A record number of feds are retiring. Will that slow your claim?

Retirement statistics are more than monthly government reports, they offer a practical window into how long claims are taking, where delays may occur and what future retirees should expect. For federal employees planning to leave service, these numbers can help set realistic expectations, guide financial preparation and highlight why understanding the retirement process matters before you submit your application.

• New claims processing - This report provides historical data detailing key performance variables, with average processing time presented in days.
• Agency retirement case accuracy report - This report reflects the number of non-disability retirement application packages audited and the associated error rate for an agency that had at least 15 cases reviewed in a specified month in the current fiscal year.

Note: The Agency Retirement Case Accuracy Reports do not appear to be current. It is unclear whether the December-July period shown is from 2024-2025 or an earlier year.

How these statistics can help you prepare

• Prepare for a period when you may need to rely on personal savings while your CSRS or FERS retirement is being processed.

Within about 2-4 weeks after OPM receives your application, you are usually placed in interim pay status. These temporary monthly payments are estimated and are often much lower than your final benefit.

Set aside about six months of living expenses in case your full benefit is delayed.

If possible, save annual leave and retire near the end of the year so you receive a larger lump-sum leave payout.

A TSP loan may help increase short-term cash reserves, since loans can now be repaid after separation. However, loans are only available while you are employed. They have fees, reduce potential investment growth and may create taxable income if not repaid on time.

• Understand how your benefit is calculated, especially when large numbers of retirements are being processed and cases may move at different speeds.

If your case is complex, it may take longer than the average processing time.

High volume can also increase the risk of errors if cases are rushed.

• If your agency uses the Online Retirement Application (ORA), your claim may move faster than a paper application.

Public data does not show how long it takes for your application to move from your agency to the payroll provider and then to OPM. Although this should take about four to six weeks after separation, in recent months it has been rumored that it is taking sometimes much longer.

If you have not received your annual leave payout or your Civil Service Active (CSA) number, your claim may not have reached OPM yet.

Key monthly retirement claim trends

Digital (Online Retirement Application) claims received each month:

October 2025 — 6,176 (30% of total claims)
November 2025 — 7,833 (33% of total claims)
December 2025 — 6,055 (45% of total claims)
January 2026 — 9,394 (49% of total claims)
February 2026 — 15,494 (49% of total claims)
March 2026 — 8,830 (59% of total claims)
April 2026 — 8,743 (73% of total claims)
May 2026 — 8,288 (73% of total claims)

Total claims received each month so far in FY 2026 (digital and paper combined), compared with the same months in FY 2016:

October 2025 — 20,344     |      October 2015 — 4,513
November 2025 — 23,393 |      November 2015 — 3,688
December 2025 — 13,174 |      December 2015 — 9,053
January 2026 — 18,923     |      January 2016 — 9,958
February 2026 — 31,240   |      February 2016 — 3,202
March 2026 — 14,759       |      March 2016 — 3,882
April 2026 — 11,940         |       April 2016 — 5,798
May 2026 — 11,286          |       May 2016 — 4,704

What the data suggests

For years, warnings about a federal “retirement tsunami” have been overstated. But with far more employees now at or near retirement age, the recent surge in claims suggests that the long-predicted wave may finally have arrived.

Compared with the same period in FY 2016[1], claim volume in FY 2026 is much higher, increasing the workload for agencies, payroll providers and OPM. The delays in processing resulted from the large numbers of separations, including many that did not result in immediate retirement benefits.

Digital applications are becoming more common, but about one in four claims still arrive on paper.

From FY 2007 to FY 2016, the three cabinet agencies with the most retirements were the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of the Army and the Department of the Navy. In FY 2025, those agencies saw sharply different workforce changes, which may affect future retirement patterns.

Once OPM receives a retirement case, the average processing time in FY 2026 is 46 days for digital ORA claims and 73 days for all claims. In May, the averages were 66 days for 8,761 digital claims and 87 days for 10,672 paper claims. That suggests many of the claims completed in May likely reached OPM three to four months earlier, around February or March. Some were likely part of the usual year-end retirements effective Dec. 31, 2025, while others may have been Sept. 30 retirements delayed by heavy workloads in agency HR and payroll offices.

Because averages include both fast and slow cases, some claims move much faster while others take much longer. If you want to know whether your case may be delayed, consider the factors OPM says can slow processing:

• Court orders such as a divorce decree or property settlement. These require an additional step and are sent to the Court Order Benefits Branch for review.
• Service as a law enforcement officer, firefighter, air traffic controller, Capitol Police, Supreme Court Police or nuclear materials courier, as these cases use a special annuity computation.
• Past or active workers’ compensation claims.
• Service as a part-time or intermittent federal employee.
• Federal service at multiple federal agencies.
• Missing documents and forms or incomplete or incorrect information in your retirement application.
• Moving without updating your address with OPM.

The larger message in these statistics is clear: retirement processing times, claim volume and case complexity all affect how quickly benefits are finalized. Employees who understand these trends can plan more effectively, build a stronger financial cushion and avoid being caught off guard during the transition from paycheck to annuity.

OPM also publishes the total number of CSRS and FERS annuitants added to the Annuity Roll Processing System (ARPS) from FY 2000 through FY 2025. These totals include retirements processed as of Sept. 30, so most deferred resignation retirements from last year are not reflected in the 2025 figure.

So far in FY 2026, OPM has processed 119,451 retirement claims with four months still left in the fiscal year — a record pace for the past 25 years.

Historical ARPS retirement totals (FY 2000-FY 2025)

Fiscal year — total annuitants added as of Sept. 30

2025 — 112,679
2024 — 95,477
2023 — 108,387
2022 — 114,505
2021 — 96,956
2020 — 99,529
2019 — 109,991
2018 — 109,850
2017 — 96,459
2016 — 99,242
2015 — 99,710
2014 — 105,037
2013 — 138,039
2012 — 111,641
2011 — 82,837
2010 — 76,864
2009 — 87,907
2008 — 86,615
2007 — 92,349
2006 — 103,292
2005 — 94,977
2004 — 90,441
2003 — 81,128
2002 — 74,153
2001 — 77,330
2000 — 77,383