Federal Benefits Open Season 2025: Dates, Schedule, and Planning Guide for Federal Employees

Federal Benefits Open Season 2025 is your once-a-year chance to clean up, upgrade, or simplify your federal benefits for the 2026 plan year. Between work, family, and life, it’s easy to let benefits ride on autopilot but a few smart decisions this fall can save you real money and headaches next year.

Let’s walk through what the 2025 federal benefits open season schedule looks like, what you can change, and how to prepare so you don’t miss anything important.

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What Is Federal Benefits Open Season 2025?

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Federal Benefits Open Season is the annual window when eligible federal employees and retirees can enroll in or change certain benefit programs without needing a qualifying life event like marriage, birth, or loss of other coverage. U.S. Office of Personnel Management+1

For the 2026 plan year, the 2025 Federal Benefits Open Season runs from:

November 10 – December 8, 2025

During this period, you can make elections for:

• Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
  
  
• Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB) Program
  
  
• Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
  
  
• Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS) – active employees only
  
  

These choices then shape your coverage and out-of-pocket costs in 2026.

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2025 Federal Benefits Open Season Schedule at a Glance

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Here’s the official schedule for Federal Benefits Open Season 2025 for the 2026 plan year: 

• Open Season starts:
  Monday, November 10, 2025
• Open Season ends:
  Monday, December 8, 2025
  
  
• For FEDVIP and FSAFEDS, Open Season ends at 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time.
• For FEHB/PSHB, it ends at 11:59 p.m. in the time zone of your electronic enrollment system (for example, your agency’s self-service portal). 

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When do changes take effect?

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• FEHB/PSHB: Usually the first day of the first full pay period in January 2026 (exact date can vary by agency; many show an effective date around early–mid January).
  
  
• FEDVIP: January 1, 2026
  
  
• FSAFEDS: January 1, 2026 for new elections.
  
  

Which Programs Are Included (and Which Are Not)?

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Included in Federal Benefits Open Season 2025:

1. FEHB / PSHB – Health Insurance
   Medical plans for federal employees, Postal Service employees, certain Tribal employees, retirees, and eligible family members.
   
   
2. FEDVIP – Dental & Vision
   Stand-alone dental and vision coverage with multiple carriers and plan options.
3. FSAFEDS – Flexible Spending Accounts (active employees only)
   
   • Health Care FSA
     

1. Limited Expense Health Care FSA (for HDHP/HSA participants)
   
2. Dependent Care FSA
   

Not part of the annual Federal Benefits Open Season:

• FEGLI – Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance
  
• FLTCIP – Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program
  
  

These programs do not participate in the regular Federal Benefits Open Season and typically have separate enrollment rules or are currently suspended for new applications.

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What You Can Do During Federal Benefits Open Season 2025

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FEHB / PSHB (Health Insurance)

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During the 2025 federal benefits open season, you can: 

Enroll in FEHB/PSHB if you’re eligible and not currently covered

• Switch from one plan to another (for example, from an HMO to a high-deductible plan)
  
• Change enrollment type:
  
  
  • Self Only
    
  • Self Plus One
    
  • Self and Family
    
• Cancel FEHB coverage (be especially careful if you are close to retirement and need to meet the five-year coverage rule for keeping FEHB in retirement)
  
  

Some plans will not be available in 2026. If your plan is terminating, you must choose a new plan or you may be moved to a default plan (such as GEHA High Option for FEHB) set by OPM. 

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FEDVIP (Dental & Vision)

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Through BENEFEDS, you can: 

• Enroll in dental and/or vision coverage
  
  
• Change carriers or plan options
  
  
• Change enrollment type (Self Only / Self Plus One / Self & Family)
  
  
• Cancel coverage if appropriate
  
  

If your FEDVIP dental or vision plan is leaving the program, you must choose a new plan to maintain coverage in 2026. 

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FSAFEDS (Flexible Spending Accounts)

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For FSAFEDS, Open Season is critical because:

FSAFEDS elections do not roll over automatically.

During Open Season 2025, you can: 

• Enroll in a Health Care FSA, Limited Expense FSA, and/or Dependent Care FSA
  
  
• Choose your 2026 annual contribution amount(s)
  
  
• Re-enroll if you participated in 2025 and want to continue in 2026
  
  

If you do nothing, you will not have an FSA in 2026.

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What Happens If You Do Nothing?

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If you ignore the 2025 federal benefits open season entirely:

• FEHB / PSHB: Your current plan and enrollment type generally roll over into 2026 if your plan is still offered. If your plan is terminating, you may be moved to a designated default plan.
  
• FEDVIP: Your dental and/or vision enrollment rolls over automatically, as long as the plan still participates. If your plan exits FEDVIP, you must elect a new plan to keep coverage.
  
• FSAFEDS: Your FSA ends on December 31, 2025. No re-enrollment = no FSA for 2026.
  
  

In other words, you could end up:

• Overpaying for outdated coverage
  
• Losing out on tax savings through FSAFEDS
  
• Landing in a default plan you didn’t actually choose
  
  

How to Prepare: Federal Benefits Open Season 2025 Checklist

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Use this quick checklist to get ready before December 8.

1. Review your current coverage and costs.
   Look at this year’s premiums, deductibles, and out-of-pocket costs for FEHB and FEDVIP. Did the plan actually fit your needs?

