FERS & CSRS Timing & Filing

The 2027 federal retirement calendar: every date that matters

Federal retirement runs on a calendar that nobody hands you. The COLA is set by two inflation releases in the fall. Premiums land in late September. Open Season has fixed weeks. The leave year does not end on December 31. The pay tables become final in the last days of the year. RMDs, estimated taxes, Medicare windows, and the IRMAA lookback each have their own clock. This is all of it, September 2026 through December 2027, in order, with what to do on each date and a link to the guide that explains why.

By Anshul Meena • Published September 7, 2026 • 16 min read

Oct 14

2027 COLA announced with the September CPI release

BLS / SSA

Nov 9–Dec 14

Federal Benefits Open Season for 2027 coverage

OPM

Jan 9, 2027

End of the 2026 leave year

OPM

Apr 1, 2027

First RMD deadline for anyone who turned 73 in 2026

IRS

1. The year at a glance

Sixteen months, four seasons of decisions. The fall sets the numbers you will live with in 2027; the winter is when you act on them; the spring is taxes and filings; the summer is the quiet stretch before it starts again.

The fall sets the numbers; the winter is when you act on them.

2. September–October 2026: the numbers get set

Date	What happens	Who it affects	What to do
Sep 11	BLS releases the August CPI. Second of three months that set the 2027 COLA; also completes the twelve-month average that indexes the 2027 IRMAA thresholds.	Retirees; anyone near an IRMAA cliff	Check the running COLA estimate; recompute your IRMAA margin.
Sep 15	Third-quarter estimated tax payment due.	Retirees paying estimates	Pay; see estimated taxes in retirement.
Late Sep / early Oct	OPM announces 2027 FEHB and PSHB premiums and plan changes.	Everyone with FEHB	Compare your plan’s 2027 premium and Part B giveback; read what changes in 2027.
Sep 30	End of fiscal year 2026. Appropriations lapse unless a continuing resolution is in place; Congress passed a stopgap in early September.	Active employees	Know the new deadline the CR set; see shutdown and your retirement.
Oct 14	BLS releases the September CPI. SSA announces the 2027 COLA, the 2027 taxable wage base, and the 2027 earnings-test exempt amounts the same day.	Retirees; FERS supplement recipients; anyone planning to claim	Note the FERS “diet COLA” result: full CPI-W up to 2%, 2% if CPI-W is 2–3%, CPI-W minus 1 point above 3%. See how the COLA works.
Oct 15	Extended 2025 tax return deadline. Last day a 2025 return, and therefore your 2027 IRMAA income, can change.	Extension filers	File.
Oct 15–Dec 7	Medicare Open Enrollment for Part D and Medicare Advantage.	Retirees on Medicare	Review Part D against your FEHB plan’s drug coverage; see Medicare open season decisions.

3. November–December 2026: elections and the year-end retirement window

Date	What happens	Who it affects	What to do
Early Nov	IRS announces 2027 retirement plan limits (TSP elective deferral, catch-up, super catch-up, IRA).	Active employees	Set the 2027 per-pay-period contribution in the December pay period; see the per-pay-period math.
Nov	CMS announces the 2027 Part B premium, deductible, and final IRMAA brackets. SSA IRMAA determination letters follow.	Retirees on Medicare or turning 65 in 2027	Compare to the projection; file SSA-44 if you retired and your 2025 income overstates your current income.
Nov 9–Dec 14	Federal Benefits Open Season: FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP, FSAFEDS. Elections effective the first full pay period of 2027 (employees) or January 1, 2027 (annuitants).	Everyone	Reconfirm the five-year rule if you are retiring in the next five years; new for this season, every added family member is verified, so have documents ready. See eligibility verification.
Nov 28	Deadline to schedule use-or-lose annual leave for the 2026 leave year (end of pay period 25).	Active employees above the 240-hour carryover	Schedule it in writing, or plan to retire before January 9 so it is paid out instead.
Early Dec	Last practical date to submit a retirement application for a December 31 separation with any chance of on-time processing. OPM recommends 60 to 90 days’ lead.	Year-end retirees	If not already filed, file now; see how to file.
Dec 31 (Thu)	Best FERS retirement date of the year: annuity begins Jan 1; full 2026 leave balance paid; 2026 is the last day for RMDs and for Roth conversions counting in 2026. Also the final 2026 payday, moved up from Jan 1.	Year-end retirees; anyone 73+; anyone converting	See December vs. January and the worst days.
Late Dec	The President signs the annual pay executive order. Under the alternative pay plan, 2027 base and locality rates stay at 2026 levels; a 3.8% increase applies to law enforcement.	Active employees; anyone with a 2025–2027 high-3 window	Rerun the stay-or-go math if Congress changed anything.

