Federal ORA Service Online: the OPM Online Retirement Application. Has OPM streamlined your federal retirement process, going paperless? Also – a July 2025 update on the backlog.
Paperless ORA (Online Retirement Application): Update on OPM Retirement Services for Federal Employees
There has been a lot of confusion regarding the new OPM online service for processing FERS and CSRS applications. At first, it appeared that the company Workday was going to revamp the decades old paper-based process. Then, in the same week as the announcement, the contract was canceled. It turned out that this was because OPM had been developing software for several years and proved it was more capable of handling retirement applications for the federal government’s workforce. So, here is what I have garnered from two reputable resources, Tammy Flanagan and FedSmith, and OPM itself.
Federal Retirement Process: FERS Retirement Application Online
There were two important dates accentuated by OPM when the original contract was disclosed: June 2nd was when the ORA would go live and July 15th was when paper applications would stop being accepted. This is still true, but depending on your federal agency’s payroll provider. There are 5 such companies that handle this task for various federal agencies. For one of them at least, the ORA is up and running, and based on preliminary reports, rather user-friendly. Other agencies have received an extension and can still submit the traditional paper claim for retirement benefits to OPM.
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July 2025 OPM Backlog Update: Processing Time Dramatically Surges
What has all this meant regarding the OPM backlog of pending retirement applications? Well, July is usually a high volume month for incoming claims. What makes this year different than most was the unusual spike we saw in May and June of 2025 compared to previous years. This led to the average processing time to jump 31% from last month to 59 days. It should be noted though that this average was higher at 64 days after January 2025. Retirement application errors can be detrimental to processing time, though, which is why meeting with financial advisors specializing in federal retirement planning is recommended before submitting to OPM.
OPM Backlog Update: July 2025 on Par with Other Years
May and June 2025 saw unusual spikes compared to other years, but July 2025 was relatively in the same range as other years in the same month. In 2022, there were 9487 incoming federal retirement applications, and this July saw 8295 incoming apps. Due to RIFs (which increase Discontinued Service Retirements), increased VERA offers, and the deferred resignation program, which counts for 154,000 federal employees voluntarily retiring or leaving service, this year has seen a flood of federal retirement applications into OPM retirement services. Due to the influx, an unusual
Federal Employee Online Retirement Application (ORA): Some, but Not All, Services Online
A representative for OPM noted that the focus, when it comes to digitization of retirement services, is on new retirement applications. There are 100,000 applications for FERS or CSRS benefits on average per year, correspondence from those planning to retire, already retired, and claiming survivor benefits, as well as the aforementioned 5 payroll providers. Due to all this, OPM retirement services has not fully gone online, but has taken a impactful step towards that goal. For instance, because applications for disability retirement under FERS requires several approvals, most of those claims are still paper-based.
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OPM Retirement Applications for FERS
The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) manages the retirement process for federal employees under the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). When a federal employee decides to retire, they must complete a retirement application to initiate their benefits.
Federal Employees Retirement System: Post-Submission of FERS Application
Once the retirement application is submitted, it is essential for the retiree to track their claim number to monitor the processing time. OPM provides services online that allow annuitants to easily access their retirement information and manage their benefits.
Safety is Critical when You Retire from Federal Government
It is crucial for federal employees to safely connect to secure websites when sharing sensitive information related to their retirement. The payroll department plays a significant role in ensuring that all retirement benefits are calculated accurately and disbursed in a timely manner.
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Reach Out to Us!
If you have additional federal benefit questions, contact our team of CERTIFIED FINANCIAL PLANNER™ (CFP®), Chartered Federal Employee Benefits Consultants (ChFEBC℠), and Accredited Investment Fiduciary (AIF) professionals. At PlanWell, we are federal employee financial advisors with a focus on retirement planning. Learn more about our process designed for the career fed.
Preparing for federal retirement? Check out our scheduled federal retirement workshops. Sign up for our no-cost federal retirement webinars here! Make sure to plan ahead and reserve your seat for our FERS webinar, held every three weeks. Want to have PlanWell host a federal retirement seminar for your agency? Reach out, and we’ll collaborate with HR to arrange an on-site FERS seminar.
Want to fast-track your federal retirement plan? Skip the FERS webinar and start a one-on-one conversation with a ChFEBC today. You can schedule a one-on-one meeting here.
