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Free benefits education for federal employees

Retire onthe numbers,not the rumors.

Plain-language guides to FERS, TSP, FEHB and COLA, every figure dated. Want your own numbers checked? A Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC®) reviews them with you 1:1, free.

Get matched with an FRC Start where you are

This year's numbers

Dated and sourced. Historical figures, never projections.
2026 FERS COLA
2.0%CSRS 2.8%, first paid January 2026

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

2026 GS pay raise
1.0%General increase, effective January 2026

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

TSP G Fund, 2025
4.44%Calendar-year return, historical

Source: Thrift Savings Plan, retrieved 2026-09-10

Next key date
Dec 1, 2026The 2027 COLA takes effect, first paid January 2027

Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

Who we are

A federation of benefit educators. We explain how your pension, TSP and health coverage actually work, then introduce someone trained on your system.

1,004DailyFED stories in the archive, moving to ffeba.com
1969the first year in our dated COLA record
16TSP funds tracked, with share prices and annual returns
58GS locality pay areas in the 2026 table on file

Counts from FFEBA's DailyFED archive and the OPM and TSP data files this site publishes. Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05; Source: Thrift Savings Plan, retrieved 2026-09-10.

The guides

Six benefits, one plain explanation each.

Each guide answers the question first, shows the formula or the rule, and dates every figure it uses. Start with the one you have been putting off.

Browse every guide
  1. 01FERS guideHow the FERS annuity is figuredOne percent, your high-3 and your years: the formula, the 1.1 percent bump at 62, and what can shrink it.
  2. 02TSP guideYour TSP, fund by fundWhat the G, F, C, S and I funds hold, how to capture the full agency match, and how withdrawals work when you separate.
  3. 03FEHB guideKeeping FEHB into retirementThe five-year rule, the Medicare Part B question at 65, and why your survivor election decides a spouse’s coverage.
  4. 04COLA guideWhy FERS and CSRS COLAs differWhy FERS retirees often get less than CSRS, why most get nothing before 62, and every adjustment since 1969.
  5. 05Pay guideGS pay and your localityHow to read the 2026 GS table, find your locality percentage, and see how today’s pay becomes your high-3.
  6. 06Leave guideAnnual and sick leave, countedCarryover caps, the use-or-lose calendar, and how unused sick leave adds service time to your annuity.
A printed annuity estimate, a fountain pen and folded reading glasses on an oak desk under a lampA federal employee in a cardigan works at a laptop by a tall window in morning lightA couple in their sixties read a health plan booklet together at a kitchen islandA retired couple choose apples at a farmers market stall at golden hourA federal employee in shirtsleeves reads a pay statement at a window desk in an agency officeA woman lifts a weekend bag into a car trunk in a driveway in early morning light

One percent of your high-3 for each year of service, or 1.1 percent at 62 with 20 years.Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

A 1 percent automatic agency contribution, plus up to 4 percent more when you put in 5 percent.Source: Thrift Savings Plan, retrieved 2026-07-05

Enrolled for the 5 years before you retire? You can generally carry FEHB with you.Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

2026: FERS 2.0%, CSRS 2.8%. When inflation runs 2 to 3 percent, FERS is capped at 2.Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

The 2026 GS table: a 1 percent general increase across 58 locality pay areas.Source: U.S. Office of Personnel Management, retrieved 2026-07-05

The use-or-lose dates to schedule before the leave year closes, explained.From DailyFED’s leave coverage

A federal employee in her late fifties listens on a phone call in a lamp-lit armchair, a notepad on her knee

The free benefits review

“Can I retire at 57 with the FERS supplement?”

It depends on your birth year, your years of service and whether you keep working, because the supplement has an earnings test and stops at 62. An FRC works it through on your own record, and the review costs you nothing.

  1. 01Career stage
  2. 02Retirement system
  3. 03Years of service
  4. 04Your state
  5. 05Help you want
Get matched with an FRC How the match works

Five questions, then you see your match. FRC professionals may be compensated if you choose to work with them.

How the match works

From five questions to a call, at no cost to you.

You stay in charge the whole way, and the guides stay free whether you book or not.

  1. 01

    Answer five questions

    Career stage, retirement system, years of service, state, and what you want help with. No account to create.