The leave-year decision, 2026 edition

The 2026 leave year ends Saturday, January 9, 2027, not December 31. Retiring January 9 adds six days of salary and one more pay period of leave accrual, but the FERS annuity then begins February 1 instead of January 1, so you trade a month of annuity for a week of pay. In most years the tie-breaker is that leave paid after January 1 is valued at the new year’s higher rates; with 2027 rates frozen, that edge is gone, and December 31 wins for nearly every FERS employee. CSRS employees can retire through January 3 and still have the annuity begin in January under the three-day rule.

4. January–March 2027: the new year takes effect

Date	What happens	Who it affects	What to do
Jan 1	2027 FEHB premiums and elections take effect for annuitants; new Part B and IRMAA amounts begin; Medicare deductibles reset; 2027 Social Security wage base and earnings-test limits apply.	Retirees	Check the first annuity statement of the year for the new FEHB deduction.
Jan 1–Mar 31	Medicare General Enrollment Period for anyone who missed Part B and has no special enrollment period; coverage starts the month after enrolling.	Late enrollers	See the late enrollment penalty before deciding.
Early Jan	The January annuity payment carries the 2027 COLA (effective December 1, 2026). FERS retirees under 62 receive no COLA except disability and survivor annuitants.	Retirees	Verify the percentage on the statement matches the announced FERS figure.
Jan 9 (Sat)	2026 leave year ends. Leave above the carryover ceiling is forfeited unless scheduled by Nov 28 and cancelled for agency reasons.	Active employees	Confirm your carried-over balance on the first 2027 leave statement.
Jan 10 (Sun)	2027 leave year and first full pay period of 2027 begin. 2027 pay rates (frozen) and new TSP elections take effect.	Active employees	Check the first 2027 LES for the TSP amount and the FEHB premium.
Jan 15	Fourth-quarter 2026 estimated tax payment due.	Retirees paying estimates	Pay; include any 2026 Roth conversion or leave payout.
By Jan 31	OPM and the TSP issue 2026 Forms 1099-R; SSA issues SSA-1099; agencies issue W-2s (including the annual leave lump sum for anyone who retired in 2026).	Everyone	Download from Services Online, tsp.gov, and my Social Security.
Feb–Mar	OPM mails the annual FERS supplement earnings survey (Form RI 92-22) to supplement recipients who have reached MRA.	FERS supplement recipients under 62	Report 2026 earnings above the exempt amount; the reduction applies from July. See the supplement guide.

5. April–June 2027: taxes and the spring filings

Date	What happens	Who it affects	What to do
Apr 1	Deadline for the first RMD of anyone who turned 73 in 2026. The second is due December 31, 2027; taking both in 2027 stacks two distributions in one tax year.	Those born in 1953	Most retirees are better off taking the first RMD in 2026; if you did not, take it now and plan for the doubled 2027 income. See TSP RMDs.
Apr 15	2026 tax return and first-quarter 2027 estimate due. Last day for a 2026 Roth IRA contribution, which starts the Roth IRA five-year clock as of January 1, 2026.	Everyone	File; fund the Roth IRA for 2026 if you have not; check withholding on the first three annuity payments against the bill.
Apr–May	OPM processes FERS supplement earnings reductions from the RI 92-22 survey, effective with the July payment.	Supplement recipients who worked	Expect a smaller July annuity if 2026 earnings exceeded $24,480.
Jun 15	Second-quarter estimated tax payment due.	Retirees paying estimates	Pay.
Late Jun	Medicare Trustees Report published, with the projected 2028 Part B premium.	Planners	Note the projection for 2028 IRMAA planning.

