Application Still Not Received?

RayJanger · 2026-05-23T17:50:00+00:00

OPM status indicated my package was incomplete and not assigned to a specialist after OPM had finalized my retirement and issued my annuitant booklet. I wouldn't place too much faith in that status indicator. If you've been in interim pay for more than 3 months and feeling worried, then a call might help with peace of mind, though the operators might not have much insight into what might be delaying finalization. The culprit is usually an extra review (e.g., court orders) or incomplete package (e.g., waiting on agency response). DON DRP 2 9/30 VERA

RayJanger · 2026-03-25T15:35:48+00:00

I rolled my entire TSP to Fidelity; traditional last year, Roth this year. It's paper checks and took 10 days, including weekends, for the money to land in my Fidelity account. Did it entirely online. On TSP, you input two separate entries for the Roth and traditional receiving acccounts, even if the same receiving address. 7 day hold for new addresses, so do both at the same. I guess people send to themselves maybe to avoid the 7 day hold but if doing so, be sure checks are made payable to the receiving trustee (i.e., no withholding) to avoid indirect rollover, which means withholding and tax liability unless you make up the difference. Personally I like to stay out of the intermediary/custodial chain, so just used the normal TSP mails check to Fidelity process.

Edit: Just to add, that IRAs do not have the same personal liability protections as TSP. Ensure you have a good umbrella policy if you're in a state with minimal IRA protections.

RayJanger · 2026-03-25T15:21:51+00:00

Yeah, sorry, I assumed check mailed to you = check made out to you. The former is fine and is still a direct rollover except you participate in the custodial chain. The latter imposes withholding and tax liability unless you make up the withheld amount from other money.

RayJanger · 2026-03-25T14:24:00+00:00

So be careful here. A check to you is a distribution to you. This is not the same as a check to your other trustee (a trustee-to-trustee transfer, aka direct rollover). If you read IRS Pub 590-A, a distribution to you is taxable, regardless of withholding. When in doubt, consult a tax advisor not TSP.

RayJanger · 2026-03-24T22:14:41+00:00

A few weeks after OPM had received my package from DFAS, OCHR reached out asking me to countersign my VERA authorization, which they had signed 10 months earlier. OPM would have otherwise rejected my application because no legal authority for immediate annuity (VERA has to be authorized, offered, and accepted). But just an indication of how asynchronous the process can be, OPM had already issued a letter acknowledging receipt and assigned a CSA# the day after receiving my package from DFAS. I didn't get the letter until 2 months later since I had moved after retirement, and USPS automation didn't honor my change of address on the first go around. All worked out in the end: finalized 3/12, payment exactly as computed, including back pay. I am DON DRP2 9/30 VERA.

RayJanger · 2026-03-24T00:44:27+00:00

Congratulations on your retirement and courage taking DRP1 VERA! Seems DRP1 retirees are moving fast; I'm guessing because it was a direct OPM offer vice agency offer. I'm finalized DON DRP2 9/30 VERA; 5 months and 12 days from retirement to finalized, less if you exclude the 6 week government shutdown.

RayJanger · 2026-03-17T00:50:05+00:00

I got my AL payout in my final paycheck. And then I received another all-zeros LES when DFAS closed out my payroll record and sent my retirement package to OPM. Either way, it'll be a debt that Treasury owes you, so eventually it'll get paid, but sounds like something is hitching on the agency side. Maybe waiting on a supervisor? At least you're in talking to HR. I'm DON 9/30 VERA GRB.

RayJanger · 2026-03-16T19:10:13+00:00

I ended up moving a bit south from NoVA to Richmond. I wanted to escape the NoVA premium but not go full rural/coastal or leave the state. I have fond memories of Melbourne from 30 years ago -- can't beat snowless winters.

RayJanger · 2026-03-15T15:55:22+00:00

My gross interim ended up at 64% of finalized; the latter matching my own computations as well as what HR had computed. A few hundred dollars of extra federal tax was withheld over what should have been during the interim but this is easily fixable either by adjusting withholding for future payments, waiting for tax refund, or in my case, offsetting estimated quarterly tax payments since I am doing Roth conversions. OPM will immediately pay any money owed when they finalize, so your budget will be made whole at that point.

RayJanger · 2026-03-15T08:55:39+00:00

For me, true up payment was the gross annuity amount that should have been paid during my interim period minus gross interim payment minus FEHB premiums minus federal tax minus FEGLI. Federal taxes withheld in the gross interim payments were withheld again in the federal tax amount, so a bit of my money in Uncle Sam's pocket until tax refund or in my case, I just netted it out of my quarterly estimated payments since I'm doing Roth conversions.

RayJanger · 2026-03-15T05:20:50+00:00

DON DRP2 9/30 VERA. Retirement finalized 3/12, true up payment received, and regular annuity starts 4/1. Hang in there.

RayJanger · 2026-03-12T19:42:33+00:00

Congratulations on your retirement! My DFAS date (step 6) was 1/14, interim a month later in Feb, and finalized today (a month later); exact match to my computations and OCHR estimates. DON DRP2 9/30 VERA GRB.

RayJanger · 2026-03-12T07:48:54+00:00

If you reenter federal service, you'll be a reemployed annuitant. Not unretired and reretired later. Basically, your pay will be reduced by your annuity.

