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Worked example
Real numbers from this tool, line by line.
A federal employee earning 98,000 dollars with 14 years of service, age 47, who signs a 12-week deferred resignation gives up 51,038.81 dollars against a RIF path. The offer pays 22,540.80 dollars of paid leave. A reduction in force would pay 60 days of notice (16,100.57 dollars) plus 30.6 weeks of severance (57,479.04 dollars), a total of 73,579.61 dollars.
| Line | Result |
|---|---|
| Weekly pay (annual pay / 2087 x 40) | 1,878.40 dollars |
| Deferred resignation total (leave + VSIP) | 22,540.80 dollars |
| Basic severance weeks (1 per year to 10, then 2) | 18 |
| Age adjustment weeks (2.5% per quarter over 40) | 12.6 |
| RIF severance pay | 57,479.04 dollars |
| Deferred resignation gives up vs RIF | 51,038.81 dollars |
Why the gap is so large
A deferred resignation is a resignation. Severance pay needs an involuntary separation (5 CFR 550.704(a)(3)), so the offer pays no severance at all. What it pays is administrative leave: your normal pay for the weeks in the agreement. In 2025 some agreements ran six months or more. OPM's final rule of October 19, 2026 (91 FR 65924, effective November 18, 2026) keeps realignment leave to 12 weeks per instance unless OPM and OMB jointly approve a higher limit.
Severance, by contrast, grows with service and age. Under 5 CFR 550.707 you get one week of pay per year of service up to 10 years, two weeks per year after that, and 25% of the weekly amount for each extra full quarter. On top comes an age adjustment of 2.5% for each full quarter of age over 40. In the example, 14 years give 18 weeks, and age 47 adds 12.6 weeks. The lifetime cap is 52 weeks.
When the offer wins
Two things flip the result. First, a VSIP. With a 25,000 dollar VSIP attached, the offer becomes 47,540.80 dollars and the same employee is still behind the RIF path: 73,579.61 - 47,540.80 = 26,038.81 dollars. Second, retirement eligibility. If you can draw an immediate annuity when you leave, for example age 52 with 22 years, severance is zero on either path (5 CFR 550.704(b)(5)). The 12-week offer then pays more than 60 days of RIF notice pay: 22,540.80 - 16,100.57 = 6,440.23 dollars.
The new withdrawal rule
From November 18, 2026, 5 CFR 715.202 says your agency has sole and exclusive discretion to deny a request to withdraw a resignation, and paid leave received under the agreement is a valid reason to deny it. Do the arithmetic before you sign, not after.
What to check before you sign
- The weeks of paid leave in the written offer.
- Whether a RIF is planned for your competitive area. Notice is at least 60 full days (5 CFR 351.801).
- Whether VERA or a VSIP comes with the offer. VSIP is at most 25,000 dollars and is repaid if you take paid federal work within 5 years.
- Your immediate annuity eligibility.
- Health insurance: Temporary Continuation of Coverage runs up to 18 months at 102% of the full premium.
The free calculator runs the whole comparison for your own pay, service, age and offer. The workbook adds a break-even sheet (in the example the offer would need 39.2 weeks of leave to match the RIF path) and the 16-line signing checklist with a rule or source for each line. This is not legal advice. A RIF is never certain, and your written agreement and your HR office decide the terms that apply to you.
15 seconds — what it actually does
Full walk-through
Questions people ask
What does this deferred resignation checklist calculate?
It sets your deferred resignation offer against a reduction in force. It turns your annual pay into a weekly rate (pay / 2087 x 40), prices the weeks of paid leave plus any VSIP, then computes the RIF path: notice-period pay plus severance under 5 CFR 550.707, with the age adjustment, the 52-week lifetime cap and the immediate-annuity test. The last line is the gap in dollars.
Who is it for?
Federal civilian employees on GS or similar pay plans who hold a 2026 deferred resignation offer and expect a RIF in their area. It assumes a full-time schedule and a fixed basic pay rate. Part-time, seasonal and firefighter schedules use averaged weekly pay under 5 CFR 550.707(b), so treat the result as an estimate there and ask HR for the exact weekly rate.
Why not just read OPM's FAQ or use a free severance calculator?
OPM's FAQ and your offer letter explain the paid leave but never say what severance you give up by resigning. Free severance calculators stop at the severance figure. This page puts both paths side by side with your own pay, service, age, VSIP and notice period, and it applies the immediate-annuity test that cancels severance.
What is free and what does the full version add?
Free: the full comparison on screen for your own numbers, as often as you like. 7 inputs and 10 of the 12 formulas run in the browser. The full version is the workbook to keep, a break-even sheet (weeks of leave the offer would need, and severance pay periods) and a 16-line signing checklist with the rule and source for each line.
How does this compare with paying a lawyer?
Workplace Fairness (Aug 2026) puts a lawyer's review of a severance agreement before you sign at 500 to 1,500 dollars, and that is still the right call if your agreement has unusual terms. This tool does the arithmetic first, so you walk into HR or a consult with your gap figure, your severance weeks and the exact rule numbers instead of a blank page.
When do the rules change next?
OPM's final rule on administrative leave (91 FR 65924, published Oct 19, 2026) takes effect on Nov 18, 2026. From then on, the 12-week limit per instance and the agency's sole discretion to refuse a withdrawal sit in 5 CFR part 630 subpart N and 5 CFR 715.202. Offers signed earlier may follow older agency terms, so read your own agreement.
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