The federal benefits package is one of the strongest in the American workforce. But it is not automatic — not in the way most new employees assume. Some benefits enroll you by default. Others require an active decision within a strict window. A handful carry deadlines so short that if your HR paperwork runs slow, you may miss them before you even understand what you had.
This guide separates what happens automatically from what requires your action. The short version: the TSP and FERS enroll you without asking. FEHB, FEGLI option changes, FSAFEDS, and your beneficiary designations require you to act — and most of those windows are 31 to 60 days from your hire date. After that, you wait until November's Open Season or a qualifying life event.
The federal government's default enrollments are designed to protect the government from liability — not to optimize your coverage. TSP drops you into a Lifecycle fund. FEGLI enrolls you in options you may not need. FEHB enrollment defaults to nothing, which means no health insurance if you miss the window. Treat your first 60 days as open enrollment, because it is the only one you get until November.
Section I What enrolls automatically on day one
Three things happen the moment you enter a federal appointment: you are enrolled in FERS, you are enrolled in FEGLI Basic, and — if you were hired after October 5, 2020 — you are automatically enrolled in TSP at 5% of your basic pay. None of these require a form from you. All three begin generating benefits and, in the case of TSP, payroll deductions immediately.
Federal Employees Retirement System — automatic
You are enrolled in FERS without any action required. Your agency deducts 4.4% of your basic pay each pay period (for employees hired after December 31, 2013) as your FERS contribution. Your agency also contributes its own share. You cannot opt out of FERS. The pension benefit does not vest until year five, but the clock starts on day one.
Thrift Savings Plan — automatic enrollment at 5%
Most new FERS employees are automatically enrolled at 5% of basic pay, directed into the age-appropriate L Fund. Your agency contributes 1% of basic pay on top of that regardless of what you contribute. When you contribute 5%, the agency matches an additional 4%, for a total government contribution of 5%. Contributions begin within the first full pay period. You can change the rate or fund allocation at any time at tsp.gov — but you cannot recover the growth lost from months of sitting in a fund that does not match your risk profile.
Basic life insurance — automatic, with defaults that may not fit
You are automatically enrolled in FEGLI Basic (annual salary rounded up to the next $1,000, plus $2,000) and in Option A ($10,000 Standard) and Option B (multiple of salary, defaulting to the maximum). Two-thirds of the Basic premium is paid by your agency. All of Option A and Option B premiums come out of your paycheck. If these defaults do not match your actual coverage needs, you have 31 days to file SF-2817 to waive or adjust them.
What "automatic" does not mean
Automatic enrollment means you are in — it does not mean you are in correctly. The TSP L Fund assigned to you by default is determined by your birth year alone, with no knowledge of your other assets, your risk tolerance, or your retirement timeline. FEGLI's default option selections may be duplicating coverage you already carry through a spouse. Review all three within your first week, even if you make no changes. Knowing what you have is step one.
Section II What requires your active decision — and by when
The benefits that require action fall into two categories: those with hard deadlines measured in days, and those with no deadline that new employees nonetheless defer until it causes a problem. The table below is the complete picture. Sections III through V cover the three highest-stakes decisions in detail.
| Benefit | Default if you do nothing | Your deadline | Form or action |
|---|---|---|---|
| FEHB health insurance | No enrollment — no coverage | 60 days from hire | SF-2809 via HR or agency portal |
| FEGLI option changes | Basic + Option A + max Option B enrolled | 31 days from hire | SF-2817 |
| FSAFEDS (FSA) | No enrollment | 60 days from hire | Enroll at fsafeds.com |
| TSP contribution rate | 5% into L Fund | No deadline — change anytime | tsp.gov or agency payroll portal |
| TSP fund allocation | Age-appropriate L Fund | No deadline — change anytime | tsp.gov |
| TSP beneficiary (TSP-3) | Statutory order of precedence | No deadline — but file immediately | TSP-3 at tsp.gov |
| FEGLI beneficiary (SF-2823) | Statutory order of precedence | No deadline — but file immediately | SF-2823 via HR |
| FEDVIP dental/vision | No enrollment | 60 days from hire | Enroll at benefeds.com |
The FEGLI option change window is 31 days — not 60. Because most agencies focus new employee orientation on the 60-day FEHB deadline, the 31-day FEGLI window quietly closes first. If you want to waive Option B to reduce your premium, or add Option C (family coverage), you must file SF-2817 within 31 days of your hire date. After that, Option C is only available during Open Season or after a qualifying life event. Options B and FEGLI Basic waivers require a medical exam to reinstate later.
