How Many Federal Employees Have Been Fired? The 2025 Numbers and the 2026 Slowdown

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There is no single official public number for how many federal employees were fired in 2026. The clearest figure tied to the broader downsizing effort is roughly 6,900 probationary firings, based on reported OPM data. By contrast, OPM reported that about 317,000 federal employees left the government during 2025. Those departures included deferred resignations, retirements, buyouts, and routine attrition, not just firings.

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OPM Director Scott Kupor's December 2025 accounting, reported by Bloomberg and Government Executive, stated that 92% of 2025 departures were voluntary and that about 24,000 separations were involuntary. Around 24,000 employees were fired or laid off, due in part to an array of court decisions and legislative actions.

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Knowing the difference between being fired, being laid off through a reduction in force, and choosing to leave matters for any federal employee trying to protect their own retirement. This article breaks down the firings versus other separations, what the 2026 court rulings changed, who was affected, and what it means for your benefits.

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The figures here come from official sources including OPM, the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), and reporting on OPM's published data.

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How Many Federal Employees Have Been Fired? The Direct Answer

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Start with the probationary firings. Based on reported OPM data, about 6,900 probationary employees remained fired after reinstatements in 2025. The administration initially moved to terminate many more probationary employees, but courts later ordered reinstatements in many cases.

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Separately, Kupor reported that about 17,000 employees were removed through reductions in force (RIFs). According to OPM's accounting reported by Bloomberg, approximately 24,000 separations in 2025 were involuntary, including 17,000 reductions in force. That 24,000 figure is the one to anchor on for involuntary departures.

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Now the contrast. OPM reported about 317,000 total separations of federal employees in 2025. The gap between 24,000 involuntary departures and 317,000 total separations is a commonly misunderstood point in this topic.

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A firing is an involuntary removal from employment. A RIF is a position-based layoff. A separation is any departure from federal service, including voluntary resignations and retirements.

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Kupor argued the “mass firing” headlines didn't tell the full story, since the large majority of departures were voluntary. Not everyone accepts that framing, and you'll see why later in this article.

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Fired vs. Laid Off vs. Resigned: Why the Distinction Matters

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The most common error in coverage of federal workforce cuts is treating every departure as a firing. For your benefits and your legal rights, the category matters enormously.

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A reduction in force (RIF) is a formal layoff process governed by OPM regulations. The agency permanently eliminates positions.

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A probationary termination is the firing of an employee still in their first year of service, or first year after promotion, when civil-service protections are weakest. A deferred resignation is a voluntary exit in which you agree to leave but keep receiving pay for a defined period.

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Each path carries different consequences for your pension under FERS, the Federal Employees Retirement System, and for your savings in the TSP, the Thrift Savings Plan. A RIF may make you eligible for discontinued service retirement. A voluntary resignation generally does not.

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Federal separation types in 2025

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The four counts above come from OPM Director Scott Kupor's December 2025 accounting, as reported by Bloomberg and Government Executive. They describe the split between voluntary and involuntary departures: about 24,000 involuntary (17,000 RIFs plus roughly 6,900 probationary firings and other removals), about 21,000 early retirements or buyouts, and about 129,000 routine attrition. These categories were reported in the context of, but do not arithmetically sum to, the approximately 317,000 total separations. Treat them as approximate components, not a clean breakdown of the total. The Deferred Resignation Program is discussed separately below because its reported figures come from a different count and time frame.

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The 2025 Baseline: Where the Big Numbers Came From

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To understand 2026, start with 2025. About 317,000 federal employees left the government in 2025, while 68,000 joined, according to OPM Director Scott Kupor, as reported by Federal News Network. That's a net reduction of roughly 249,000 employees.

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Kupor characterized the 317,000 departures as a 13.7% reduction compared with the federal workforce as of September 2024. By his own accounting, the net reduction of 249,000 amounts to about 10.7% of that September 2024 workforce.

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A large share of voluntary departures came through the Deferred Resignation Program (DRP), often called the “fork in the road.” Here the sourcing needs care, because two different figures circulate.

