After you Retire

Once you have submitted your retirement application through ORA and officially separated from federal service, your retirement application will continue through the processing stages at the Defense Finance and Account Service (DFAS) and the Office of Personnel Management (OPM). Review OPM’s retirement processing timeline to understand when you can expect interim payments and your annuity payments. The information below also highlights important resources to help you manage your benefits and other retirement related matters.

Accessing myPay after retirement

After your retirement date, you will continue to have access to your myPay account for up to one year. During this period, you can view and print important documents such as Leave and Earnings Statements (LES), tax forms, and retirement-related information.

Please note that after retirement, you will no longer be able to access myPay using your Personal Identity Verification (PIV) Card. To avoid losing access to your account, you should verify that you know your myPay username and password before your retirement date.

While still employed, log in to myPay using your PIV Card and:

• Confirm your username
• Reset or update your password, if needed.
• Verify that your personal email address and contact information are current.

Taking these steps before retirement will help ensure uninterrupted access to your myPay account and important payroll and retirement records.
Visit the myPay website for additional information and account support resources.

Online Retirement Application System (ORA)

Once your retirement application is submitted to Payroll (DFAS), you will continue to have access to ORA to review the status of your application. Once your case status changes to OPM, you can contact OPM to receive updates on the process of your application if you have not received communication from OPM within the estimated window detailed in the Retirement Quick Guide. Visit OPM’s website to see what to expect after your retirement date.

Important Note: Beginning with the 2025 tax year, OPM will distribute 1099-R forms through Retirement Services Online (RSO). Annuitants with a valid email on file will receive a notification in January when their 1099-R is available. Before accessing the RSO account, retiring employees must enroll in Login.gov. Refer to the RSO Login Guide for assistance.

Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)

You may leave your Thrift Savings Plan (TSP) funds in your account after you retire. However, once you reach the age at which Required Minimum Distributions (RMDs) apply, you must begin taking withdrawals from your account in accordance with IRS regulations.

The TSP offers several withdrawal options to help meet your retirement income needs, including:

• installment payments,
• partial withdrawals
• full withdrawals.

Visit the TSP website for detailed information about withdrawal options, Required Minimum Distributions, tax considerations, and retirement planning resources.

Annual leave lump sum payment

You will receive a lump sum payment for unused annual leave 1–2 pay periods after your retirement date, unless your leave balance requires an audit. The lump-sum payment will be deposited into the same account used for your salary direct deposit.

Retirement point of contact

Once the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) receives and processes your retirement case, the NIH Office of Human Resources (OHR) is no longer your servicing HR office. OPM becomes your primary point of contact for questions regarding your retirement benefits, annuity payments, health and life insurance coverage, survivor benefits, and other retirement-related matters.

For OPM contact information, including phone numbers, operating hours, and additional support resources, visit the Contact OPM Retirement Services page.