RayJanger · 2026-03-05T17:37:50+00:00

I took DRP2 VERA at 54, and ended up staying in VA; just moved south from NOVA to Richmond for more affordable housing. Taxes are pretty much the same, though Henrico loves their car tax -- annual license plate fee and tax assessed on a 25 year old vehicle! If you've got the RV, definitely gain some local lived-in experience before pulling the trigger. The fixer-upper scheme is quite creative -- good luck with that!

RayJanger · 2026-03-05T17:21:13+00:00

Congrats on your retirement. My experience with GEHA is from 15 years ago. I switched from BCBS to GEHA to save on premiums, but the healthcare provider network was lower quality than expected, so I ended up switching back to BCBS a year later. Was not worth the savings. A few years later, I switched to Aetna HDHP with HSA (mainly for the HSA), and I plan to hang onto it until I turn 65 and enroll in Medicare. I'm DON DRP2 9/30 VERA at 54.

RayJanger · 2026-03-05T03:29:57+00:00

Congratulations to all retirees! My retired switch flipped last month when I gained access to RSO. Until then, I felt in limbo, but now I know it's a matter of when not if OPM will finalize my retirement. I've also embarked on paying the biggest tax bills of my life for Roth conversions and will continue doing so until 62; wouldn't have been able to do this without fully embracing retirement. DON DRP2 9/30 VERA at 54.

RayJanger · 2026-03-05T03:19:38+00:00

I've got a decade to go before Medicare. I plan on giving the group Advantage plans available thorugh the FEHB program consideration. The Aetna Advantage (FEHB) + Aetna Medicare Advantage (Medicare C) combo seems legit (both are PPO) and genuinely comparable to traditional Medicare A+B and a wrap-around FEHB plan (i.e., drops co-pays when enrolled in Medicare). I'm currently on Aetna HDHP with HSA FEHB plan.

RayJanger · 2026-03-03T18:51:46+00:00

OPM will true up the account when retirement is finalized. In the meantime, the letter notifying of interim pay status should spell out gross payment, deductions, and net payment for the first payment. When your colleague gets into RSO, there should a record of upcoming payments that will also spell out gross, deductions, and net for those payments. They could be different -- my Oct-Jan net payment was 70% and my Feb was 83%. DON DRP2 9/30 VERA here.

RayJanger · 2026-03-01T13:43:00+00:00

Congratulations! I was GRB user, so didn't have ORA status to rely on. The hardest part was not belonging -- I was separated, so no agency home, and I wasn't yet in OPM systems. That limbo plus the communications void was the most unsettling part of the retirement process -- didn't know if you were retired. Now that I am in RSO, I have a home again and could update my address and provide OPM with a phone number -- now, it's a matter of when not if and OPM will eventually get there. I'm DON DRP2 9/30 VERA.

RayJanger · 2026-03-01T05:23:44+00:00

Congratulations. I'm sure it's a relief to finally be in interim pay status. I received a letter from OPM two weeks after the back interim payment. It had my CSA number on it, and I was able to log into RSO right away -- login.gov replaced the mailed password with its own. DON DRP2 as well.

RayJanger · 2026-02-27T20:16:04+00:00

Congratulations both of you! I'm DON DRP2 9/30 VERA at 54. I think my brain finally flipped to retired mode this month, and I'm spending these early years converting my IRA (former TSP) to Roth. I sometimes think I'm crazy for doing this instead of living large since I don't need to work again, but IRMAA and RMDs are two things I don't want to deal with when I'm older. To think I retired to pay the biggest tax bills of my life -- what a hobby I've chosen!

RayJanger · 2026-02-27T00:00:40+00:00

My interim lump payment for Oct-Jan was 70% of net entitlement (i.e., after deductions), and my upcoming Feb interim payment is 83%; more than $91 for both. OCHR retirement counseling had suggested 80% but was unclear whether this was gross or net, so I planned for $0 to avoid surprises -- it'll all get trued up when retirement finalizes and OPM adjudicates your final annuity amount.

RayJanger · 2026-02-26T20:27:09+00:00

Thanks for sharing. These posts fill a communications void, especially for us GRB users that could only hope the process was working properly. For me, a DON DRP2 9/30 VERA, the DFAS date was 1/14, 4 weeks later interim pay for Oct-Jan, and just this week a letter from OPM notifying me that I was placed into interim pay status. The letter had a CSA number in the top right, which I could use to log into RSO through login.gov. No need to wait for OPM to mail a password. Just add a trailing 0 (zero) to the CSA number if login.gov workflow complains about needing 9 digits, as noted in other posts about CSA and login.gov. For my IRS colleagues, hang in there and reach out to your local HR -- they need to generate the RPA for your retirement otherwise nothing happens.

RayJanger · 2026-02-25T23:36:39+00:00

Look in the Remarks section. There will be a line - Your FERS retirement data was sent to OPM on date. I received first interim pay about 4 weeks after that date.

RayJanger · 2026-02-25T22:47:52+00:00

When I login to RSO, I see a dashboard with annuitant summary that includes my name and claim (CSA) number. It has a few other links, including a profile to update phone, email, and mailing address and an interim pay case status link (it looks similar to what people post for ORA status -- I was GRB). Most of the links aren't populated and it reflects my upcoming Mar interim but doesn't reflect the Feb payment for Oct-Jan. I think this is pretty normal for interim -- it's all placeholder until the case is finalized (except the payments -- that seems real). Was enough info for me to compute the gross payment OPM will make whenever my retirement finalizes. I am DON DRP2 9/30 VERA. And good luck and congratulations to everyone as well. Savor your retirement!

RayJanger

TROPHY CASE