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Federal employee benefits, explained in plain language

Federal employee benefits come in three parts: the benefits you earn (a FERS or CSRS pension, the TSP, health and life insurance, Social Security), the money rules around them (pay, COLAs, taxes), and the life events that change them. Each guide answers one part, with OPM figures dated.

Guides
29
Spines
3
Figures
Dated to OPM, TSP and SSA

OPM's own material is accurate and free, and you should rely on it for your records. It is also written for administrators. These guides put the same rules in plain words, show worked examples, and link to the official source for every figure. Not sure where to begin? Start with your career stage.

Part 1 7 guides

Your benefits

The core of a federal career: what you earn and keep.

  1. 01HubFERS retirementThe pension formula, eligibility, the supplement, survivor benefits, special provisions and disability.
  2. 02GuideCSRSThe older system for employees hired before 1984, the CSRS Offset, and how it differs from FERS.
  3. 03HubThrift Savings PlanContributions, the agency match, the funds, Roth, loans and withdrawals.
  4. 04HubFEHB health insuranceChoosing a plan, Open Season, keeping coverage in retirement and Medicare at 65.
  5. 05GuideFEGLI life insuranceBasic and optional coverage and what happens to it when you retire.
  6. 06GuideFEDVIP, FSAFEDS and long-term careDental, vision, flexible spending and long-term care coverage.
  7. 07GuideSocial SecurityHow it fits with FERS, the supplement bridge and the earnings test.
A printed annuity estimate, a fountain pen and folded reading glasses on an oak desk under a lampThe limestone colonnade and bronze doors of a neoclassical office building at street level in early morning lightA 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 kitchen table in morning light with two health plan booklets, reading glasses, a pen and a cup of teaA kitchen table in morning light with two health plan booklets, reading glasses, a pen and a cup of teaA long office corridor with tall windows and a terrazzo floor striped with late-day sunlight

FERS retirementHub: The pension formula, eligibility, the supplement, survivor benefits, special provisions and disability.

CSRSGuide: The older system for employees hired before 1984, the CSRS Offset, and how it differs from FERS.

Thrift Savings PlanHub: Contributions, the agency match, the funds, Roth, loans and withdrawals.

FEHB health insuranceHub: Choosing a plan, Open Season, keeping coverage in retirement and Medicare at 65.

FEGLI life insuranceGuide: Basic and optional coverage and what happens to it when you retire.

FEDVIP, FSAFEDS and long-term careGuide: Dental, vision, flexible spending and long-term care coverage.

Social SecurityGuide: How it fits with FERS, the supplement bridge and the earnings test.

Part 2 4 guides

Your money

The rules that set what you are paid and what you keep.

01

Pay

GS grades, steps, locality pay and the yearly raise.

Read the guide 02

COLA

How retiree cost-of-living adjustments are set, and the FERS diet-COLA rule.

Read the guide 03

Taxes

How your annuity and TSP withdrawals are taxed, and which states tax federal pensions.

Read the guide 04

Leave

Annual and sick leave, use-or-lose, and sick leave credit at retirement.

Read the guide

Part 3 6 guides

Life events

The moments that change your benefits, and what to do in each.

  1. 01Applying for retirementThe forms, the timeline, interim pay and OPM processing.Read the guide
  2. 02RIF, VERA and VSIPLayoffs, early retirement offers and separation incentives.Read the guide
  3. 03Divorce and benefitsCourt orders, the TSP, survivor annuities and FEHB.Read the guide
  4. 04Your SF-50 and recordsReading your SF-50, eOPF and service computation date.Read the guide
  5. 05BeneficiariesThe four federal designation forms and when to update them.Read the guide
  6. 06Military buybackPaying the deposit to count military service.Read the guide

Shortcuts

Quick answers and terms

Short answers to the questions people ask most are on the federal retirement FAQ. Unfamiliar term? The glossary defines 40 of them in a sentence or two. Numbers live on the data pages, and the calculators turn them into educational estimates on your own inputs.

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Calculators

Run the numbers, your assumptions.

Every result is labeled for what it is: an educational estimate on the inputs you type.

All 23 calculators
01

FERS pension estimator

Estimate your FERS basic annuity by pathway: immediate, MRA+10 now or postponed, deferred, early out, special provisions or CSRS, with the reduction,…

Open the tool 02

Retirement date finder

Find your FERS minimum retirement age by birth year and the first date you qualify for each retirement type, plus the timing rules that make some…

Open the tool 03

TSP calculator

See your TSP contributions and agency match per paycheck, then illustrate balance growth at a return rate you choose. Educational estimate, not a…

Open the tool 04

FEHB vs Medicare

Compare the yearly cost of keeping FEHB alone with FEHB plus Medicare Part B at 65, including any IRMAA surcharge. Educational estimate on your…

Open the tool

The data, dated

Eight tables, each with its source.

Straight from OPM, the TSP and CMS, stamped with the date we retrieved it. Nothing projects forward.

  1. 01COLA historyopm.govRetrieved 2026-07-05
  2. 02GS pay tablesopm.govRetrieved 2026-07-05
  3. 03FEHB premiumsopm.govRetrieved 2026-07-05
  4. 04FEGLI ratesopm.govRetrieved 2026-07-05
  5. 05TSP returnstsp.govRetrieved 2026-09-10
  6. 06Federal holidaysopm.govRetrieved 2026-10-11
  7. 07IRMAA bracketscms.govRetrieved 2026-10-11
  8. 08Sick leave chartopm.govRetrieved 2026-10-11
DailyFED

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  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…

All DailyFED news

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