When you’re planning your federal retirement, it’s natural to turn to your agency’s Human Resources office for guidance. After all, HR handles your personnel file, your service history, and the paperwork that keeps your career moving.
But when it comes to preparing for one of the biggest financial transitions of your life, there are seven critical areas your HR representative can’t (and shouldn’t try to) help you with.
Why? Because HR simply doesn’t know you—not your financial situation, your personal goals, your family dynamics, your tolerance for risk, or what kind of retirement lifestyle you’re aiming for.
Their job is to explain the rules and process your documentation… not to help you make personal, long-term financial decisions that could impact you for decades.
7 Ways HR Can't Help You With Your Retirement (and shouldn’t):
- Advise you on when to retire.
Big-picture factors are at play that can help you decide what month, and even what date, to retire. The number one objective when choosing your last day of federal employment is to get the very most out of the benefits you’ve earned. To do that, you’ll want to be informed and take action so you don’t miss the mark on your retirement date. The webinar replay, Choosing the Perfect Day to Retire, can help you think strategically about this decision. - Tell you how much your retirement pay will be.
There are many dependencies at play that will determine how your gross income will change once you retire–life insurance, health insurance, and whether you are married or not, just to name a few. There is a lot to consider and key decisions to make. The good news is that there are steps you can take to positively impact the bottom line. Watch the webinar replay, Last Paycheck vs. First Retirement Check, to help you understand what you can expect. - Make recommendations about how much life insurance you should keep.
Your family situation will influence your decisions about life insurance coverage when you die–whether it's FEGLI or another form of coverage. There’s a lot to unpack on this uncomfortable topic, but making informed decisions early will make the difference between financial chaos and financial peace for your family. No one likes thinking about these decisions, but reading the FedImpact newsletter article, Five Tips to Evaluate Your Life Insurance Needs, can help alleviate some of the uneasiness. - Help you determine if the Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) is right for you.
The Survivor Benefit Plan (SBP) can help you ensure your spouse is financially secure after your death. And while you may think that electing the SBP solves your problems, it's crucial to understand how it works and what it covers (and what it doesn't) before making a decision. Be sure to read this helpful FedImpact newsletter article, How the Survivor Benefit Plan Works for You, or Does It? to help inform your decisions. - Provide insight about the timing to start your Social Security benefits.
This decision will obviously be driven by your personal situation, but the timing for your retirement date relative to when you decide to start receiving your Social Security benefits should be a thoughtful decision. In addition to determining when you want to begin receiving your Social Security, it’s also important to know what happens if you change your mind. Take advantage of this FedImpact article, 6 Myths About Social Security Benefits in Retirement to unlock information on some of your most pressing Social Security questions.
- Help you navigate your Federal Employee Health Benefits (FEHB) decisions and Medicare.
No one wants to be surprised in retirement, especially when it comes to their health care coverage. To avoid those surprises and to ensure you aren’t under protected or overpaying for protection, you’ll want to understand the full picture and be aware of the decisions you’ll eventually make–just one of those decisions is whether to keep FEHB when you become Medicare-eligible. There’s a lot to unravel, but a recent article in the FedImpact newsletter, How Medicare Works with FEHB is a great place to start the process. - Help you decide whether to accept a deferred resignation or other separation offer due to reduction-in-force activities (RIF).
Between RIF reductions and budget cuts, 2025 put a spotlight on the fact that many federal employees hadn’t considered what would happen to their federal benefits if their positions were eliminated. Because this is such a complex topic, we created a 22-part podcast series and a RIF Fact Sheets library to help you understand the actionable steps you can take to prepare if you’re faced with RIF termination.
And yet, there are five important things your HR team should assist you with—things that fall squarely within their role and can make your retirement transition smoother when done correctly.
HR’s job is to:
Ensure you have access to the agency’s system or portal to submit your retirement application (or to access documents for a VERA, VSIP, or other types of separation agreements.
- Answer questions about your health and life insurance eligibility when you retire. They should be prepared to describe the rules of government benefits and explain why you are or are not eligible to maintain coverage.
- Help you identify the correct retirement application forms you will need to complete—whether the forms are for “regular” retirement or for early separation due to RIF activities.
- Demonstrate a clear understanding of the government’s benefits and present the various options available to you. It is not their position, however, to help you arrive at decisions; there are far too many dependencies specific to each employee that HR has no way of knowing.
- Prepare your retirement package, which includes completing a certified summary of federal service. This is usually a one- or two-page document that reflects your service record and identifies all of the elements of service for which you should receive credit to calculate your retirement benefits.
- Conduct a retirement counseling session to walk you through the retirement process and to help make sure you can access your retirement estimate.
As you prepare for retirement, it’s essential to understand what your HR office can—and cannot—do for you. But you don’t have to navigate the rest alone.
Our free FedImpact Retirement Workshops are designed specifically for federal employees who want clear, practical guidance on the personal financial decisions HR can’t help with.
You’ll learn how your benefits really work, what steps to take next, and how to avoid the costly mistakes that catch so many employees off guard.
If you’re ready to turn information into action, find a workshop near you and take the next step toward a well-planned retirement.
If you’re ready to get serious about planning for your retirement from federal service, register to attend a workshop today!
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