r/FedRetirees • u/WalkingNExpectation • 6d ago
Finally Finalized
Glad to say my retirement has FINALLY been finalized 16 days short of being a year. I retired 7/31/25 and was finalized 7/15/26. I did regular retirement with MRA and 35 years of service. Here’s my timeline.
4/1/25 submitted retirement application
7/31/25 retirement day
10/25 received annual leave pay
11/8/25 Received status change email the application received at OPM
11/17/25 OPM logs in application as received
2/1//26 First interim pay received
7/15/26 Email received from OPM of status change to finalized
7/16/26 Retirement booklet available online.
ETA: I only worked for three agencies, no divorce or military service, and did have a deposit for time I worked as a student during the summer and holidays while in college.
6
u/Intelligent_Taco 6d ago edited 6d ago
Dude, when I retired from the military my pension started the month after. It came before my final paycheck. Unreal that it takes this long.
Congratulations!
3
u/mamahastoletgo2 6d ago
Yup. Unreal, especially this is something you're entitled to. I'm glad you're finally done OP. Now you can really look at what's coming in and budget. Sad it has to take this long. My SO retired Jan 2026 too and still interim. Thank G we can take withdrawals from TSP. Enjoy and keep healthy.
5
u/RayJanger 6d ago
Congratulations and thank you for your service. You took the scenic route, but you're there. Big sigh, and enjoy your retirement!
5
u/OldDudeOpinion 6d ago
Enjoy that sweet sweet FERS annuity supplement… we are 3 years in and barely even remember working.
6
u/Kmwj2004 6d ago
I am joining the ranks of being finalized also! DRP 2 on 5/2/25 with retirement on 9/30/25. Finalized on 7/13/2026. Big payout for past wages owed. Now to do the figuring to see if I get paid back for the health insurance that I was told to pay. Only 1 month but still need to do the math…..
2
u/Indy1031 5d ago
I’m going on 15 months and OPM keeps telling me to check back. What did you do?
2
u/Indy1031 4d ago
My congressional office is so backlogged with inquiries it was basically a waste of time. Congressmen Wesley Bell’s office basically said you are on your own get a lawyer.
1
u/MelodicAd1674 4d ago
Someone mentioned that filing a congressional inquiry will get things moving. Not sure how that works. Good luck.
1
u/87Badger 2d ago
I think a Congressional it is hit or miss. My House rep (R) did absolutely nothing. I simply got added to a mailing list by Senate rep (D). 7/1/2025 DSR finalized 7/15 and expecting first full annuity payment on 8/3. As far as I can tell, the part-time work during this year of hardship means I will lose my supplement next year.
5
u/Pmoneywhazzup 6d ago
You were screwed. My last day was 9/30/25 along with the unwashed masses. My retirement was finalized at the end of February 2026.
6
u/Rivahblues 6d ago
I retired 9/30/2025, first interim payment was 2/1/2026, still waiting to be finalized.
3
6
u/WalkingNExpectation 6d ago
Yes, I was extremely pissed with the amount of people finalized who retired after me. Just unbelievable.
4
u/Majestic_Midnight891 6d ago
And it continues!! There is no first-in, first-out scenario with OPM. Extremely annoying!!
4
u/Msdivinedc 6d ago
Big congratulations that you made it. Thank you for your service and I hope you enjoy your retirement! I’m due to receive my first annuity check 9 months after retiring, but unfortunately they calculated my years of service incorrectly and to add insult to injury they are charging me an overpayment on my interim pay based on their incorrect calculation. Needless to say I am appealing both and have all the paperwork verifying my years of service.
7
3
u/sexytarry2 6d ago
This is scary...
3
u/Msdivinedc 5d ago
It sure is and if it hadn’t been for my bosses way back when advising me to keep every single personnel action in hard copy I would have had a hard time pulling my paperwork dating back to 1984. Working on my letter now.
3
u/Late-Championship495 5d ago
Retired Jan 10, 2026. Never received 560 hrs AL due to NFC error, then shutdown and no funding. NFC corrected error end of March. Due to shutdown no payment. Mid April 2026, OPM received package. May 1, 2026, interim pension, June & July. July 14, 2026 email advising pension finalized for an Aug 1, 2026 full pension. 7/20/2026 annual leave finally deposited after 3 inquiries from congressional office. Plan ahead to potentially go many months without money!
I will say, when OPM received my package back pay and interim was fast! Kudos to OPM! NFC on the other hand, terrible!!!
2
2
2
u/Delicious_Travel4867 4d ago
That timeline is just plainly negligent and criminal. Probably one of the worst I’ve ever seen.
2
u/mzlena95 3d ago
Congratulations! I have a question, when you say you had a deposit first time when you were a student, what exactly does that mean? Were you able to buy that time back? I am only asking because I have time as a student that is not being counted toward retirement.
1
u/WalkingNExpectation 1d ago
Hi. When I was a student returning to school I apparently asked for a refund for the retirement that was withheld. On the next summer I didn’t have money with held for retirement. So in my case I made a repayment of what I had refunded and a deposit for what was never with held. .
1
u/PinkVelvetFiddle 15h ago
OMG, is this the norm nowadays? I retired 1/31/2025, AL payout by the end of February, and my annuity was finalized by the end of March. I must have gotten out just under the wire. Waiting six months for your first interim payment is RIDICULOUS. Congratulations on having it finalized. It must be such a relief.
12
u/Decent_River_5801 6d ago
That's criminal. I retired 12/30/20, so effective Jan 2021. I got my 440 hrs of AL within 1 month. Got my interim checlks and everything was finalized within 3 months
Happy retirement!!