Ruralinfo.net 
On December 18, 2025, the Bureau of Labor Statistics released the November 2025 Consumer Price Index for Urban Wage Earners and Clerical Workers (CPI-W). Based on the release, the Equipment Maintenance Allowance (EMA) for rural carriers will decrease 0.5¢ to 97.0¢ per mile. This EMA rate will be effective January 10, 2026 (Pay Period 2026-03).
The Thrift Savings Plan will allow participants to convert traditional funds to Roth funds within their TSP account beginning Wednesday, Jan. 28. This is known as a Roth in-plan conversion. Traditional retirement contributions are those that are taken from employee paychecks on a pretax basis, which can lower your taxable income for the year. You … Read more
The federal retirement inventory has reached yet another new high. The Office of Personnel Management now has over 50,000 applications still awaiting a finalized annuity. The increase comes after more than 13,000 retirement applications entered OPM’s systems in December. It’s taking OPM about 67 days to process a retirement case from start to finish. But … Read more
Online Retirement Application (ORA) Effective January 1, 2026 The Office of Personnel Management has introduced a new system to process retirement applications. The Online Retirement Application (ORA) is a secure, fully digital system that replaces the paper-based process. USPS is now processing all optional retirement applications through ORA. (Disability applications will continue to be accepted … Read more
The Special Contract Issue of the NRLCA magazine containing the 2024-2027 National Agreement between the NRLCA and USPS is now available to download here. It will be mailed to all active members.
Postal Service employees with flexible spending account debit cards might be asked to provide documentation after using the card for out-of-pocket expenses. Inspira Financial, the Postal Service’s flexible spending account administrator, must ensure that such purchases are eligible under Internal Revenue Service rules. If a request from Inspira is not met, the company might deactivate … Read more
Postal Service employees can set aside more money for flexible spending accounts, health savings accounts and commuter benefits in 2026. Flexible spending accounts, or FSAs, allow employees to set aside money on a pretax basis to pay for health care and dependent care expenses. The 2026 maximum for a health care FSA is $3,400. For … Read more
WASHINGTON — More than two years after a Dallas postal worker died from heat exposure on the job, letter carriers say the United States Postal Service has yet to take steps required to fully protect them when the temperature and humidity soar. The 2023 death of Eugene Gates Jr. prompted a federal citation and $15,625 fine … Read more
Postal Service employees were front and center as the holiday shipping and mailing season wound down last week. In Holly, MI, the organization marked its 6 billionth holiday delivery when Allen Kenner, a letter carrier, brought packages to a senior living center. “We are all young at heart this time of year,” Kenner said. “I’m glad … Read more
Postal Service employees will have 27 paydays in 2026. The calendar that accompanies this article shows the paycheck dates. Every month will have two paydays, except for January, July and December, which will have three each. All paydays will occur on Friday, except for the year’s 13th payday, which will fall on Thursday, June 18, … Read more