All articles about Divorce & Federal Retirement: COAP, TSP Splits & Survivor Annuities.
NARFE's Ex-Files papers are locked behind a $40/year paywall. Here are the alternatives for federal divorce retirement guidance — from free OPM handbooks to structured administrative guides.
Retirement is 6-18 months away and your divorce decree may not pass OPM review. Here's the best resource for auditing court orders, fixing gaps, and coordinating the five-agency filing sequence.
If you're a former spouse of a federal employee with no attorney and no access to personnel records, here's how to protect your pension, health insurance, and survivor benefits.
OPM rejects court orders that use QDRO language, lack specificity, or reference ERISA. Learn the drafting requirements, common rejection reasons, and model language.
Federal pensions require a COAP, not a QDRO. OPM rejects ERISA-based orders outright. Learn the differences, the TSP's RBCO requirement, and how to avoid costly rejections.
OPM requires a COAP — not a QDRO — to divide a federal pension in divorce. Learn what makes a court order acceptable, how to submit it, and how long processing takes.
How deferred and postponed FERS retirement affect a former spouse's pension share, survivor annuity, and COAP timing when the employee leaves federal service early.
Comparing a federal retirement divorce administrative guide against a financial mediator. One maps the agency filing process; the other negotiates the division. Here's how they compare.
A step-by-step checklist for federal employees navigating divorce — pension COAPs, TSP RBCOs, health insurance deadlines, FEGLI changes, and retirement timing.
When to hire a federal retirement divorce attorney, what a COAP specialist does differently from a general family lawyer, and how to evaluate one.
How federal FERS and CSRS pensions are divided in divorce — coverture fractions, gross vs. net annuity, the 1.1% multiplier bump, and OPM's default calculation rules.
How the coverture fraction, marital share, high-3 salary, and gross vs net annuity definitions shape federal pension division in a FERS or CSRS divorce.
How taxes work when dividing federal retirement benefits in divorce — TSP court order rollovers, the 10% penalty exemption, Roth vs. traditional splits, and pension income taxes.
FERS and CSRS COLAs compound differently after divorce. If the court order doesn't address COLAs, the former spouse's purchasing power erodes. Here's what to include.
Comparing a $29 administrative map against $5,000+ in attorney fees for federal retirement divorce. When each approach makes sense and who should combine both.
How SF 3107, SF 2801, and SF 2809 intersect with divorce — the retirement application disclosures, CSRS filing requirements, and former-spouse health insurance enrollment.
Divorce doesn't automatically change FEGLI beneficiaries. Learn how court orders, SF 2823, Option C restrictions, and irrevocable assignments affect federal life insurance.
Former spouses lose FEHB coverage the day divorce is final. Learn about Spouse Equity Act enrollment, Temporary Continuation of Coverage, and PSHB rules for postal families.
The 2025 Moulton decision bars OPM from splitting the FERS supplement unless the court order explicitly says so. What this means for federal employee divorces.
How former spouse survivor annuities work under FERS and CSRS — court order requirements, cost to the retiree, the age-55 remarriage rule, and what OPM pays.
Your divorce was years ago but retirement is approaching. Here's how to check whether your court orders will survive OPM and TSP processing — before it's too late to fix them.
How the PSHB transition affects former spouses of postal employees — Medicare Part B requirements, Spouse Equity Act routing, FEHB safe harbor, and dental/vision coverage.
Remarrying before age 55 permanently terminates a former spouse's court-ordered survivor annuity under FERS or CSRS. Here's how the rule works and what's at stake.
Former spouses of federal employees can now claim full Social Security spousal benefits after the WEP/GPO repeal. The 10-year marriage rule, filing deadlines, and what changed.
Step-by-step guide to filing a Court Order Acceptable for Processing with OPM, including the SF 3119, mailing address, processing timeline, and status checks.
The $600 TSP RBCO processing fee, how outstanding TSP loans affect divorce splits, and what happens to loan balances during an account freeze.
The TSP requires an RBCO — not a QDRO — to split accounts in divorce. Learn about account freezes, the $600 fee, rollover rules, and how funds are liquidated.
Tax implications of dividing a TSP in divorce — SECURE 2.0 RMD changes, Roth vs traditional splits, rollover rules, and avoiding the 10% early withdrawal penalty.