General Questions About the Office of Personnel Management

General Questions About the Office of Personnel Management (OPM)

How can I apply for retirement?

To qualify for payments from the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS), you must submit a retirement application. They are available on our website, as follows:

Has my retirement form/application been received and processed? What’s the status of my application?

When OPM receives your retirement application, the agency will notify you and will provide a civil service claim identification number (a seven-digit number preceded by "CSA"). You must use that identification number whenever you contact OPM about your annuity. To check the status of your form or application, you may contact the Retirement Office at (888) 767-6738 or retire@opm.gov. The phone lines are open from 7:30 am to 7:45 pm (Eastern Standard Time). It is a busy phone number so we encourage you to call early in the morning or after 5:00 pm when the phone lines are less busy.

How do I apply for benefits?

For information on how to apply for benefits, please visit https://www.opm.gov/policy-data-oversight/pandemic-information/benefits/

Can’t find the answer? If you have additional questions or need further assistance, please contact our Richmond office at 804-775-2314.