OPM Retirement Services Phone Number: Who to Call and When

The Number You Need — and What Happens When You Call

The main OPM Retirement Information Office number is 1-888-767-6738. Hours are Monday through Friday, 7:40 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern, excluding federal holidays. Outside those hours, the automated system lets you check payment dates and verify basic account information using your seven-digit CSA (Civil Service Annuitant) claim number.

That said, calling OPM about a retirement issue is only the right move about half the time. Federal retirement administration is split across multiple agencies, and OPM's phone representatives can only help with things that OPM actually controls. Calling the wrong agency means sitting on hold for 30+ minutes, reaching someone who can't help, and starting the cycle over.

Here's who handles what.

When OPM Is the Right Call

OPM takes over your retirement case once your former agency's payroll office certifies your Individual Retirement Record (IRR) and transmits it electronically. After that handoff, OPM is responsible for:

• Claim status updates — where your application sits in the adjudication queue
• Interim pay questions — why payments are 60–80% of your expected annuity, when the first one arrives, or why a deposit didn't post
• Missing payments — if a scheduled annuity deposit doesn't hit your bank account on the first business day of the month
• Tax withholding changes — updating your federal and state W-4P elections (though this is faster through Services Online)
• Direct deposit changes — routing or account updates
• Survivor benefit questions — verifying what was elected and how the cost appears on your annuity
• The retroactive adjustment — why the lump-sum true-up is smaller or larger than expected after OPM deducts deferred health and life insurance premiums
• 1099-R questions — issues with your annual tax statement

Before calling, have your CSA claim number ready. Without it, the representative can look you up by Social Security number, but it slows things down considerably.

When Your Former Agency Is the Right Call

If you're in the first 30 to 60 days after separation and haven't received a CSA number yet, OPM may not have your file. The bottleneck is usually the payroll provider — agencies like the National Finance Center (NFC) target a 30-day processing window during normal periods, stretching to 30–60 days during peak retirement season (roughly late November through early February).

Contact your former agency's HR or payroll office when:

• Your CSA number hasn't arrived 45+ days after separation
• Your final active paycheck or annual leave lump-sum payout has errors
• You need the Register of Separations and Transfers number to help OPM locate your file
• There's a discrepancy in your SF-50 separation action or service computation dates

Your separation paperwork should include contact information for the agency retirement coordinator. If you can't find it, call the agency's main HR line and ask for the benefits or retirement section.

When the TSP Is the Right Call

The Thrift Savings Plan is managed by the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board (FRTIB), not OPM. The TSP ThriftLine number is 1-877-968-3478.

Call the TSP for:

• Account status after separation — it typically takes 30 to 60 days after your retirement date for the TSP to update your account to "separated" status, which unlocks post-separation withdrawal options
• Withdrawal requests — partial withdrawals, monthly installments, or full distributions
• Rollover to an IRA — transferring funds to a traditional or Roth IRA
• Required minimum distributions — RMD questions under SECURE 2.0 rules (age 73 for those born 1951–1959, age 75 for 1960+)
• Beneficiary designations — updating or confirming who inherits the account

When the SSA Is the Right Call

The Social Security Administration handles all retirement, spousal, and survivor benefits, plus Medicare enrollment. The SSA number is 1-800-772-1213.

Call the SSA for:

• Filing a Social Security claim — particularly if you never applied because of the old WEP or GPO offsets, both of which were repealed by the Social Security Fairness Act (signed January 5, 2025, retroactive to January 2024)
• Verifying your benefit adjustment — if you were already receiving reduced benefits under WEP/GPO, the SSA has processed automatic adjustments, but it's worth confirming the new amount matches what you expect
• Medicare Part B enrollment — especially important for postal retirees entitled to Medicare Part A, who generally must enroll when they become eligible at age 65 to keep PSHB coverage unless an exemption applies
• Earnings record corrections — if your my Social Security statement doesn't reflect all covered employment

When BENEFEDS Is the Right Call

BENEFEDS manages Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP) and the Federal Long-Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP). The number is 1-877-888-3337.

During interim pay, OPM cannot deduct dental, vision, or long-term care premiums from your annuity. BENEFEDS switches you to direct billing — and missing two consecutive payments can result in permanent cancellation of coverage. If you've separated and haven't received a direct-bill notice from BENEFEDS, call proactively to set up payment.

Getting Through Faster

OPM's contact center workforce shrank from 150 to 115 employees during recent staffing reductions, and the agency processed over 133,000 new retirement claims in the first seven months of FY 2026. Hold times can be long. A few things that help:

• Call early in the week, early in the day. Monday mornings have the longest queues; Tuesday through Thursday before 10 a.m. Eastern tends to be lighter.
• Use the automated system first. Payment dates, last deposit amounts, and basic account status are available 24/7 through the phone tree without waiting for a representative.
• Try Services Online before calling. Most of what people call about — claim status, tax withholding changes, payment history, 1099-R downloads — is available at servicesonline.opm.gov once you've linked your Login.gov account with your CSA number.
• Document everything. When you do reach a representative, note their name, the date and time, and any reference numbers or promised follow-up dates. If the issue isn't resolved, that record matters for escalation — including congressional inquiries.

If you're managing the full transition from active service to adjudicated annuity, the Federal Retiree First-Year Toolkit includes a communication log and agency directory designed for exactly this kind of multi-agency coordination.