OPM Reduction in Force (RIF) Calculator

Positions to Retain:

Name	Tenure	Vet Pref	Service (yrs)	Performance	Score	Status	Actions

*This OPM Reduction in Force (RIF) Calculator is provided for informational purposes only and should not be considered a substitute for official guidance from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM). While we have made every effort to accurately reflect the OPM RIF regulations and scoring methodology, the weighted values used in this calculator are estimates based on our interpretation of the OPM’s “Summary of Reduction in Force Under OPM’s Regulations” document.

Always refer to the official OPM RIF Guide for the most up-to-date and accurate information:

OPM RIF Guide: https://www.opm.gov/

It is crucial to confirm the accuracy of any calculations made using this tool by consulting the official OPM guide and/or seeking guidance from your agency’s human resources office. TimeTrex and its employees are not responsible for any discrepancies between the results generated by this tool and the official OPM RIF regulations.

By using this calculator, you acknowledge that you are solely responsible for the accuracy of the input data and the interpretation of the results.

Looking for our OPM Severance Pay Calculator? You can find it here.

Found our Free OPM Reduction in Force (RIF) Calculator useful? Bookmark and share it.

How to Use the OPM Reduction in Force (RIF) Calculator

This calculator is designed to help you understand the core factors that influence retention during a Reduction in Force (RIF) within the federal government, based on OPM (Office of Personnel Management) guidelines. By inputting key employee data, you can see how different factors contribute to an employee’s retention score and potential status.

Step-by-Step Guide

Accessing the Calculator:
- First, locate the RIF calculator tool. It’s designed with two main tabs: “Add Employee” and “Positions to Retain.”
Adding Employee Information (Add Employee Tab):
- This tab is where you input individual employee data.
- a. Name:
  - Enter the employee’s full name in the “Name” field. This is for identification purposes within the calculator.
- b. Tenure Group:
  - Select the employee’s tenure group from the dropdown menu. OPM defines three tenure groups:
    - Group I (Career): Employees with career appointments.
    - Group II (Career-Conditional): Employees with career-conditional appointments.
    - Group III (Temporary/Term): Employees with temporary or term appointments.
  - Understanding tenure groups is crucial, as they carry significant weight in the RIF scoring system.
- c. Veterans’ Preference:
  - Choose the employee’s veterans’ preference from the dropdown menu:
    - 30% Disabled Veteran (AD): Veterans with a 30% or more service-connected disability.
    - Veteran (A): Veterans with other veterans’ preference.
    - No Preference (B): Employees without veterans’ preference.
  - Veterans’ preference provides additional points in the RIF scoring.
- d. Creditable Service (Years):
  - Enter the employee’s total creditable service in years. This includes all federal service that counts towards RIF retention.
  - Enter the number in decimal format if there are partial years of service (e.g. 10.5).
- e. Performance Rating:
  - Select the employee’s most recent performance rating from the dropdown menu:
    - Outstanding (Level 5)
    - Exceeds Fully Successful (Level 4)
    - Fully Successful (Level 3)
    - Minimally Successful (Level 2)
    - Unacceptable (Level 1)
  - Performance ratings are a key factor in the RIF scoring system.
- f. Add Employee/Update Employee Button:
  - Once all fields are filled, click the “Add Employee” button to add the employee’s data to the table.
  - If you are editing an employee already within the table, the button will read “Update Employee”.
- g. Cancel Edit Button:
  - If you are editing an employee, and wish to cancel the edit, press this button.
Setting Positions to Retain (Positions to Retain Tab):
- Navigate to the “Positions to Retain” tab.
- a. Positions to Retain Field:
  - Enter the number of positions that will be retained after the RIF. This number determines the cutoff point for retention.
  - If you do not enter a number, the calculator will default to retaining all employees that have been entered.
Reviewing the Retention Table:
- The table below the tabs will display the entered employee data, including:
  - Name: The employee’s name.
  - Tenure: The employee’s tenure group.
  - Vet Pref: The employee’s veterans’ preference.
  - Service (yrs): The employee’s creditable service in years.
  - Performance: The employee’s performance rating.
  - Score: The calculated RIF retention score.
  - Status: The employee’s potential retention status (Retained or Released) based on the number of positions to retain.
  - Actions: Edit or Delete the employee’s information.
- The table will automatically sort employees by their score, with the highest scores at the top.
- Employees whose scores fall within the number of positions to retain will be marked as “Retained.” Those below the cutoff will be marked as “Released.”
Editing and Deleting Employee Data:
- In the “Actions” column of the table, you can:
  - Edit: Click the “Edit” button to modify an employee’s information. This will populate the “Add Employee” tab with the selected employee’s data.
  - Delete: Click the “Delete” button to remove an employee from the table.
Exporting Data (Save as CSV):
- Click the “Save as CSV” button to download the retention table data as a CSV file. This allows you to save and share the results.

