Social Security looks to fully transition to electronic payments
03/06/2026 | 6 mins.
The Social Security Administration is looking to fully transition to electronic payments this year. President Donald Trump signed an executive order last year directing the Treasury Department to stop issuing paper checks for all federal payments. SSA says paper checks are 20 times more expensive than electronic checks and are more susceptible to fraud. SSA beneficiaries seeking an exemption to this policy can request a waiver from the Treasury Department. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
May proves to be a good month for TSP funds
02/06/2026 | 6 mins.
May was a good month for every fund in the Thrift Savings Plan. New data from the Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board shows all 16 accounts returned positive month over month results. The C Fund saw the most with 5.26% while five of the L funds also enjoyed 5% returns. For the year, the "I” fund remains the big winner, growing by more than 16%. Overall, 11 funds are producing returns of more than 10% for 2026. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
OPM to establish higher pay for certain national security employees
01/06/2026 | 5 mins.
Agencies will soon be able to pay as much as $400,000 a year to certain employees with skillsets in the national security sector. President Donald Trump told the Office of Personnel Management on Friday to establish new regulations to pay experts in specific fields related to supply chain resilience, secure access to critical minerals and advanced technologies and advance priority investment programs essential to our national defense and economic security. The memo says this increase in the top line pay for these positions is necessary to advance the rapid recruitment of the exceptionally skilled investment, engineering, financial and legal professionals needed to expand the nation’s capacity. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
30,000 TSP participants take advantage of new Roth option
29/05/2026 | 0 mins.
Some Thrift Savings Plan participants are taking advantage of a new option for Roth in-plan conversions. The Federal Retirement Thrift Investment Board reports that roughly 30,000 TSP participants have converted some of their contributions since the feature launched earlier this year. In a survey, about 93% of TSP participants who used the new conversion option say the process was “easy.” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
Lawmakers call on Agriculture Dept to restore employee childcare centers contract
28/05/2026 | 7 mins.
Democrats are demanding that the Department of Agriculture secure new childcare options for federal employees. In April, USDA’s current childcare service provider announced it would not renew its contract, closing two childcare centers in the D.C. region in July. But Democrats say USDA has not communicated any plans to offer an alternative to the employees who rely on those centers. See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.
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