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The GAO found that nearly 144,000 federal workers were accepted into the deferred resignation program in the first half of 2025. According to the U.S. GAO, about 144,000 employees were approved for a deferred resignation program that required them to leave federal employment by the end of 2025.

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A separate and higher figure, more than 154,000, was reported by the Washington Post in mid-2025 and attributed to OPM officials, as later cited by Government Executive. Read the 144,000 and 154,000 figures as estimates from different points in time, not as additions to each other.

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Actual firings were a small slice of all this. As Kupor stated, 92% of departures were voluntary, and most employees initially placed on administrative leave were eventually brought back.

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Some workers reject the “voluntary” label. Employees told the Government Executive they felt forced out. One Agriculture Department employee who accepted the DRP offer said there was no volunteering involved.

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Who Was Fired First: Probationary Employees

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The employees most exposed to firing were those in their probationary period, generally the first year after being hired or promoted, when job protections are weakest. In February 2025, the administration fired probationary workers across many agencies.

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The initial scope was far larger than the final count. About 24,000 probationary workers received termination notices in February and March 2025, and many were later reinstated through court orders. That left a final reported figure of about 6,900 probationary firings.

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The early actions drew congressional scrutiny. In a March 2025 letter to the GAO, Senator Elizabeth Warren and 10 other senators said the administration had fired probationary workers in indiscriminate batches. Despite termination letters from many agencies citing “poor performance,” probationary employees appeared to have been fired regardless of their individual performance. The letter stated the administration had fired at least 25,000 federal employees over recent weeks.

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A federal court later found the directive behind those firings unlawful. As reported by Federal News Network, Judge William Alsup ruled that OPM exceeded its powers and directed agencies to fire probationary employees under the false pretense of poor performance. The AFGE lawsuit, filed with allies, challenged the mass termination of about 25,000 probationary employees, and the judge ruled in September 2025 that the terminations were illegal.

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Probationary employees matter for retirement planning because they usually haven't yet vested in the full range of FERS benefits. An early termination interrupts the years-of-service accrual that drives your FERS annuity calculation.

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What Changed in 2026: Courts and Congress Hit the Brakes

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Federal firings slowed sharply heading into 2026. Two forces did it: a congressional spending provision and a federal court order.

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The continuing resolution that ended the 43-day government shutdown barred agencies from spending any funds to start or carry out a RIF. According to Courthouse News Service, Section 120 of that continuing resolution bars agencies from using any funds to initiate or carry out reductions in force, including issuing layoff notices, from November 12, 2025, through January 30, 2026.

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On December 17, 2025, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston issued a preliminary injunction enforcing that provision. The order barred OPM, the Office of Management and Budget, the State Department, and the Department of Education from proceeding with any RIF actions through at least January 30, and rescinded RIFs implemented between October 1 and November 12.

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The court also ordered affected employees reinstated. As reported by FedScoop, Illston wrote that agencies could not take any further steps to implement or carry out a RIF through January 30, 2026, regardless of when the RIF notice first issued, and had to return rescinded-RIF employees to their September 30, 2025, status with full back pay.

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This is why “how many federal employees have been fired in 2026” has a different answer than “how many are separated in 2025.” Many RIF actions were blocked or paused, and large-scale RIFs were procedurally constrained in early 2026 while litigation continued.

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The 2026 Outlook: A Slower but Continuing Effort

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Cutting the federal workforce stayed a stated priority heading into 2026, but the methods shifted. With mass firings tangled in litigation, agencies were expected to lean on hiring limits and voluntary-departure programs rather than outright terminations.

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Kupor indicated the government would keep limiting hiring under new governmentwide guidelines. As Federal News Network reported, his post didn't include specific targets for reduction or hiring in 2026, and an OPM spokesperson declined to say whether the administration would seek to cut headcount further after surpassing its 300,000 goal.

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For you, the practical takeaway is simple. The risk in 2026 is real but more procedurally constrained than the rapid early actions of 2025.

