OPM said in a February 2026 contract justification that it expects the federal retirement application backlog to double as agencies send in a wave of new cases.
76 days is the current average processing time as of May 2026, including 50 days for digital applications and 100 days for paper filings.
VERA take-up and the deferred resignation program drove the surge, with agencies not forwarding retirement packets to OPM until an employee’s retirement date.
90 days is how long OPM can take to begin processing, and retirees typically receive interim annuity payments within two to three months at about 60% to 80% of their final benefit.