Pay & Benefits
Your guide to pay and benefits during a shutdown
Congress has just hours to reach an agreement to fund the government past midnight Friday, after President-elect Trump and his confidante Elon Musk scuttled a bipartisan deal earlier this week.
More! on the windfall elimination provision and government pension offset
Many Civil Service Retirement System retirees are hoping for an early Christmas present from Congress.
Bill to repeal windfall elimination provision clears a key Senate hurdle
The Senate voted 73-27 to invoke cloture on the Social Security Fairness Act, clearing the way for a final vote to pass the bill later this week.
VA omnibus bill including community care and pay waiver updates heading to Biden’s desk
A compendium of bills packaged into the Senator Elizabeth Dole 21st Century Veterans Healthcare and Benefits Improvement Act features veteran educational assistance funding, community care improvements, increased funding for veteran homelessness providers and more.
What difference does 2.5% make?
Here's what a Dec. 31, 2025 retirement might look like with a 4.5% increase in pay for 2025 compared with only a 2% increase.
Schumer tells feds he’ll call a vote on windfall elimination provision repeal
The Social Security Fairness Act, which would repeal to controversial tax provisions affecting some federal workers and retirees, has 63 sponsors in the Senate, more than the 60 votes needed to force a vote on the measure.
Federal firefighter pay raises could vanish without action by Congress within days
The 2021 infrastructure law included $600 million to boost salaries for the nearly 11,200 wildland firefighters for two years.
OPM extends postal open season enrollment and beefs up customer service
The agency shifted its original deadline for U.S. Postal Service employees and beneficiaries to enroll in the new health insurance exchange to help provide “ample time” to make selections while offering additional customer support.
Lawmakers call on Biden to grant feds a 4.5% raise in 2025, restoring pay parity
President Biden previously came under fire from federal employee groups and some lawmakers for proposing only a 2.0% average pay raise for civilian workers, abandoning a longstanding Democratic priority.
No expansion of military IVF coverage included in the final defense policy bill
Congress is expected to vote to approve the package during the next two weeks, before both chambers leave town for the holiday break.
Open season and tax savings
Monday is the last day to enroll in or make changes to your benefits for 2025. What are you doing this weekend?
Featured eBooks
Last-minute advice for the 2025 open season
Things you need to consider before the annual window when federal employees can enroll in or make changes to their health benefits closes on Dec. 9.
Wildland firefighters face up to $20,000 pay cut if Congress doesn’t act − that’s taking a toll on a workforce already under stress
COMMENTARY | The fate of three-year-old pay raises meant to retain federal wildland firefighters again hangs in the balance while Congress hammers out another budget deal.
Nearly every TSP fund rebounded in November
Only one of the portfolios in the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program lost value last month.
Look before you leap into a private sector job
It might not be the win you think it is when you do the math.
Medicare Part D may benefit most federal annuitants next year
COMMENTARY | Not only are there more options to choose from, but there are also benefit changes that may make Part D more convenient and a better value, according to Kevin Moss of Consumers’ Checkbook.
Feds in 2024 made almost a quarter less than their private sector peers
The Federal Salary Council, which reported the disparity, also recommended creating new locality pay areas in Kennewick-Richland-Walla Walla, Wash., and Syracuse-Auburn, N.Y.
Retirement decisions that can't be reversed
Here are the retirement decisions that require careful consideration since they cannot be changed.
House passes a bill eliminating tax provisions that harm some federal retirees
Despite solid bipartisan support, the Senate could run out of time to approve the legislation.
OPM’s retirement backlog ticked up slightly last month, though other metrics improved
Statistics measuring the federal government HR agency’s performance in processing departing federal workers’ retirement claims remained stable following the backlog’s removal from OPM’s list of top management challenges.
