The OPM retirement backlog has dropped to its lowest level since May 2016. It has been reduced every month so far in 2024.
The total outstanding retirement claims at the Office of Personnel Management fell to 14,035 at the end of May 2024. Interestingly enough, it was exactly the same at the end of May 2016. The average of the OPM retirement claims backlog so far in 2024 is 17,470.
At the end of April, the OPM retirement backlog was 16,077, so it was reduced by 13% in May. OPM received 6,751 new retirement claims last month and processed 8,793 which is what helped drive down the total inventory.
Processing peaked in February and March this year when the total number of federal employees’ retirement claims processed by the agency exceeded 10,000 each of those months. So far in 2024, OPM has averaged 8,729 retirement claims processed each month.
On average, it took 60 days to process retirement claims. The average so far in 2024 is 58 days.
As of May 2024, OPM estimates in its retirement Quick Guide that federal retirees will get their first full annuity payments within 3-5 months of retiring. That was also the same estimate given by OPM at the end of both March and April.
The OPM Retirement Backlog: May 2020 – May 2024
The table below shows the statistics on the OPM retirement backlog during the month of May for the last five years. As the data show, May has been a favorable month for reducing the outstanding retirement claims inventory since OPM has averaged processing more of federal employees’ retirement claims than it receives.
| Claims Received | Claims Processed | Inventory | |
| May 2020 | 6,648 | 8,360 | 18,177 |
| May 2021 | 7,684 | 8,451 | 24,619 |
| May 2022 | 7,673 | 10,266 | 22,026 |
| May 2023 | 6,096 | 8,355 | 18,125 |
| May 2024 | 6,751 | 8,793 | 14,035 |
| Average | 6,970 | 8,845 | 19,396 |
OPM Retirement Backlog Processing Status – May 2024
| Month | Claims Received | Claims Processed | Inventory (Steady state goal is 13,000) | Monthly Average Processing Time in Days | FYTD Average Processing Time in Days |
| January 2023 | 12,404 | 9,142 | 24,858 | 93 | 90 |
| February 2023 | 9,562 | 10,920 | 23,500 | 65 | 84 |
| March 2023 | 8,354 | 8,929 | 22,925 | 69 | 81 |
| April 2023 | 8,298 | 10,839 | 20,384 | 70 | 79 |
| May 2023 | 6,096 | 8,355 | 18,125 | 71 | 78 |
| June 2023 | 4,854 | 6,609 | 16,370 | 74 | 78 |
| July 2023 | 7,261 | 6,584 | 17,047 | 85 | 78 |
| August 2023 | 7,383 | 6,467 | 17,963 | 74 | 78 |
| September 2023 | 6,768 | 8,879 | 15,852 | 70 | 77 |
| October 2023 | 6,924 | 6,098 | 16,678 | 73 | 73 |
| November 2023 | 5,207 | 6,059 | 15,826 | 66 | 69 |
| December 2023 | 5,662 | 7,196 | 14,292 | 68 | 69 |
| January 2024 | 12,997 | 6,467 | 20,822 | 66 | 68 |
| February 2024 | 8,794 | 10,025 | 19,591 | 47 | 62 |
| March 2024 | 7,943 | 10,711 | 16,823 | 55 | 61 |
| April 2024 | 6,901 | 7,647 | 16,077 | 61 | 61 |
| May 2024 | 6,751 | 8,793 | 14,035 | 60 | 61 |
Disability determinations are included in the pending number after approval. Average Processing Time in Days represents the number of days starting when OPM receives the retirement application through final adjudication.
*Initial retirement cases produced in less than 60 days, on average took 37 days to complete; whereas cases that were produced in more than 60 days, on average, took 119 days to complete.
