a federal employee who dies while still on the employing agency's rolls. To qualify, the employee must have had at least 18 months of creditable civilian service. The recipient can generally take it as a single payment or in 36 monthly installments.