OPM’s backlog of pending applications for federal retirement grows to over 54,000 by the end of January.
OPM Retirement Backlog: January 2026 Processing Time for Paper and Digital Applications
The Office of Personnel Management received 18,923 federal retirement claims in January 2026, 9394 of which were sent with the new ORA portal. This is up from the 13,174 received the previous month, but still a sharp increase from the 6095 received in September. They were able to process 15,571 total claims. Despite this, as of the end of January, there were still 54,018 claims pending. Much higher than it was at the same time last year when it was 23,277.
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What is the Current Status of the OPM Retirement Processing Delay?
Here are the December processing times of both digital and paper pension applications submitted to OPM:
Monthly Average Processing Time
Overall, the average monthly retirement application processing time increased sharply from 67 days in December to 77 days in January, still up from the 59 day processing time in July. For digital claims, the average time is actually 48 days. FERS applications with any error can take much longer to process than an error-free submission.
Full Year To Date Average Processing Time
The annual average of the monthly processing time of benefits has gone up from 71 days in December 2025 to 73 days the following month.
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How Does the OPM Retirement Process Work?
When you are ready to file for retirement, you start by filing your retirement application with your agency. After the retirement claim is filed, the application stays with the agency until your retirement date. Then, the agency processes your final paycheck and annual leave payout and sends the paperwork to OPM. Once OPM receives your paperwork, they will send you a letter with your retirement claim number. Note: You can find out the status of processing with the claim number.
Step-by-Step Guide to Filing Your Retirement Application: OPM Retirement Process Flowchart
What Are the Common Causes of Delays in Retirement Processing?
The most common processing delay is caused by errors in the application. If a federal worker made any corrections to their retirement package, such as crossing items out, whiteouts, or corrections, OPM would not accept the package and would increase the time for retirement claim processing. Current federal employees should work with their HR office to ensure no corrections are on the pages. If there was a mistake, it is best to use a new form and fill it out without errors.
Monthly OPM Backlog
How Can I Check the Status of My Retirement Claim?
Federal retirees can use OPMs’ Retirement Services online to track your claim number. You can also reach out to OPM staff by phone at 888-767-6738.
Understanding the OPM Retirement Backlog
If you’re planning to retire from federal service the OPM retirement backlog directly impacts the amount the time it takes for your FERS or CSRS application to be processed by the Office of Personnel Management.
The backlog has grown significantly these past few months, with tens of thousands of applications now pending. For employees, this means it can take longer than expected to receive your full annuity payments. While interim payments usually begin within weeks, the final calculation of your benefits may take several months.
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While OPM has introduced digital applications, which are processed faster than paper forms, the processing time when using the ORA as opposed to paper applications sent to Iron Mountain, it can still more than 30 days and even longer if your FERS application has any errors.
Reach Out to Us!
If you have additional federal benefit questions, contact our team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®) and Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultants (ChFEBC℠). We also hold the AIF® designation. At PlanWell, we are federal employee financial advisors with a focus on retirement planning. Learn more about our process designed for the career fed.
Preparing for federal retirement? Check out our scheduled federal retirement workshops. Sign up for our no-cost federal retirement webinars using our FERS webinar registration page. Make sure to plan ahead and reserve your seat for our FERS webinar, held every three weeks. Want to have PlanWell host a federal retirement seminar for your agency? Reach out, and we’ll collaborate with HR to arrange an on-site FERS seminar.
Want to fast-track your federal retirement plan? Skip the FERS webinar and start a one-on-one conversation with a ChFEBC℠ today. You can schedule a one-on-one meeting by visiting our contact page.
