
Many federal retirees have reported errors on their December 2025 annuity statements, according to a statement last week from the National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE).
“While cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) become applicable in December, they are not paid until January, and should be reflected in the January statement, NARFE wrote. “However, while many annuitants reported receiving the correct amount for December, their December statements reflected January payments.”
READ: When Will Federal Retirees Receive 2026 COLA Increase?
NARFE reported that they reached out to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and believes OPM has taken steps to resolve the problem.
Steps to Check If a Federal Retiree is Affected by Error
But because the December statement error could impact a federal retiree’s 2025 income taxes, NARFE suggested taking the following step to see if the retiree is affected:
- Check federal retiree’s bank statement to confirm the amount received
- Compare the deposit amount with the amount on the OPM retirement annuity statement
- Log in to OPM Services Online account to check for annuity statements, tax information, and to manage the federal retire’s account.
- Report any missing payments or issues via OPM’s reporting page.
- Contact OPM’s Retirement Service directly with questions, especially about taxes or a payment error at 1-888-767-6738 or at email [email protected]

