The SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, is the official record of every change to your federal job, from hire and promotion to retirement; it is stored in your electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), and block 31 shows your leave service computation date, which sets your annual leave rate (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
Every retirement estimate, leave balance, and RIF register starts from the same place: a single government form most employees glance at once and file away. The SF-50 records each change to your job, and together your SF-50s are the official story of your federal career.
When that story has an error, a missing period of service, a wrong retirement code, a service date that is off by a year, it can cost you leave, retention standing, or pension dollars. Most errors are fixable, but only if someone notices them before they matter.
This guide shows you what an SF-50 is, how to read its most important blocks, where your SF-50s live in the eOPF, how service computation dates work, and how to correct mistakes.
Think of your SF-50s as the deed to your career. You rarely need to read it, but when you sell the house, every line has to be right.
01What is an SF-50?
The SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, is the official document your agency creates each time a personnel action happens: a hire, promotion, within-grade step increase, pay adjustment, reassignment, change in work schedule, or separation. It is filed in your Official Personnel Folder and becomes part of your permanent federal record.
Your agency generates SF-50s from its HR system. You receive a copy, and the record goes into your electronic Official Personnel Folder, the eOPF.
- Nature of action (NOA)The code and name for the action, such as a promotion or a pay adjustment. Each NOA has a legal authority behind it.
- Effective dateThe date the action took effect. This is the date that counts, not the date the form was signed.
- Legal authorityThe statute or regulation that permits the action.
- RemarksNotes that explain conditions, such as probationary periods or prior service credit.
- eOPFThe electronic Official Personnel Folder, where your SF-50s and other permanent records are stored.
02How do you read the main blocks on an SF-50?
The SF-50 is organized into numbered blocks. A handful carry most of the information you need for leave and retirement planning. The layout below reflects the current form; your agency's printout may vary slightly.
| Block | What it shows | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| 4 | Effective date | When the action took effect |
| 5 and 6 | Nature of action codes and legal authority | What kind of action this was |
| 15 to 22 | Your position, pay plan, series, grade, step, salary, and organization after the action | Confirms your grade, step, and pay |
| 20 | Total salary, broken into basic pay and locality adjustment | Your basic pay drives your high-3 |
| 24 | Tenure | Affects RIF competition |
| 26 | Veterans' preference for RIF | Adds RIF retention points if you qualify |
| 27 | FEGLI coverage code | Shows your life insurance election |
| 30 | Retirement plan | Whether you are covered by FERS, CSRS, or another plan |
| 31 | Service computation date (leave) | Sets your annual leave accrual rate |
| 32 | Work schedule | Full-time, part-time, or other |
| 45 | Remarks | Conditions, prior service notes, and explanations |
Check block 30 carefully. A wrong retirement plan code is rare but serious, because it determines which system's contributions were withheld and how your annuity is computed.
03What is the eOPF, and how do you get your SF-50s?
The eOPF is the electronic version of your Official Personnel Folder. It holds your SF-50s, benefit election forms, and other permanent records. Current employees access it through their agency, usually with a PIV card or agency login. If you cannot get in or find a document, your servicing HR office can help.
- 01
Log in through your agency
Your HR office or intranet will have the eOPF link.
- 02
Download everything
Save every SF-50 to your own files, not just the latest one.
- 03
Sort by date
Line them up from your first appointment to now.
- 04
Look for breaks
Check for gaps between a separation and a later appointment, and confirm each period of service is accounted for.
- 05
Note your SCDs
Record the leave SCD from block 31 on your most recent SF-50.
- 06
Keep copies forever
Your own copies protect you if a record is ever lost or disputed.
04What is a service computation date?
A service computation date (SCD) is an adjusted start date that represents all of your creditable service as if it were continuous. Instead of listing every period separately, HR sets your SCD back by the amount of prior creditable service, so that counting forward from the SCD gives your total service.
OPM's current guidance explains that SCD-Leave calculations use a 360-day year in which every month has 30 days, and that creditable service is added to your entrance-on-duty date, adjusted for excess nonpay time (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
05What is the difference between SCD leave and SCD retirement?
The leave SCD counts creditable service for annual leave accrual. The retirement SCD counts service creditable toward your annuity. OPM's retirement estimator notes that they are generally the same unless you are a retired member of the military, and advises military retirees to check with HR (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
They can still differ for others. Here is why:
- Military service for leave. Non-retired veterans get full leave credit for honorable active military service, without paying anything (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
- Military service for retirement. Under FERS, post-1956 military service generally counts toward your annuity only if you pay a military deposit before you retire. Our military buyback guide explains it.
- Retired military. Military retirees generally get leave credit for military service only in limited cases, such as service during a war or campaign or a disability-based retirement.
- Non-federal experience. Agencies can grant leave credit for certain non-federal work experience. That credit does not count toward retirement.
- Refunded service. Civilian service where you took a refund of contributions may count for leave but needs a redeposit to count fully for retirement.
- Other SCDs. Agencies also track SCDs for RIF and sometimes TSP vesting, which follow their own rules.