6. July–December 2027: the cycle begins again

Date	What happens	Who it affects	What to do
Jul 1	FERS supplement earnings reductions take effect. First anniversary of OPM’s all-digital retirement processing.	Supplement recipients	Check the July payment.
Mid-Aug	BLS releases the July CPI: first of the three months that set the 2028 COLA.	Retirees	Begin tracking; nothing to do yet.
By Aug 31	Statutory deadline for the President to transmit the 2028 alternative pay plan.	Active employees	Rerun the high-3 math if you are within three years of retiring.
Sep 15	Third-quarter estimated tax payment due.	Retirees paying estimates	Pay.
Late Sep	2028 FEHB premiums announced.	Everyone	Begin the Open Season comparison.
Mid-Oct	2028 COLA announced with the September CPI.	Retirees	Note the FERS figure.
Nov 8–Dec 13, 2027	Open Season for 2028 coverage (second Monday of November to second Monday of December).	Everyone	Elect.
Dec 31, 2027 (Fri)	2027 RMD and Roth conversion deadline; a strong FERS retirement date (annuity begins Jan 1, 2028). The 2027 leave year runs to January 8, 2028.	Year-end retirees; anyone 73+	Same analysis as this year’s December 31, with whatever the 2028 pay order says about January rates.

7. Dates that depend on you: birthdays and anniversaries

The calendar above is the same for everyone. These dates are set by your own birth date, service dates, and elections, and they matter more.

Trigger	What opens or closes	Lead time
Age 50 (or 25 years) if a special-category employee	Immediate retirement; TSP penalty exception on separation	Plan the year before
Year you turn 55	Rule of 55: separate in or after this year and TSP withdrawals are penalty-free	Do not separate in December of the year you turn 54
MRA (55–57) with 10 or 30 years; 60 with 20; 62 with 5	FERS eligibility milestones; MRA+10 reduction; supplement eligibility	Confirm service computation date in writing a year out
Age 59½	TSP in-service withdrawals without penalty; Roth earnings qualified if the clock has run	None
Age 62	FERS supplement ends; 1.1% multiplier if 20+ years; earliest Social Security; FERS COLAs begin	Decide the Social Security claim a year before; see the bridge
Age 65, three months before	Medicare Initial Enrollment Period opens (seven months, centered on the birthday month)	Decide Part B before the window opens
Age 63 tax year	Income this year sets the IRMAA you pay at 65	Plan Roth conversions to finish by 62
Age 65, at retirement, if still working	Medicare Part B special enrollment period: eight months after active-employee FEHB ends	Enroll in the month of retirement to avoid a gap
Age 67 (born 1960 or later)	Social Security full retirement age; earnings test ends	Apply up to four months ahead
Age 70	Delayed retirement credits stop; no reason to wait longer	Apply four months ahead; benefits can start the birthday month
Age 70½	Qualified charitable distributions from an IRA	Consider a partial TSP-to-IRA rollover the year before
Age 73 (born 1951–1959) or 75 (born 1960+)	RMDs begin on traditional TSP and IRAs	First RMD by April 1 of the following year; better by December 31 of this one
18 months after annuity start	Deadline to increase a survivor election	Review at the one-year mark
Five years before retirement	FEHB and FEGLI five-year continuous-enrollment windows begin; Roth clocks should be started	Verify enrollment dates with HR

8. Three retirement dates, and what each one triggers

The same calendar reads differently depending on the date you pick. Here is how it plays out for the three dates most 2027 retirees are weighing.

December 31, 2026

Annuity begins January 1, 2027. The leave lump sum is paid in January and taxed in 2027, which spreads it away from your final year of salary. Your 2026 W-2 carries a full year of pay; your 2027 income is the annuity, the leave payout, and any TSP draws, so 2027 is a moderate year and 2029 IRMAA follows from it. OPM interim pay begins four to six weeks after separation; the first full annuity check arrives on the current backlog timeline, roughly three to five months after. The COLA announced October 14 is prorated for you: a December 1, 2026 effective date on an annuity that began January 1, 2027 means the first COLA you receive is the 2028 one, and only if you are 62 or a CSRS retiree. Under the pay freeze, there is no January rate advantage to chase, so nothing is lost by not waiting into the new leave year.

June 30, 2027

Annuity begins July 1. Your 2027 tax year is a split: six months of salary, the leave payout, and six months of annuity, which makes 2027 the highest-income year in the sequence and sets your 2029 IRMAA. Retirement is a qualifying event for SSA-44, so plan to file it when the 2029 determination arrives. The FERS supplement, if you are eligible, begins with the annuity; the earnings survey each spring will ask about 2027 earnings, and your six months of salary are excluded because they were earned before retirement. You carry your leave balance into the 2027 leave year and are paid for all of it. The supplemental leave accrual for the final pay period does not apply mid-year.