  2. 02

    Review your FRC match

    See who they are, what they focus on and where the designation is listed before you agree to anything.

  3. 03

    Take the intro call

    A free 1:1 benefits review by phone or video, at a time you choose, on your own numbers.

Start my match

Prefer email? Write to info@ffeba.com.

Calculators

Four calculators, your assumptions.

Run your own numbers before anyone else sees them. Every result is labeled for what it is: an educational estimate.

All 23 calculators
01

FERS pension estimator

Type in your high-3 and years of service and see the annuity the formula produces, with and without a survivor election.

Open the tool 02

Retirement date finder

Enter your birth date and service computation date to see your MRA, your first unreduced date and the month-end date worth knowing.

Open the tool 03

TSP calculator

Contributions, match and a return rate you choose, laid out year by year. Your assumptions, never our forecast.

Open the tool 04

FEHB vs Medicare

Put your FEHB premium beside adding Medicare Part B at 65 and see the yearly cost each way.

Open the tool

Each calculator gives an educational estimate on the assumptions you enter, shows the date of the data it uses, and never presents a result as a promise.

DailyFED

Latest from DailyFED

What federal employees are reading.

DailyFED is FFEBA's daily newsletter and newsroom: pay, benefits and retirement news for federal employees, in plain words.

One short email a day. Unsubscribe any time.

You are on the list. The next DailyFED arrives in the morning.

  1. Retirement2027 Best Dates to Retire Under FERSChoosing the right retirement date can affect when your FERS annuity begins, how much leave you earn, and whether you receive payment for unused annual leave.
  2. RetirementTax on Social Security Can Rise With Pension and TSP IncomeYour federal pension and TSP withdrawals can affect the amount of tax on Social Security income you pay in retirement.
  3. WorkforceHatch Act Rules Come Into Focus Ahead of the MidtermsWith the 2026 midterm elections approaching on November 3, Hatch Act rules have been clarified by the Office of Special Counsel, which recently issued new guidance and announced enforcement actions…
  4. BenefitsPreparing for FEHB Open Season 2027Federal employees and retirees have two reasons to review their health insurance during FEHB Open Season 2027: nine Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) plan options and one Postal Service Health…
  5. WorkforceFederal Jobs for Young Workers: OPM’s “Try It for a Few Years” PitchFederal jobs for young workers are becoming a bigger focus for the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), and Director Scott Kupor is taking a different approach to recruitment: Don’t ask young people…
  6. WorkforceShutdown RIF Policy Rescinded: What the New Settlement RequiresThe shutdown RIF policy that led to thousands of federal employees receiving reduction-in-force notices during the 2025 government shutdown has been formally rescinded.

All DailyFED news

For financial professionals

Serve federal clients? Earn the FRC designation.

FFEBA trains the professionals in its matching network on federal benefits, so the person a federal employee talks to already knows how FERS, the TSP and FEHB fit together.

Explore the designation See the FINRA listing
Designation
Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC)
Trained by
FFEBA, the federal benefits educator
Built for
Advisors, agents and planners who serve federal employees

Asked and answered

Who we are, in five answers.

Short answers on what FFEBA is, how the match works and what it costs you.

Is FFEBA part of the government?

No. FFEBA is the Federation of Federal Employee Benefit Advocates LLC, a private education organization, not affiliated with or endorsed by any U.S. government agency. For your official records, OPM and your agency HR office remain the source of truth.

What is an FRC?

Federal Retirement Consultant is a professional designation for advisors who serve federal employees, and FFEBA trains the professionals who hold it. The FRC designation is listed with FINRA in its professional designations database.

Does FFEBA give financial advice?

No. FFEBA is an educator, not a broker-dealer, registered investment adviser, insurance agency or financial advisor. The guides and calculators explain how the rules work; decisions about your money stay yours, made with a professional you choose.

Is the benefits review really free?

Yes. The 1:1 review costs you nothing and carries no obligation. FRC professionals may be compensated if you later choose to work with them, and you can ask how before you agree to anything.

How are matches made?

Your five answers (career stage, retirement system, years of service, state and what you want help with) are used to suggest an FRC who works with federal employees in your situation. You see who they are before anything is booked.