Reduction in Force

What it does

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is issuing a proposed rule to revise its reduction-in-force (RIF) regulations. The proposed rule would make the RIF regulations more streamlined, efficient, and merit-based by prioritizing performance over tenure and length of service when determining which employees will be retained in a RIF and modifying the types of employees who are excluded from RIF competition. OPM also proposes to revise its regulations regarding the reemployment priority list (RPL), career transition assistance program (CTAP), the interagency career transition assistance program (ICTAP), transfers of function, and furloughs.

The Personnel Management Office's summary, as published in the Federal Register.

What it would change

7 parts of Title 5 of the Code of Federal Regulations:

5 CFR 316, 5 CFR 330, 5 CFR 351, 5 CFR 353, 5 CFR 359, 5 CFR 362, 5 CFR 430

Before this

No earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 3206-AO86 since Jan. 1, 2025.

Since then:

• Aug. 3, 2026 Final rule. Reduction in Force
• Aug. 25, 2026 Final rule; correction. Reduction in Force; Correction
• Sept. 15, 2026 Final rule; correcting amendment. Reduction in Force; Correction

What happens next and when

Comments must be received on or before May 4, 2026.

The agency's dates, word for word.

Check it yourself

• The document in the Federal Register
• Docket OPM-2025-0107 on Regulations.gov
• Title 5 on eCFR

The record as published

Source: the Federal Register (public domain). The document in the Federal Register