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1. Check for 2026 plan changes.
   OPM’s Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights and carrier brochures list:
   
   • Premium changes
     
   • Benefit changes (networks, deductibles, copays)
     
   • Plans entering or leaving FEHB, PSHB, and FEDVIP

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3. See if your plan is terminating.
   If your FEHB, PSHB, or FEDVIP plan is leaving the program for 2026, you must pick a new plan during Open Season or you risk being auto-mapped or losing coverage.
   
   

3. Use the OPM plan comparison tools.
   OPM offers side-by-side comparisons for FEHB and FEDVIP, and many agencies link directly to them on their Open Season pages.
   
   

3. Log into your systems ahead of time.
   
   
   
   • Agency self-service (EPP, MyPay, EBSS, etc.) for FEHB/PSHB
     
   • BENEFEDS for FEDVIP
     
   • FSAFEDS for FSAs
     Make sure passwords work before the final week of Open Season.
     
     

3. Verify dependents and documentation.
   Agencies routinely audit dependent eligibility. Have birth certificates, marriage certificates, and other proof ready if requested.
   
   4. Consider attending a Virtual Benefits Fair.
   Many agencies and OPM support a Federal Virtual Benefits Fair where you can chat with carriers, see plan presentations, and ask questions live.

Special Situations: Retirees, Transfers, and Life Events

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Federal Retirees & Annuitants

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If you’re retired, the 2025 federal benefits open season still matters:

• You can change FEHB or FEDVIP plans during Open Season, just like active employees.
  
• You cannot enroll in FSAFEDS; it’s only for active employees receiving pay.
  
  

For retirees, Open Season is often the time to:

• Coordinate FEHB decisions with Medicare enrollment
  
• Adjust coverage as health needs shift
  
• Evaluate whether your current plan’s premiums and networks are still a good fit
  
  

If You’re Retiring Before January 1, 2026

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If you will retire before the new plan year starts:

• Many agencies instruct you not to make Open Season changes through the normal employee system; instead, submit elections with your retirement package so OPM can process them correctly.
  
  Check your HR office’s specific guidance.

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If You’re Transferring Agencies or Expecting a Life Event

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• If you’ll transfer agencies before January 1, 2026, coordinate with both HR offices so your FEHB election follows you correctly.
  
  
• If you expect a qualifying life event (QLE) marriage, birth, divorce, loss of other coverage before January 1, you may be better off using QLE rules instead of Open Season to get the right effective dates.
  
  

Common Mistakes to Avoid in the 2025 Federal Benefits Open Season

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Ignoring notices about plan terminations or major changes
If your plan is ending or significantly changing networks or benefits, staying put by inertia can be expensive.

Forgetting to re-enroll in FSAFEDS
Every year, people assume their FSA will roll over. It doesn’t. No 2025 election = no FSA in 2026.

Misunderstanding Self Plus One vs Self & Family premiums
In some FEHB plans, Self Plus One premiums are actually higher than Self & Family. It’s worth checking both before deciding.

Waiting until the last evening
System logins fail, passwords expire, and servers get busy. Try to finalize your elections a few days before December 8, 2025.
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Make the Right Open Season Choices With Expert Guidance

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FEHB, FEDVIP, and FSA decisions affect your costs now and your retirement later. Federal Pension Advisors makes it easy.

We help federal employees:

• Pick the right FEHB plan
• Coordinate FEHB with Medicare
• Protect FEHB eligibility for retirement
• Avoid costly enrollment mistakes

Get Personalized Benefits Help

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Before Open Season closes, get a quick, expert review of your options so you enter 2026 with confidence.

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Book your Federal Benefits Review with Federal Pension Advisors today.

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Conclusion: Your Health, Your Plan, Your 2026 Coverage

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Federal Benefits Open Season 2025 isn’t just another HR deadline it’s your annual opportunity to make sure your health, dental, vision, and FSA choices still match your real life for 2026.

If you:

• Know the 2025 federal benefits open season schedule
  
• Understand which programs are in play
  
• Take a few minutes to compare plans and re-enroll where needed
  
  

…you’ll go into 2026 with coverage you chose on purpose not coverage that just happened to roll over.

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FAQs

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1. What are the changes to FEHB in 2025?

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The Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program for 2025 includes:

• Premium increases across many plans (varies by carrier).
• Benefit adjustments such as updated copays, deductibles, and covered services depending on the plan.
• Network updates and prescription drug formulary changes.
• Some plans may have added telehealth options, wellness programs, or modified coverage rules.
  (For exact changes, employees must check their specific plan’s 2025 brochure.)

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2. What is Open Season for government benefits?

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Open Season is the annual enrollment period when federal employees, retirees, and eligible family members can:

• Enroll in a FEHB health plan
• Change FEHB plans
• Enroll or re-enroll in FSAFEDS (Flexible Spending Accounts)
• Change FEDVIP dental/vision coverage

It happens once a year, typically from mid-November to mid-December.

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3. Has Open Enrollment been extended for 2025?

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No, as of now, Open Season for 2025 has not been extended.
It follows the standard schedule unless the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) announces an extension (rare and usually due to system outages or emergencies).

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4. When can I use my insurance after Open Enrollment?

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Your new FEHB plan choices made during Open Season become effective on:

• January 1, 2025 (for the 2025 plan year)

You can start using your updated or new insurance starting January 1, even if your ID cards arrive later.

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