What’s actually slowing this PC down?
Pick the symptom - the matching free tool is one click away.
The 2025 governmentwide Deferred Resignation Program (DRP) offer is closed. Current federal employees may encounter different, agency-specific deferred resignation agreements under OPM’s FY 2026 guidance; those terms are not automatically the same as the 2025 offer. Before signing, verify your eligibility, dates, pay and benefits, retirement effects, and separation rights in the actual written agreement.
1. Is a deferred resignation offer available to you now?
No employee can newly accept the original governmentwide 2025 offer: OPM’s original employee notice says it is closed. It was offered to eligible full-time federal employees, with exclusions that included military personnel, U.S. Postal Service employees, certain immigration-enforcement, national-security, and public-safety positions, and other positions excluded by an employing agency. The offer period ran from January 28 through February 6, 2025, with limited possible extensions for employees on approved absence.
For FY 2026, OPM’s agency guidance permits agencies to use agency-specific agreements of up to six months for workforce restructuring, subject to available budget and appropriations. It also describes agreements of up to 12 weeks in specified performance, conduct, or workforce-efficiency contexts. These are not a reopening of the 2025 governmentwide offer. Ask your agency’s HR office whether a current program applies to your position and request the governing written terms.
2. What are the deadline and effective separation date?
The 2025 offer set September 30, 2025 as the standard resignation date. Participants could accelerate that date, but routine extensions were not allowed. Those dates are historical and do not establish a deadline for a current agency-specific agreement.
Do these 3 things before closing this tab:
1Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minute2Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problems3Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitches#1 Best Overall
Before accepting a current offer, get written confirmation of:
- When and how you must submit your acceptance.
- Your effective resignation or separation date, and whether it can be changed.
- Whether the agreement allows an extension, acceleration, or other date change, and who must approve it.
3. What pay, benefits, and leave continue?
Under the 2025 offer, OPM said participants would retain pay and benefits through the deferred period regardless of workload, including if they obtained a second job. OPM also said they would accrue annual and sick leave through separation and receive a lump-sum payment for unused annual leave. Those were terms of that specific offer, not guarantees for a new agreement.
OPM says agencies may tailor or edit its sample agreement. Check the signed terms for salary, benefit contributions and insurance premiums, leave accrual, duty status, and final leave payout. If a term is not explicit, ask HR for a written explanation before you accept.
Rank #2
- Ideal for Gifting
- Ideal for a bookworm
- Compact for travelling
4. What work or outside-employment conditions apply?
The 2025 letter contemplated reasonable transition tasks before paid administrative leave and said participants would be exempt from applicable in-person work requirements. OPM’s FAQ also said that taking a second job would not by itself end the pay and benefits promised under that original program. Neither point should be assumed to apply to a current agency agreement.
PC Slower Than It Used to Be?
A free scan shows the junk files, broken settings and background clutter dragging Windows down - then fixes them in one click.Free scan · Windows 10 & 11Outdated Drivers Are Slowing You Down
One free scan finds every outdated or missing driver and matches the right update for your exact hardware.Free scan · exact hardware matchAsk whether the current terms require transition work, specify when duties end, permit outside employment, or impose ethics, conflict-of-interest, confidentiality, or other agency restrictions. Confirm any outside-work approval requirement with the relevant agency office before starting another job.
5. Can you rescind or change your mind?
Under OPM’s original guidance, an employee could request rescission at any time, but the agency had to review the request and could deny it for a valid reason. OPM identified reassignment, consolidation, or administrative leave as circumstances that could support denial. The original agreement allowed acceleration but not extension.
A rescission request is not the same as an automatic right to cancel. For a current offer, check the agreement for a revocation deadline, approval process, and rules for changing the separation date. Do not rely on the 2025 terms to infer your rights under a new agreement.
