Reduction in Force

What it does

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is revising its reduction in force (RIF) regulations to 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 by modifying the types of employees who are excluded from RIF competition. OPM is also revising its regulations regarding the reemployment priority list (RPL), career transition assistance program (CTAP), the interagency career transition assistance program (ICTAP), and transfers of function.

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

What changed in the regulation

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

Wording on eCFR: the day before it took effect and from the day it took effect (first part listed).

Compared with

The Personnel Management Office has published 29 final rules in 2026 so far, compared with 14 in all of 2025.

Counted by the Tribune from Federal Register records since Jan. 1, 2025.

Before this

1 earlier Federal Register document under regulation identifier 3206-AO86 since Jan. 1, 2025.

• March 5, 2026 Proposed rule. Reduction in Force

Since then:

• 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

This rule is effective September 2, 2026. An agency that issued a RIF notice before the effective date of the rule must process the RIF under the regulations in effect when the RIF notice was issued. An agency that issues a RIF notice on or after the effective date must apply the RIF provisions as amended by this final rule.

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