Your leave SCD tells you how fast you earn vacation. Your retirement SCD tells you how big your pension is. Do not assume they match.
06Worked example: how military service moves a leave SCD
An employee entered federal service on March 1, 2016, after 4 years of honorable active military service, and is not a military retiree. This is an educational example.
- 01
Entrance on duty
March 1, 2016.
- 02
Creditable military service for leave
4 years.
- 03
Leave SCD
March 1, 2016 minus 4 years = March 1, 2012.
- 04
Effect on leave
Counting from 2012, the employee reached 3 years of creditable service immediately and earns 6 hours a pay period from the start, instead of 4. They reach 15 years, and 8 hours a pay period, in 2027 rather than 2031.
- 05
Effect on retirement
If the employee does not pay the FERS military deposit, those 4 years do not count toward the annuity, so the retirement SCD stays at March 1, 2016.
Your record, not our example
Want this run on your own numbers?
A Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC) works through your own records with you 1:1. The review is free and nothing is booked until you choose a time.
07How do you correct an error on your SF-50?
Contact your servicing HR office with documents that prove the correct information. HR fixes the record by processing a correction or a cancellation personnel action, which produces a new SF-50 that replaces or annotates the original.
- Earlier SF-50s that show the correct grade, step, dates, or retirement plan.
- DD 214 for military service dates and character of service.
- Records of prior federal service at other agencies, including separation SF-50s.
- Proof of deposits or redeposits paid for military or civilian service.
- Leave and earnings statements if a pay or schedule detail is wrong.
- A written request describing the error, the correct information, and the documents you are attaching.
Start early. Corrections can involve more than one agency, especially for service at a prior employer, and an unresolved discrepancy at retirement is one of the reasons OPM claims stall.
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- 01More than 5 years from retirement
- 021 to 5 years from retirement
- 03Less than a year from retirement
- 04Already retired
- 05Newer to federal service
- 06Not sure yet
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08When should you review your SF-50s?
Review your SF-50s at least three times in your career: soon after you are hired or transfer, five to ten years before retirement, and again about a year before you file.
09Moving forward with your records
Your SF-50s are not exciting reading, but they are the foundation under every number in your federal retirement: your leave rate, your RIF standing, your service credit, and your annuity. An hour spent downloading and checking them now can save months of correction later.
From here, use the leave guide to see what your leave SCD means for accrual, the retirement application guide to see how your records feed your claim, and our sick leave conversion tool to see how your sick leave adds to your service.
FFEBA is an education organization. If you want someone to look at your own numbers, we can match you with a Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC), a professional trained on federal benefits. The FRC designation is listed with FINRA. The first review is free, nothing is booked until you choose a time, and you are never obligated to work with anyone we introduce. Get matched with an FRC.
10Questions federal employees ask
What is an SF-50?
The SF-50, Notification of Personnel Action, is the official form that documents a personnel action such as a hire, promotion, within-grade increase, reassignment, pay adjustment, or separation. Each one is filed in your Official Personnel Folder and becomes part of your permanent record.
Where can I find my SF-50s?
Current employees can view and download their SF-50s in their electronic Official Personnel Folder (eOPF), which is accessed through your agency. If you cannot get in, ask your HR office. Former employees can request copies of their records.
What is the difference between SCD leave and SCD retirement?
The leave SCD sets your annual leave accrual rate and counts creditable service for leave, which can include military service for non-retired members. The retirement SCD reflects service creditable for your annuity. OPM says they are generally the same unless you are a military retiree, though deposits for military or civilian service can also affect retirement credit (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11).
Which block on the SF-50 shows the service computation date?
Block 31 shows your service computation date for leave. A change to it is processed as nature of action 882, Change in SCD-Leave (OPM, retrieved 2026-10-11). Other SCDs, such as for retirement or RIF, are typically kept in your agency's HR system and may not appear on the SF-50 itself.
How do I correct an error on my SF-50?
Contact your servicing HR office with documentation that shows the correct information, such as an earlier SF-50, a DD 214, or proof of prior service. HR corrects the record by processing a correction or cancellation action, which generates a new SF-50.
Why does my SF-50 matter for retirement?
Your service history, retirement plan code, and pay records on SF-50s feed the annuity estimate and the retirement application. Errors in service dates or retirement coverage can delay your claim or change your annuity, so review them well before you retire.
Reviewed by the FFEBA education team. Last reviewed October 2026.
Sources
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, Chapter 6 update (effective July 15, 2026), retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, GPPA Quick Guide: Determining Creditable Service for Leave, retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Federal Ballpark Estimator: Service Computation Date help, retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Fact Sheet: Annual Leave (creditable service), retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, Chapter 30: Retirements, retrieved 2026-10-11
- U.S. Office of Personnel Management, Memorandum: Final Regulations on Reduction in Force (RIF Basics), retrieved 2026-10-11
Every government figure on this page carries its source and retrieval date. Worked examples are educational estimates on the assumptions shown, not a projection of any person's benefit. FFEBA is an education organization, not a financial advisor.