December 31, 2027

Annuity begins January 1, 2028. The calendar in section 6 applies: the 2028 pay executive order arrives in late December 2027, and if 2028 rates rise, the leave lump sum is valued at the new rates for the portion projected into January, restoring the classic year-end advantage. The 2027 leave year runs to January 8, 2028, so the same December-31-versus-leave-year-end trade-off recurs, with the pay order deciding it. Your 2027 tax year is a full working year and sets 2029 IRMAA; 2028 is the first annuity year. If you turn 62 in 2028, the 1.1% multiplier and the end of the supplement both fall in your first retirement year, which is worth planning around explicitly with the stay-or-go framework.

	Dec 31, 2026	Jun 30, 2027	Dec 31, 2027
Annuity begins	Jan 1, 2027	Jul 1, 2027	Jan 1, 2028
Leave lump sum paid and taxed	Jan 2027, tax year 2027	Jul 2027, tax year 2027	Jan 2028, tax year 2028
Highest-income tax year	2026 (full salary)	2027 (salary + payout + annuity)	2027 (full salary)
IRMAA year affected by that income	2028	2029	2029
Lump-sum rate advantage	None (2027 frozen)	None	Depends on the 2028 pay order
First COLA received	Jan 2028 (if 62+ or CSRS)	Jan 2028, prorated	Jan 2029

9. The retiree’s standing calendar

Once retired, the year settles into a repeating rhythm. Put these on a recurring calendar and the plan runs itself.

January: confirm the COLA and the new FEHB premium on the first annuity statement; adjust TSP installments for inflation; rebalance if it is your scheduled date; download 1099-Rs.
April: file; reconcile withholding against the bill; fund the Roth IRA for the prior year if useful; first-quarter estimate.
June: second-quarter estimate; read the Trustees Report projection for Part B two years out.
September: third-quarter estimate; note the August CPI and the FEHB premium announcement; recompute your IRMAA margin for the year after next.
October: COLA announced; final 2027 Roth conversion sizing against the IRMAA threshold two years out; Medicare Open Enrollment opens.
November: Open Season; IRMAA determination letter; SSA-44 if warranted; TSP limits if you are still contributing.
December: RMD by the 31st; Roth conversion executed; charitable giving and QCDs; review beneficiary forms; confirm the January installment amount.

For the eighteen months before retirement, the sequence is different and longer; the 18-month countdown covers it month by month.

10. Frequently asked questions

When is the 2027 COLA announced?

The Social Security Administration announces the cost-of-living adjustment when the Bureau of Labor Statistics releases the September Consumer Price Index, scheduled for October 14, 2026. The COLA is the percentage change in the average CPI-W for July, August, and September 2026 over the same quarter of 2025. It applies to Social Security and CSRS annuities in full and to most FERS annuities under the reduced formula, effective December 1 and payable in the January 2027 payment.

What is the best date to retire at the end of 2026?

For FERS, December 31, 2026 is the cleanest date: it is the last day of the month, so the annuity begins January 1, 2027, and it is inside the 2026 leave year, so the full annual leave balance is paid out. The 2026 leave year actually ends January 9, 2027; retiring on that date adds six more days of salary and leave accrual but pushes the annuity start to February 1, 2027. Because 2027 pay is frozen at 2026 rates under the alternative pay plan, the usual advantage of having the lump sum paid at January rates does not apply this year.

When is Federal Benefits Open Season for 2027 coverage?

Open Season for FEHB, PSHB, FEDVIP, and FSAFEDS runs from the second Monday in November to the second Monday in December: November 9 through December 14, 2026. Elections take effect in the first full pay period of 2027 for employees and on January 1, 2027 for annuitants. OPM publishes the 2027 premiums in late September or early October, and starting with this Open Season, agencies must verify the eligibility of every family member added to an enrollment.

When are the 2027 TSP contribution limits announced?

The IRS announces the following year’s retirement plan limits in early November, usually the first or second week. The 2026 limits are $24,500 in elective deferrals, $8,000 in catch-up contributions for ages 50 and over, and $11,250 for ages 60 through 63. Contributions elected in December take effect in the first pay period of January, so the election for 2027 should be made in the December pay period after the limits are known.

What is the deadline for my first required minimum distribution?

If you turned 73 in 2026, your first RMD is due by April 1, 2027, and your second by December 31, 2027; taking both in 2027 stacks two distributions into one tax year. Every subsequent RMD is due by December 31. If you were born in 1960 or later, your RMDs begin at 75. Roth TSP balances have no RMD.

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