Pay & Benefits
How to prepare for an unexpected retirement
Some readers with fears about the future of their jobs under the next administration reached out for advice.
Congressional Republicans dial up multiple bills to cull telework flexibility
The 119th Congress has started early on reintroducing or debuting new plans to reduce telework capabilities at federal agencies.
OPM set to finalize rules standardizing General Schedule, blue collar locality pay maps
The final rule implementing the long-requested adjustment to the Federal Wage System’s map of wage areas won’t be published until after President-elect Trump’s inauguration.
EEOC: The federal gender pay gap gets worse with age
The discrepancy between what men and women make in the federal government is substantially larger for those over 40 years old than that of their younger counterparts.
The Social Security Fairness Act: What we know so far
It may take time to implement this new law -- here’s what you should know for now.
The forgotten keys to agency performance: Senior Executives
COMMENTARY | To help agencies better address their performance management, it could be time to take a fresh look at senior executives, and how they are compensated.
OPM outlines pay, benefits rules for appointees resigning on Inauguration Day
The federal government’s HR agency also highlighted the ramifications of Jan. 20 coinciding with Martin Luther King Day for D.C.-area federal workers.
Biden signs windfall elimination provision repeal into law
The Social Security Fairness Act ends both the WEP and the government pension offset, increasing the Social Security checks for more than 2 million retired public servants.
Feds claims just 7% of available funds from OPM breach settlement, remainder returns to Treasury
Only a few thousand current federal workers, former employees and applicants cashed in from 2015 hack.
Thrift Savings Plan funds end the year on the downswing
Only one of the portfolios within the federal government’s 401(k)-style retirement savings program finished December in the black.
Biden finalizes 2% pay raise for feds next month
The president was apparently unmoved by federal employee groups and some House Democrats’ pleas to restore pay parity between the civilian and military workforces.
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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.