6. Are you eligible to retire—and should you file for retirement instead?
This is a decision to resolve before choosing a resignation date. OPM cautions employees eligible for a federal retirement benefit not to resign in place of filing a retirement application. Under the 2025 offer, retirement service credit continued until separation, and an employee who elected early or normal retirement before the final resignation date would have that retirement election override the resignation. Current agreements may have different dates or terms.
Ask agency HR for an individualized annuity estimate and verify your service history and benefit coverage. Compare the proposed separation date with your retirement eligibility, annuity start, and any survivor-benefit choices; do not assume that a deferred resignation automatically becomes a retirement.
Rank #4
7. What happens to insurance and TSP after separation?
Separation can change benefits on different timelines, and continuation is not automatic in every case. OPM’s separation guidance describes the general rules:
- FEHB health insurance: Continuation is not automatic for employees who are not eligible for an immediate annuity. Eligible employees must elect continuation under the applicable rules.
- FEGLI life insurance: Coverage ends at separation, subject to a 31-day continuation and conversion rules.
- FEDVIP dental and vision: Coverage generally ends at the end of the pay period unless the employee is retiring.
- TSP: Employee contributions stop after separation; options for the account remain governed by TSP rules.
Ask HR how your proposed separation date and retirement status affect each benefit, including any deadlines or elections you must meet.
8. Could accepting affect severance or other separation rights?
OPM describes severance pay as generally available for qualifying involuntary separations, subject to appointment, service, and other requirements. A voluntary resignation does not automatically qualify. Ask HR how the agreement classifies your separation and whether accepting affects any specific payment or right you may otherwise have. Get the answer in writing rather than assuming that a deferred date makes a voluntary resignation involuntary.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Outbyte PC Repair FREEClear out junk files and repair common Windows errorsFree Scan →Best Value
- It can be a gift option
- Comes with secure packaging
- Helpful in various ways
9. What legal commitments does the written agreement make?
In its 2025 legality memorandum, OPM stated that the government’s pay and benefits assurances under that program were binding and that an employee could request rescission if the government did not honor them. That is OPM’s stated position; it does not resolve every possible dispute or establish the terms of a later agreement.
Read the current agreement itself, including its obligations, remedies, release language, and any conditions on payment or benefits. OPM’s FY 2026 guidance allows agencies to tailor the sample agreement, so the actual signed version matters. Seek qualified advice if a clause is unclear or the financial and legal stakes warrant it.
10. What records and estimates should you secure before separation?
OPM recommends that employees approaching retirement review their personnel records, verify federal service, obtain an agency HR annuity estimate, review TSP and other retirement income, and confirm health and life insurance records. OPM’s eOPF resource center says access to agency eOPF ends upon separation and advises employees to download needed documents beforehand.
Save copies of your signed agreement, benefit and annuity estimates, SF-50s, service records, insurance information, and relevant correspondence while you still have access. Keep them somewhere you can reach after leaving the agency.
Quick wins for a faster PC:
Scan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Repair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Fix the driver behind crashes, sound loss and screen glitchesFind Drivers →Compare your options before you sign
If you are weighing a deferred resignation against retirement or another separation path, compare the written terms side by side. Ask HR to provide employee-specific determinations and estimates where applicable.
Quick Recap
| What to compare | What to verify |
|---|---|
| Effective date | Exact date, submission deadline, and any approved change or extension process. |
| Pay and benefits | Gross pay and benefit contributions through the date; insurance premiums and coverage status. |
| Work and outside employment | Transition duties, duty status, outside-work permissions, and agency restrictions. |
| Leave | Accrual through separation and payout of unused annual leave. |
| Retirement | Service credit, eligibility, annuity start, survivor choices, and application requirements. |
| Insurance and TSP | FEHB, FEGLI, and FEDVIP continuation or conversion steps, plus TSP contribution and account rules. |
| Other separation benefits | How the separation is classified and whether it affects severance or another specific right. |
| Changes and remedies | Whether you can rescind or accelerate, approval requirements, and remedies if the agency does not perform. |
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
