OPM Services Online for retirees
What you can change yourself, and the one setting to check first.
Check your tax withholding first. If you never set it, OPM uses the IRS default for a single filer — and it can refund withholding only for the current year.
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1. What you can change yourself
With an account, OPM Retirement Services Online lets you handle most routine annuity changes without calling or mailing anything:
| Task | Online? |
|---|---|
| Start, change, or stop federal and state tax withholding | Yes |
| Start or change direct deposit | Yes |
| Allotment to a checking or savings account | Yes |
| Allotment to an organization | Yes |
| Change mailing address and contact information | Yes |
| View monthly annuity statement and annual summary | Yes |
| View your 1099-R | Yes |
| Verify FEGLI enrollment | Yes |
| View or print your retirement card | Yes |
| Check interim retirement pay status | Yes |
| Request copies of your annuity booklet | Yes |
Interim pay status is worth knowing about if you have recently retired and are waiting on a final computation; see surviving the OPM wait.
2. What you can do without logging in
- Get your current-year 1099-R through a secure lookup, no account needed.
- Report a missing annuity payment.
- Report the death of an annuitant or a current federal employee.
- Self-certify a student's enrollment for a child's survivor benefit.
- View current processing times for retirement and survivor claims.
Reporting a death promptly matters: payments that continue after entitlement ends become an overpayment the estate or survivor may have to repay. That process is covered in OPM overpayments and waivers.
3. What Services Online can't do
| Change | Where it goes instead |
|---|---|
| Health benefits and dental/vision | Retiree Open Season Online System, during Open Season |
| Survivor elections | Contact OPM directly |
| Court-ordered benefits | OPM Court-Ordered Benefits Branch |
| Special or complex cases | Phone or mail |
Health benefits changes are the common confusion. They don't happen in Services Online at all — they go through the separate Retiree Open Season system, and outside Open Season only for a qualifying life event. See FEHB in retirement.
4. Tax withholding: the setting to check first
This is the most useful thing to do in Services Online, and the one people skip.
Unless you specify a withholding status, OPM uses the default IRS withholding for a single filer. If you are married, or have other income, or have large deductions, that default can be well off from what you actually owe — in either direction.
Two OPM rules make it matter:
- It is your responsibility to make sure the right amount is withheld. OPM applies the IRS tables; it does not check whether they fit you.
- OPM can refund withholding only for the current year. Over-withholding from a prior year comes back only through your tax return.
Check your federal and state withholding early each year, especially after a COLA, a change in marital status, or new income such as TSP withdrawals or Social Security. Part of each annuity payment may be a tax-free return of your own contributions, which OPM's calculator can help you figure. The broader tax picture is in state taxes on federal retirement.
5. Getting in, and getting help
You will need your claim number — CSA for a retiree, CSF for a survivor. It is printed on your 1099-R, your annual COLA notice, and your benefits booklet. Include the suffix when you enter it.
If you cannot sign in, or have a case Services Online can't handle, OPM's retirement line is 1-888-767-6738, Monday to Friday, 7:40 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Eastern. The busiest stretch is late morning to early afternoon. Mail typically gets a response in one to three weeks; include your name, phone number, email, claim number, and signature on anything you send.
Older tax forms have a limit: for a 1099-R more than three years old, OPM needs proof of an IRS audit or another reason such as a court order. The IRS keeps records for ten years and can supply older ones.
6. Frequently asked questions
What can I change in OPM Services Online?
With an account you can change your federal and state income tax withholding, start or change direct deposit, set up allotments to a checking or savings account or to an organization, update your mailing address and contact information, view your monthly annuity statement and annual summary of payment, view your 1099-R, verify your FEGLI enrollment, print your retirement card, and check your interim retirement pay status.
What can I do without logging in?
You can get your current-year 1099-R, report a missing annuity payment, report the death of an annuitant or federal employee, self-certify a student’s enrollment, and view OPM’s current processing times, all without an account.
What can’t I change in Services Online?
Health benefits changes are made through a separate Retiree Open Season Online System, not Services Online. Survivor elections, court-ordered benefits, and other special or complex cases generally require contacting OPM directly by phone or mail.
What tax withholding does OPM use if I never set it?
Unless you specify a withholding status, OPM uses the default IRS withholding amount for a single filer. It is your responsibility to make sure the right amount is withheld, and OPM can refund federal or state withholding only for the current year, so check it early in each year and adjust if needed.
Where do I find my claim number?
Your CSA or CSF claim number appears on your 1099-R, your annual cost-of-living adjustment notice, and your benefits booklet. When you use it, include the suffix. If you cannot find it, OPM’s retirement line is 1-888-767-6738.