OPM Processes 119,451 Retirement Claims in FY2026, Hitting 25-Year Record Pace

1 articles · Updated · Government Executive · Jun 4

119,451 federal retirement claims have been processed so far in FY2026, already topping FY2025's 112,679 total with four months still left in the fiscal year.
31,240 claims arrived in February alone, part of a broad surge that suggests the long-discussed federal retirement wave is finally materializing as more workers reach retirement age.
73 days is OPM's average FY2026 processing time for all claims after receipt, versus 46 days for digital applications; in May, averages stretched to 66 days for digital cases and 87 days for paper claims.
About 73% of claims received in April and May were filed through the Online Retirement Application, but roughly one in four still came on paper, which can slow handling.
OPM says retirees may spend 2-4 weeks before entering interim pay and should keep about six months of savings, since complex cases, missing documents and agency-to-OPM handoff delays can extend waits.