The first 90 days, compressed
- Day 1 — You are automatically in FERS, TSP at 5%, and FEGLI Basic + Option A + Option B. Verify your LES once it arrives to confirm deductions are correct.
- Within the first week — File your TSP-3 and SF-2823 beneficiary forms. There is no deadline, which is exactly why people never do it.
- By day 31 — Submit SF-2817 if you want to waive or adjust FEGLI options. Option C (family coverage) closes here. This is the most-missed window in federal onboarding.
- By day 60 — Enroll in FEHB. If you miss this window without coverage elsewhere, you have no federal health insurance until November. Also enroll in FSAFEDS and FEDVIP if they apply to your situation.
- Anytime — Adjust your TSP contribution rate and fund allocation. The default 5% captures the full match — do not drop below it. Review your fund allocation against your actual retirement timeline.
Section VI Frequently asked questions
You have 60 days from your first day of employment to enroll in FEHB. If you miss that window without qualifying for an exception, you cannot enroll until the next Federal Benefits Open Season, typically held in November, with coverage effective in January. There are very limited exceptions for circumstances beyond your control, but they are granted rarely and require documentation.
If you have coverage under a spouse's plan or through other employment, missing the FEHB window may be acceptable. If you have no other coverage, treat the 60-day deadline as the most important date in your onboarding calendar.
Yes, if you were hired after October 5, 2020 as a FERS employee. You are automatically enrolled at 5% of basic pay into the age-appropriate Lifecycle fund. Your agency also contributes 1% of basic pay regardless of whether you contribute anything yourself. When you contribute 5%, the agency matches an additional 4% — bringing the total government contribution to 5% on top of your 5%.
You can change your contribution rate or fund elections at any time through tsp.gov or your agency's payroll portal. Changes typically take one to two pay periods to take effect. Do not reduce your contribution below 5% — you will forfeit matching dollars you cannot recover.
You are automatically enrolled in FEGLI Basic, Option A, and the maximum multiple of Option B. Basic coverage equals your annual salary rounded up to the next $1,000, plus $2,000. Option A adds $10,000. Option B adds a multiple of your salary — up to 5x — based on the default, which is the maximum.
Your agency pays two-thirds of the Basic premium. You pay all of Option A and Option B premiums. For a GS-12 earning $100,000, maximum Option B coverage costs roughly $35 per biweekly pay period in your 30s — a cost that roughly doubles every five years of age. If you want to waive Option A, Option B, or reduce the Option B multiple, file SF-2817 within 31 days. After that window, you cannot reduce Option B without evidence of insurability.
Technically, there is no deadline. In practice, do it this week. Without a TSP-3 on file, the TSP distributes your account balance according to the statutory order of precedence: spouse, then children equally, then parents equally, then executor of your estate, then next of kin. This may match your intentions — or it may not, especially if you are unmarried, have a domestic partner, or want to distribute your account differently across heirs.
File TSP-3 directly at tsp.gov. File SF-2823 for FEGLI through your HR office. Keep copies. Review both forms after any major life event — marriage, divorce, birth, or death in the family.
Yes. New federal employees have 60 days from their first day of employment to enroll in FSAFEDS — both the Health Care FSA and the Dependent Care FSA. This new hire window is one of the few opportunities to enroll outside of the November Open Season.
One important restriction: if your hire date falls after October 1 of the benefit year, you cannot enroll in FSAFEDS for that year even within your 60-day window, because there are too few pay periods remaining to collect contributions. You will need to wait for the next Open Season. If you are hired before October 1, enroll early — the FSA contribution limit is front-loaded in spending ability even before all contributions are collected.
The default L Fund is not wrong — it is designed to be a reasonable, diversified allocation for someone with no other information about your financial situation. Whether it is right for you depends on your age, your other retirement assets, your risk tolerance, and your expected federal career length.
The L Fund becomes more conservative as it approaches its target date, which is appropriate if your TSP is your only retirement asset. If you have other investments with higher risk exposure, you may want a more conservative TSP allocation. If your retirement is 30-plus years away and you want maximum equity exposure, you may prefer the C Fund (S&P 500 index) or a combination of C, S, and I funds. There is no penalty for changing allocations, and no deadline. Review your allocation once per year at minimum.