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IRS May Have a Delayed Start to the Tax Filing Season

If the shutdown extends into January, many furloughed Internal Revenue Service workers may have to come to work without pay, delaying tax filing season, according to the National Treasury Employees Union. “Employees have already been spread thin due to a lack of...

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Retirement Processing at the Office of Personnel Management

The number of retirement applications spikes at the beginning of each year because many federal employees plan their retirements at the end of the year to maximize their lump sum payout of unused annual leave. At the end of November 2018, the Office of Personnel...

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Military, Mail, and National Security During a Shutdown

With a federal government shutdown possible at the end of this week, a lot of information is being released about who would get furloughed and which agencies would shut down. During a shutdown, the government “must discontinue all non-essential discretionary functions...

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Good News if You’re a Federal Employee Who Has Relocated

The General Services Administration has issued guidance that will reimburse federal employees who relocated for the job and were forced to pay hundreds or thousands in moving expenses. The regulations apply to all federal employees who qualified for relocation...

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Executive Order Signed to Boost Military Spouse Hiring

President Trump signed an executive order calling on federal agencies to better recruit military spouses, also tasking agencies with developing new strategies to remove barriers to spousal employment. The order doesn’t create new hiring incentives but says agencies...

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A Chained CPI and What It Means for COLA’s

A new tax reform bill references a chained CPI and is bringing changes to most taxpayers. So, what is the chained CPI, what does it have to do with retirement income for a fed, and what does the new tax reform bill have to do with a chained CPI? Chained CPI A consumer...

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IT Positions That Remain Open in a Government Shutdown

While Congress passed another stopgap funding bill recently, its 3rd since October 1, 2017, it only funds the government until January 19. Which means questions of another shutdown, and who exactly must work during one, will begin to surface soon. Those in IT...

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Federal Employees Now Have More Options for Tuition Discounts

The Office of Personnel Management has announced that it has entered into agreements with four additional schools to offer tuition discounts for federal employees. The Catholic University of America Metropolitan School of Professional Studies, Pace University iPace...

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How are Buyouts and Early Outs Different?

There are two programs used by the federal government to reduce the number of employees within its agencies; Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP) and Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA). VSIP The program is also called Buy Out Authority. It’s an...

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AFGE Unhappy with VA Restructure Proposal

The VA released its proposal to restructure the current Veteran’s Choice Program. The proposal, the Veterans’ Coordinated Access, and Rewarding Experiences (CARE) Act suggests eliminating the current eligibility requirements that veterans must meet to qualify for care...

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What Do Taxes Look Like in Retirement?

Once you retire from federal service, you face new tax issues. This could affect whether you change tax brackets or not. Retirement generally means lower income, so that means lower taxes, right? Maybe. But retirement can also mean multiple sources of income, which...

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What You Should Know About Furloughs and RIFs

With President Trump’s first budget proposal, deep cuts in specific agencies could happen. This means furloughs and RIFs may happen. So, what should you expect if you find yourself on the receiving end of one of these? Furloughs You won’t get separated from your...

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