Federal Retirement Application Backlog Keeps Growing

As uncertainty surrounding the federal workforce continues to play out, OPM received a staggering 31,240 federal retirement claims in February. This is a significant increase from the 18,923 applications received in January. Retirement Services (RS) continues to try to navigate a retirement surge that saw 151,068 employees leave federal service in 2025. But with 50,163 applications received in the first two months of 2026, the backlog keeps growing.

The introduction of the Online Retirement Application (ORA) was intended to streamline the antiquated method of manual processing of federal retirement claims. Of the 31,240 claims received in February, nearly half (15,494) were digital, and 15,746 were paper. The average time to process digital applications dropped to 34 days, while the processing time for paper applications was 95 days. RS processed an impressive 18,149 claims (7,054 digital and 11,095 paper). Currently, the backlog stands at 27,582 digital applications and 37,655 paper versions for a total inventory of 54,018 federal retirement applications awaiting processing.

Claims received in the past 12 months*:

March 2025: 7,803

April 2025: 8,332

May 2025: 15,048

June 2025:13,430

July 2025: 8,295

August 2025: 9,416

September 2025: 6,095

October 2025: 20,344

November 2025: 23,393

December 2025: 13,174

January 2026: 18,923

February 2026: 31,240

Total March 2025 – February 2026: 175,493

Mistakes or missing information in federal retirement applications can significantly delay processing, postponing your access to full benefits. The most common mistakes include incomplete personal identification details, incorrect marital status documentation, and discrepancies in federal service records.

Not sure if you’re retirement ready? Overwhelmed by navigating the complex process of federal retirement? Reach out to a Federal Retirement Consultant (FRC®) who understands your unique benefits.

*https://www.opm.gov/retirement-center/retirement-statistics/retirement-processing-status.pdf