Key Considerations:

Accuracy: Ensure that all employee data is accurate and up-to-date.
OPM Guidelines: This calculator is based on general OPM RIF guidelines. Specific agency rules may vary.
Retention Score: The retention score is a primary factor in RIF decisions, but agencies may consider other factors as well.
Understanding the results: The calculator provides a tool to help understand the OPM RIF process. It is not a guarantee of employment.

Defining the Competitive Area

When a federal agency prepares for a Reduction in Force (RIF), one of the first crucial steps is defining the Competitive Area. This establishes the boundaries within which employees will be compared and potentially released from their positions.

What is a Competitive Area?

Geographical and Organizational Limits: The competitive area sets the geographical and organizational scope for the RIF. It determines which employees are considered to be competing for the same positions.
Minimum Size: At a minimum, a competitive area must include all employees within a local commuting area who perform similar work functions, have similar staffing patterns, and fall under the same personnel administration. This means that managers within the competitive area have the authority to make personnel decisions, such as creating or abolishing positions.
Maximum Size: There’s no maximum size for a competitive area. It could encompass an entire agency, a specific region, or even be nationwide or worldwide.
Special Cases:
- Inspector General activities are always considered separate competitive areas due to the Inspector General Act of 1978.
- If an agency needs to redefine a competitive area within 90 days of the RIF effective date, it must obtain approval from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Defining the Local Commuting Area

Along with the competitive area, the agency must also define the Local Commuting Area.

Reasonable Commute: A local commuting area typically includes a population center where employees live and can reasonably travel to work.
No Mileage Standard: There’s no set mileage limit for a local commuting area. The agency must determine what constitutes a reasonable commute based on the specific geographic location and typical commuting patterns in that area.

Establishing Competitive Levels

Within each competitive area, the agency further divides employees into Competitive Levels.

Interchangeable Positions: Competitive levels group together positions that are essentially interchangeable in terms of their duties, responsibilities, and required qualifications.
Criteria for Grouping: Positions within a competitive level must have the same:
- Grade (pay level)
- Classification series (job category)
- Official tour of duty (full-time, part-time, seasonal, intermittent)
Factors Not Considered:
- An employee’s personal qualifications are not considered when establishing competitive levels. The focus is on the official position descriptions.
- Employees with temporary appointments in the competitive service are not included because they serve at the agency’s discretion.
- Excepted service employees with temporary appointments of one year or less are only included after completing more than one year of continuous service under the same type of appointment.

Establishing Retention Registers

Once competitive levels are defined, the agency creates Retention Registers for each level.

Ranking Employees: A retention register lists all employees within a competitive level in order of their retention standing, from highest to lowest.
Retention Factors: The ranking is based on four retention factors:
- Tenure of employment
- Veterans’ preference
- Length of creditable service
- Performance ratings

Determining Retention Standing - Tenure

Tenure is a significant factor in determining an employee’s retention standing. The agency ranks employees in three tenure groups:

Group I: Career employees who have completed their probationary period.
Group II: Career-conditional employees and career employees serving a new probationary period.
Group III: Term employees and those serving under similar non-status appointments.

Determining Retention Standing: Veterans' Preference, Service, and Performance

After organizing employees into tenure groups, further ranking within those groups is necessary. This is where veterans’ preference, length of creditable service, and performance ratings come into play.

Veterans' Preference

Each tenure group (I, II, and III) is further divided into three subgroups based on veterans’ preference:

Subgroup AD: Veterans with a compensable service-connected disability of 30% or more.
Subgroup A: Other veterans eligible for RIF preference, including spouses, widows/widowers, and mothers of veterans.
Subgroup B: Nonveterans and those not eligible for veterans’ preference.

For more details on veterans’ preference eligibility, refer to the OPM’s “Vet Guide” available on their website.

Special Rules for Retired Military Members

Retired members of the Armed Forces are considered veterans for RIF purposes only if they meet one of these conditions:

Their military retirement is based on a combat-related disability or injury.
Their military retirement is based on less than 20 years of active duty.
They have been employed by the government since November 30, 1964, without a break in service exceeding 30 days.

Total Creditable Service

Within each subgroup (AD, A, and B), employees are ranked based on their total creditable service, with the longest-serving employees placed higher on the retention register.

Creditable Service: This includes all qualifying federal civilian and military service.
Exception for Retired Military: Retired military members with 20 or more years of service who are not eligible for veterans’ preference only receive credit for military service during wartime or for campaigns/expeditions for which they received a badge.

Performance

Performance ratings also influence an employee’s retention standing.

