9/30 IRS VERA Finalized!
🥳🥳🥳🎉🎉🎉
This post is to provide hope for those retired from IRS with no progress. HANG IN THERE!!!
Today, Thursday, May 7, 2026, over a year since I walked out and took DRP, my retirement was finalized, 219 days since official retirement, 371 days since DRP! 🎉🎉🎉
My package would be considered 'simple' IMHO. 1 marriage, FEHB with same insurance for 24 years (changed during open season 2025), no FEGLI, no military service, no part time service. All paperwork uploaded in ORA.
04/2025: DRP 2.0 signed/GRB submitted
05/2025: Admin Leave
07/15/2025: ORA initial submission
08/31/2025: ORA final submission (made some benefits election changes)
09/30/2025: VERA Retirement
01/07/2026: Paperwork uploaded to ORA by HR Specialist, including correct High 3, Correct Estimate
01/08/2026: Finalized ORA application - Moved to Step 3 - NFC to review
01/21/2026: TSP marked as Separated
02/02/2026: Annual Leave Payout (125 days after retirement)
02/21/2026: Per HR Rep - NFC assigned case to a retirement specialist
03/26/2026: Application left NFC and moved to OPM (77 days at NFC, 177 days after retirement)
03/28/2026: OPM Services Account available and setup
04/01/2026: First makeup Interim payment received (183 days after retirement, 6 days after receipt at OPM), Taxes withheld
05/01/2026: Second Interim payment received (213 days after retirement) No taxes withheld - made election on services online to NOT withhold taxes
05/07/2026: Retirement at OPM finalized. Total days at NFC: 77; Total days at OPM: 42 days; Have NOT received makeup payment yet. Edit: Received within 24 hours.
Some numbers for you:
* Gross Interim pay was 71% of actual annuity
* Taxes were withheld from bulk interim gross annuity (approx. 19% of gross Interim)
* Spreadsheet calculation matched TO THE PENNY the OPM calculation: https://www.reddit.com/r/fednews/comments/1bdfhgb/high3_and_pension_calculation_spreadsheet/ Shout out again to https://www.reddit.com/user/NeuroDawg/ Thank you!
For those still waiting, dream of your day to write your celebration post. It will come. 🤗🍀💯🙏☮️
I want to thank those who have shared their experiences and nuances of their stories here. It has provided hope and connection in a painful end of a career. It is contrasted with the beautiful beginning to the rest of my/our lives. May each of you enjoy the road to be traveled and focus on the future, not the past. Good luck everyone! 🍀
Edit: Makeup Interim payment received 5/8!