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This is exactly the environment where careful planning pays off. Federal Pension Advisors works with federal employees to model how a potential RIF, early retirement, or deferred resignation would affect their FERS annuity, TSP balance, and FEHB, the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program, coverage in retirement. For a wider view of the year's staffing changes, see our analysis of how many federal workers were cut in 2026.

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What a Firing or RIF Means for Your Federal Retirement

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Losing a federal job affects far more than a paycheck. The impact depends heavily on your retirement system and years of service.

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Under FERS, your annuity uses your High-3 average salary, the average of your highest three consecutive years of base pay, multiplied by your years of creditable service. A separation that cuts your service short directly reduces that calculation.

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Employees covered by CSRS, the Civil Service Retirement System, face a different formula and different eligibility rules. That's why broad headlines about firings can mislead any individual.

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A RIF may open the door to discontinued service retirement if you meet the age and service thresholds. A voluntary resignation generally does not. You can review the eligibility details in our guide to FERS retirement planning.

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Your TSP balance stays yours no matter how you leave. The timing of your separation affects vesting of agency automatic contributions and your withdrawal options. Before you make a move, walk through the choices in our TSP withdrawal guide, and confirm how your departure type affects FEHB coverage in retirement. Federal Pension Advisors helps you verify these specifics against your own service record rather than relying on broad news figures.

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The Bottom Line

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The honest answer to “how many federal employees have been fired” is that reported firings were a small fraction of the headline numbers. About 6,900 probationary employees remained fired and roughly 17,000 more were removed through RIFs in 2025, about 24,000 involuntary separations against roughly 317,000 total departures. The large majority of those departures were voluntary buyouts, deferred resignations, and routine attrition.

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For 2026, there is no single official firing count. Most large-scale RIF actions were paused or blocked through at least January 30, 2026.

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For any individual federal employee, the category of your departure determines your benefits, your appeal rights, and your retirement options. If you want to understand how a potential separation would affect your specific situation, schedule a consultation with a federal retirement specialist at Federal Pension Advisors. Verify all benefit figures against OPM.gov and TSP.gov for the current plan year before making any decision.

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Frequently Asked Questions

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1. How many federal employees have been fired?

Based on OPM figures, about 6,900 probationary employees remained fired after reinstatements in 2025, and roughly 17,000 more were removed through reductions in force, for about 24,000 involuntary separations. This is distinct from the roughly 317,000 total separations OPM reported, the large majority of which were voluntary buyouts and deferred resignations.

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2. How many federal employees were fired in 2026?

There is no single official figure for 2026 firings. Large-scale RIF actions were blocked or paused through at least January 30, 2026, by a congressional spending provision and a December 2025 court injunction. Outright firings in early 2026 were procedurally constrained while litigation continued.

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3. What happens to probationary federal employees who are fired?

Probationary employees have the weakest civil-service protections and were targeted first. About 24,000 received termination notices in early 2025, but many were reinstated by courts, leaving roughly 6,900 firings. After separation, affected workers stop accruing service time toward their FERS annuity, though prior creditable service generally stays on record.

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4. What is the difference between a federal layoff and a firing?

A layoff is a reduction in force, a position-based process that permanently eliminates jobs and carries appeal rights. A firing is an individual involuntary removal, often during probation. About 17,000 RIF separations and 6,900 probationary firings occurred in 2025, far fewer than total separations.

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5. How many federal workers left the government in 2025?

About 317,000 federal employees left the government in 2025, according to OPM. Kupor said 92% of those departures were voluntary. About 68,000 employees were hired during the same period, for a net reduction of around 249,000.

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6. Do federal workforce cuts affect my pension?

Yes. Under FERS, your annuity depends on your High-3 average salary and years of service, so an early separation reduces it. A RIF may qualify you for discontinued service retirement, while a voluntary exit generally does not. Your TSP balance remains yours regardless.

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Disclaimer

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This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute financial, legal, tax, or retirement advice. Federal benefits rules, agency actions, court decisions, and retirement thresholds may change. Confirm current information with OPM.gov, TSP.gov, SSA.gov, and your agency HR office before making any employment or retirement decision.

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