FERS Retirement Help in Houston, TX

By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated October 29, 2026

Houston pairs one of NASA's biggest centers with a large VA workforce, in a state with no personal income tax. We help Houston-area feds plan FERS retirement by phone or video, with no local office.

Federal employers in the area

OPM's August 2026 workforce data shows 16,211 federal civilians on duty in the Houston-The Woodlands-Sugar Land metro^[19]. That count leaves out employees whose metro OPM does not publish, mainly security agencies such as most of DoD^[20], so the real number is higher. The largest are the Veterans Health Administration (6,412), NASA's Lyndon B. Johnson Space Center (3,059), the FAA (922) and the Veterans Benefits Administration (768)^[19].

Who to call about your benefits

Employees start with their agency HR or benefits office. Retirees call OPM at 1-888-767-6738^[3]. For Social Security questions, find your nearest SSA office with SSA's official locator^[21]; we don't list addresses here because offices move.

Texas tax on your FERS annuity

Texas has no personal income tax, and any personal income tax law would need voter approval^[18]. So Texas doesn't tax your FERS annuity or TSP withdrawals.

Cost of living

BEA puts the 2024 price level for the Houston-Pasadena-The Woodlands metro at 98.6, where 100 is the U.S. average^[1].

Talk it through, free

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Free, no obligation, by phone or video. Not affiliated with OPM or any government agency.

Sources

1. BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area (2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026)
3. OPM: Retirement Services contact
18. Texas Legislative Council: Texas taxes overview and glossary
19. OPM Federal Workforce Data: Federal Employment raw data, August 2026 (EHRI Status, published Oct 4, 2026)
20. OPM Data Release Policy (security-agency duty stations outside DC are not published by metro)
21. SSA: Social Security Office Locator

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