Did you know that you can retire on any day you choose?  There are many articles online to help you select the best day to retire but when selecting that perfect date, don’t forget that retirements are always effective at the end of a scheduled day. For example, Janet’s normal work schedule is Monday-Friday from 8:00 to 5:00. She decides to retire on Friday, August 31^st. Her retirement is effective on Friday, August 31^st at 5:00PM.

In addition, most agencies require the employee to be in a duty status on their final scheduled work day. The employee cannot be in a leave status for the entire day on their last day. In the example above, Janet could not take a full day of annual leave on Friday, August 31^st and still retire on that Friday because she must be in a duty status on her final day if it is her normal work day.

What happens when an employee retires on a non-scheduled work day, such as Saturday September 1^st or September 3^rd, which is a Federal holiday?  Since the employee is not on leave, the employee’s retirement is effective at the end of the day on Saturday or at the end of the day on the holiday.  He or she would be paid for the holiday.

There is one notable exception: An employee retiring on a disability retirement may be in a leave status on the last day because he or is unable to work.  This exception cannot be used for anyone eligible for a voluntary retirement. It only applies to disability retirement applications. Linda Sherman, our Benefits and HR Forum Host, provided this update.

References: Guide to Processing Personnel Actions, Public Law 78-525 and Comptroller General Decisions (B-164371, B-190374, B-223876)

Retirement Processing Delays Improving

OPM processes over 100,000 new claims each year and reported recently that their retirement processing backlog is shrinking. Their claims backlog has dropped 27 percent to 44,679 . Today OPM is averaging 156 days to process a retirement claim. Five months is still unacceptable, it took only three months to process my claim when I retired in 2005.  OPM’s goal is to clear this backlog over the next 18 months and reduce the processing time to 2 months for the majority of new retirees.

To prevent this from happening to you read my Retirement Precautions article. This article lists key areas that you need to pay attention to before submitting your retirement application.

Recent Forum Host Articles:

• The Retirement Reality Check by Paul Risser
• Best Dates to Retire 2012 and 2013
• Retire Reflections – the Way it Was Then and Why by Dennis Damp

Request a Retirement Benefits Summary & Analysis from a local adviser. A sample analysis is available for your review. Includes projected annuity payments, income verses expenses, FEGLI, and TSP projections. This service is not affiliated with www.federalretirement.net.

Learn more about your benefits, employment, and financial planning issues on our site and visit our Blog frequently at  https://fedretire.net to read all forum articles.

Visit our other informative sites

• Federal Government Jobs & Career Center
• FREE Federal Employee’s Retirement Planning Guide
  • Federal Retiree Job Opportunities
  • Federal Employee & Retiree BLOG
• Federal Employee’s Career Development & IDP Center
• Post Office Jobs & Career Center
• Job Search – All Sectors
• Environmental Health & Safety Jobs Center
• Nuclear Jobs & Careers – High Paying Jobs
• Stolen Car Plates & Recovery Guide
• Take Charge of Your Federal Career
• The Book of U.S. Government Jobs

• 2013 Excel Leave Chart (target 2013 retirement dates and determine exact leave balances for each date)
• 2012 Excel Leave Chart (target 2012 retirement dates and determine exact leave balances for each date)
• How to be Emotionally and Physically Prepared When You Retire
• How to be Financially Prepared When You Retire
• Master Retiree Contact List (Important contact numbers and information)
• Survivor’s Guide
• Estate Planning Guide (An 11 part series that will help readers prepare for retirement, understand basic estate planning techniques, and compile their personal “Survivor’s Guide” binder.)

The information provided may not cover all aspect of unique or special circumstances, federal regulations, and financial information is subject to change. To ensure the accuracy of this information, contact your benefits coordinator and ask them to review your official personnel file and circumstances concerning this issue. Retirees can contact the OPM retirement center. Our article is not intended nor should it be considered investment advice. Our articles and replies are time sensitive. Over time, various dynamic economic factors relied upon as a basis for this article may change.

Last 5 posts by Dennis Damp

• Military Buyback Guide: How to Maximize Your Federal Pension - June 6th, 2026
• OPM Retirement Backlog: What Federal Retirees Should Expect - May 30th, 2026
• Retirement Cost Analysis: How to Prepare for Your Future - May 27th, 2026
• How to Increase Your Retirement Income Before You Retire - May 26th, 2026
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Dennis Damp

Dennis V. Damp is an author, retired federal manager, business owner, career counselor and veteran. Damp is the author of 28 books, a recognized benefits expert, and a retired federal manager with 35 years’ service. Dennis has been a guest on hundreds of radio talk shows, CNN’s YOUR MONEY and the Lou Dobbs Cable TV shows, lectured at universities and colleges, produced Internet web sites and training videos, and has written hundreds of articles for national magazines and newspapers. His books have been featured in the Wall Street Journal, Washington Post, New York Times and U.S. News & World Report.

Dennis joined the Air Force in 1968 and spent over three years on active duty and an additional seven years with the Air National Guard. He was hired by the Department of Defense (DOD) after leaving active duty and transferred to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) in 1975. He spent the remainder of his career in various positions with the FAA. His last position was technical operations manager at the Pittsburgh International Airport’s air traffic control tower.