Retirement Application Backlog Continues to Rise

As the fallout from the Deferred Resignation Program and the uncertainty surrounding the federal workforce continue to play out, OPM got hit with another 18,923 federal retirement claims in January. This is an increase from the 13,174 applications received in December. OPM continues to try to navigate a retirement surge that saw 151,068 employees leave federal service in 2025.

The introduction of the Online Retirement Application (ORA) was intended to streamline the antiquated method of manual processing of federal retirement claims. Of the 18,923 claims received in January, nearly half (9,394) were digital, and 9,529 were paper. The average time to process digital applications ticked up slightly to 48 days, while the processing time for paper applications was 97 days. Retirement Services (RS) processedan impressive 15,571 claims (6,456 digital and 9,106 paper). Currently, the backlog stands at 19,618 digital applications and 34,400 paper versions for a total inventory of 54,018 federal retirement applications awaiting processing.

Claims received in the past 12 months*:

February 2025: 9,637

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

Total February 2025 – January 2026: 153,890

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