Rating Period: The agency considers the average of an employee’s last three annual performance ratings of record within the four years preceding the RIF notice date or the date the agency freezes performance ratings.
Single Rating Pattern: If all employees in the competitive area are under the same performance rating system, the following credits apply:
- Outstanding (Level 5): 20 years of additional service credit
- Exceeds Fully Successful (Level 4): 16 years
- Fully Successful (Level 3): 12 years
- Ratings below Fully Successful do not receive additional credit.
Multiple Rating Patterns: If different rating patterns are used within the competitive area, the agency may adjust the service credit for each rating level to ensure fairness.
Fewer Than Three Ratings: If an employee has fewer than three ratings of record, the available ratings are averaged.
No Ratings: If an employee has no ratings of record, a “modal rating” is used, which is the most common rating level for their position.

Navigating RIF: Competition, Assignment Rights, and Appeals

This section explores the competitive process within a RIF, including how employees are released, potential assignment rights to other positions, and the procedures for RIF notices and appeals.

Two Rounds of RIF Competition

RIF competition occurs in two rounds:

First Round: The agency applies the four retention factors (tenure, veterans’ preference, service, performance) to identify the employee with the lowest standing within a competitive level. This employee may be released from their position.
Second Round: If an employee is released in the first round, the agency determines if they have “bump” or “retreat” rights to a different competitive level occupied by an employee with lower retention standing.

Release from the Competitive Level

Employees are released from the retention register in reverse order of their retention standing, starting with the employee with the lowest standing.

Order of Release:
1. All employees in Group III are released before Group II, and all employees in Group II are released before Group I.
2. Within each tenure group, employees in Subgroup B are released before Subgroup A, and Subgroup A before Subgroup AD.
Exceptions: If the agency releases an employee out of order (e.g., to retain someone with critical skills), they must provide written justification.

Bumping and Retreating Rights

Bumping: A released employee with higher retention standing can “bump” an employee with lower standing in a different competitive level if they are qualified for the position.
Retreating: A released employee can “retreat” to a position with lower retention standing in a different competitive level if:
- It’s the same or essentially identical to a position they previously held on a permanent basis.
- It’s within the allowed grade range (up to five grades lower for Subgroup AD).
- They meet the performance requirements.

Grade Intervals

Grade Differences: The difference between successive grades in a one-grade occupation.
Grade-Interval Differences: The difference between successive grades in a multi-grade occupation.
Assignment Rights: The grade limits for assignment rights are based on the employee’s current position, regardless of their career progression.

Offers of Assignment to Vacant Positions

Agency Discretion: Agencies are not required to offer vacant positions during a RIF but may choose to do so.
Order of Consideration: If filling vacancies, the agency must consider released employees in order of their retention standing, similar to bumping rights.

RIF Notices

60-Day Notice: Agencies must provide employees with at least 60 days’ written notice before they are released from their competitive level due to RIF.
Exceptions: In emergency situations, the agency may provide a shorter notice period (minimum 30 days) with OPM approval.

RIF Appeals and Grievances

MSPB Appeal: Employees separated, downgraded, or furloughed for more than 30 days due to RIF can appeal to the Merit Systems Protection Board (MSPB) if they believe the RIF regulations were not followed correctly.
Negotiated Grievance Procedure: Employees in a bargaining unit with a negotiated grievance procedure must use that procedure instead of appealing to the MSPB, unless the RIF action was discriminatory.

Sample Retention Register

Group/Subgroup	Employee Name	SCD (Service Computation Date)	RIF SCD (RIF Service Computation Date, including performance credit)
I-AD	Smith, Joseph O.	04-02-73	04-02-57
I-A	Brown, Nathanial T.	11-14-66	11-14-50
I-A	Wilson, William A.	07-31-65	07-31-53
I-B	Downs, Christopher G.	06-17-64	06-17-44
I-B	Wright, Mary S.	03-28-94	03-28-74
I-B	Finn, Charles N.	04-15-93	03-28-77
I-B	White, Beatrice L.	08-22-95	08-22-79
II-A	Robinson, John H.	08-21-01	08-21-81
II-B	Keane, Susan M.	03-13-02	03-13-82

Data Retrieved From: https://www.opm.gov/

Disclaimer: The content provided on this webpage is for informational purposes only and is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice. While we strive to ensure the accuracy and timeliness of the information presented here, the details may change over time or vary in different jurisdictions. Therefore, we do not guarantee the completeness, reliability, or absolute accuracy of this information. The information on this page should not be used as a basis for making legal, financial, or any other key decisions. We strongly advise consulting with a qualified professional or expert in the relevant field for specific advice, guidance, or services. By using this webpage, you acknowledge that the information is offered “as is” and that we are not liable for any errors, omissions, or inaccuracies in the content, nor for any actions taken based on the information provided. We shall not be held liable for any direct, indirect, incidental, consequential, or punitive damages arising out of your access to, use of, or reliance on any content on this page.

Trusted By