The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) retirement backlog fell to 49,888 in April 2026, a decrease of 5,793 claims (10.4%) from the end of March. It’s the second straight month of decline and the first time the backlog has been below 50,000 since November 2025.
The drop continues a pattern that started in March: OPM is processing more cases each month than it’s receiving. In April, OPM processed 17,175 retirement claims while taking in 11,940 new claims, giving it a surplus of 5,235 claims on the processing side.
OPM Retirement Processing – Last 6 Months
| Month | New Claims | Cases Processed | Ending Inventory | Change from Prior Month |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| November 2025 | 23,393 | 8,707 | 48,396 | +13,809 (+40%) |
| December 2025 | 13,174 | 9,428 | 50,566 | +2,170 (+4%) |
| January 2026 | 18,923 | 15,571 | 54,018 | +3,452 (+7%) |
| February 2026 | 31,240 | 18,149 | 65,237 | +11,219 (+21%) |
| March 2026 | 14,759 | 22,237 | 55,681 | -9,556 (-15%) |
| April 2026 | 11,940 | 17,175 | 49,888 | -5,793 (-10%) |
The good news is real, but so is the scale of the remaining challenge. The OPM retirement backlog is still the second-highest ever recorded for any April — only April 2012 (51,016 cases) was higher. A year ago, the April backlog was 16,173. The current figure is more than three times that.
New Claims Are Moderating
New retirement claims received in April (11,940) were the lowest monthly total since September 2025, when the current surge began. The contrast with February is striking; that month, OPM received a record 31,240 new claims. March brought 14,759.
April’s 11,940 suggests the initial wave of retirements tied to federal workforce reductions may be tapering off. However, according to data from OPM, the federal workforce has shrunk by 63,089 total federal employees so far in 2026.
A Fiscal Year Unlike Any Other
Seven months into Fiscal Year (FY) 2026, the cumulative numbers remain extraordinary.
FY 2026 Year to Date (October 2025–April 2026)
| Month | New Claims | Cases Processed | Ending Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2025 | 20,344 | 8,751 | 34,587 |
| November 2025 | 23,393 | 8,707 | 48,396 |
| December 2025 | 13,174 | 9,428 | 50,566 |
| January 2026 | 18,923 | 15,571 | 54,018 |
| February 2026 | 31,240 | 18,149 | 65,237 |
| March 2026 | 14,759 | 22,237 | 55,681 |
| April 2026 | 11,940 | 17,175 | 49,888 |
| FY 2026 Total | 133,773 | 100,018 | — |
OPM has received 133,773 new retirement claims in the first seven months of FY 2026. In the same period of FY 2025, the total was 60,573 — less than half.
OPM has also processed 100,018 cases YTD in FY 2026, compared to 58,894 in the same period last year, a 70% increase in throughput. That processing ramp-up is the reason the backlog has started declining. It hasn’t been enough to close the gap, but the direction has changed.
FY 2026 YTD vs. FY 2025 YTD (First 7 Months)
| Month | FY26 Received | FY25 Received | FY26 Processed | FY25 Processed | FY26 Inventory | FY25 Inventory |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| October | 20,344 | 6,872 | 8,751 | 6,458 | 34,587 | 14,908 |
| November | 23,393 | 6,808 | 8,707 | 7,872 | 48,396 | 13,844 |
| December | 13,174 | 5,020 | 9,428 | 4,988 | 50,566 | 13,876 |
| January | 18,923 | 16,101 | 15,571 | 6,700 | 54,018 | 23,277 |
| February | 31,240 | 9,637 | 18,149 | 12,364 | 65,237 | 20,550 |
| March | 14,759 | 7,803 | 22,237 | 11,559 | 55,681 | 16,794 |
| April | 11,940 | 8,332 | 17,175 | 8,953 | 49,888 | 16,173 |
| 7-month totals | 133,773 | 60,573 | 100,018 | 58,894 | — | — |
Mixed Signal on Processing Time
One number in the April report deserves attention: average processing time rose to 78 days, up from 60 days in March. That’s a notable reversal after three months of improvement and is the highest so far in 2026.
The explanation likely comes from the paper side. According to OPM, paper claims in April averaged 100 days to process, the longest recorded in recent reports. Digital claims averaged 50 days.
As digital filings make up a growing share of new intake (73% in April, up from 60% in March), processing times will presumably continue to drop as the older and more complex paper cases continue to be eliminated.
Digital vs. Total (Last 3 Months)
| Month | Digital Claims Received | Total Claims Received | Digital % | Digital Inventory | Total Inventory | Digital Avg Days | Total Avg Days |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| February 2026 | 15,494 | 31,240 | 50% | 27,582 | 65,237 | 34 | 71 |
| March 2026 | 8,830 | 14,759 | 60% | 24,688 | 55,681 | 39 | 60 |
| April 2026 | 8,743 | 11,940 | 73% | 26,843 | 49,888 | 50 | 78 |
Estimated Wait Times for Federal Retirees
OPM has processed an average of about 19,187 cases per month over the past three months. At that pace, the current backlog of 49,888 cases represents roughly 2.6 months of processing work.
Interim Pay
OPM currently estimates that interim retirement pay will be issued within 9 days of receiving a complete application. Interim pay is approximately 60-80% of the retiree’s estimated final annuity. This clock starts when OPM receives the application from the agency.
End-to-End Timeline
OPM’s stated estimate for the full retirement process is 3–5 months from retirement date to final adjudication under normal conditions. Given the current backlog and the elevated processing times for paper claims, new retirees — particularly those who filed on paper — should plan for the possibility of a longer wait.
What Comes Next
Two consecutive months of backlog reduction are meaningful progress. If incoming retirement applications stay near April’s level and OPM maintains its current processing pace, the backlog could approach 40,000 by summer, still elevated by historical standards but a significant improvement from February’s record high of 65,237.
