Posted on Friday, 13th February 2026 by

Print This Post Print This Post
Share

This service was launched in July of last year, and my article titled “Apply for Retirement on OPM’s Online Application Service” outlined how to sign up for and use this service.  I state in the article that, “Effective July 15, 2025, OPM will no longer accept paper retirement applications. Any paper submissions created on or after June 2, 2025, will be returned to the agency for digital resubmission.”

Where’s My Application?

Federal retirements were significantly higher last year due to voluntary retirement programs implemented early in 2025. This has added to the normal annual retirement numbers, causing processing delays. OPM estimated that retirement volumes will be roughly 50% higher and could reach twice historical levels, according to Scott Kupor, Director of the U.S. Office of Personnel Management.

One Year After the Federal Return-to-Office Order, Here’s What Actually Changed

ORA Verses Paper Retirement Applications

This new system was designed to eliminate the manual, paper-based retirement process and replace it with the Online Retirement Application (ORA) system. This January, there were roughly 107,000 retirement applications in the online system. The ORA applications are now exceeding the paper applications they are still receiving.

Submitting a paper application will further delay your processing time because it must be returned to your agency and digitally resubmitted. Most agencies require employees to apply through the new ORA system.

This new application system allegedly offers many advantages: faster processing times, greater visibility into application bottlenecks, and greater transparency and ease of use for applicants, agency HR personnel, payroll providers, and OPM staff.




The Retirement Process

Applicants complete the process online, and it currently takes roughly 14 days to complete the application. This is the total elapsed time from start to finish, not the actual time spent filling out the online forms.  Individuals can save their partially completed application and retrieve it later. Typically, after they locate the information they need to proceed, such as military records, their current LES statements, and other documents.

The system automatically routes the application to the agency’s HR organization. They add all of the relevant employment-related data. ORA applications currently reside in the agency’s HR departments for an average of 60 days; processing times will vary as the system is updated and bottlenecks are resolved.

The final routing step after HR completes its work is for ORA to send the application to the agency’s payroll provider. They process any final pay owed to the annuitant (particularly if there is unused, accrued vacation owed). Then they upload the full payroll history of the applicant so OPM can ultimately calculate the pension amounts. Currently, ORA applications reside in the payroll organizations for an average of 51 days.

According to OPM, the process typically takes about 120 days to complete after the applicant starts the application.  As of last January, there were 107,000 total ORA applications with OPM: roughly half were with OPM, 30% with payroll providers, 12% with agency HR teams, and 8% with the applicant.

Conclusion

I’ve written many articles about retirement application processing times over the years, and with the current backlog, there doesn’t seem to be much of an improvement. It is still taking an extended period of time for the retiree to receive their full annuity check.

OPM’s discussion of the required steps and the time spent in each segment of your application’s journey is revealing. Hopefully, with advances in automation within those divisions, processing time will continue to improve.

Scott Kupor, Director, U.S. Office of Personnel Management, states, “As of today, we are completing ORA applications in less than 40 days from when we receive them in OPM. To give you a reference point, it takes at least twice as long for us to adjudicate paper-based cases. So, we are moving in the right direction.”

Hopefully, after they clear the current bottleneck, processing times will decrease dramatically as the process is refined.

Helpful Retirement Planning Tools

Disclaimer: The information provided may not cover all aspects of unique or special circumstances.  Federal regulations, medical procedures, investment information, and benefit details are subject to change. To ensure the accuracy of this information, contact relevant parties for assistance, including OPM’s retirement center. Over time, various dynamic economic factors relied upon as a basis for this article may change.

The information contained herein may not be suitable for your situation. This service is not affiliated with OPM or any federal entity. You should consult a financial, medical, or human resource professional where appropriate. Neither the publisher nor the author shall be liable for any loss or other commercial damages, including but not limited to special, incidental, consequential, or other damages.

Last 5 posts by Dennis Damp

Tags: , , , , , ,
Posted in ANNUITIES / ELIGIBILITY, BENEFITS / INSURANCE, ESTATE PLANNING, FINANCE / TIP, General Information, OPM UPDATES, RETIREMENT CONCERNS, SURVIVOR INFORMATION | Comments (0)


Print This Post Print This Post

Leave a Reply

Entering a business, web site, product or service name as your name in this form or if web addresses and promotions are listed in the comment section your comment will be marked as spam and deleted. All comments are screened prior to posting. Please use a person's name, nickname, or handle, along with a brief identifying phrase, like "Debbie J., Retirement Concerns."