FERS Retirement Help in Los Angeles, CA
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By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated
Los Angeles is a high-cost place to retire, and California taxes pensions, so careful FERS planning pays off here. We help LA-area feds by phone or video. We do not have a local office.
Federal employers in the area
OPM's August 2026 workforce data shows 18,060 federal civilians on duty in the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim 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 Veterans Health Administration accounts for 9,441 of them, followed by the Social Security Administration (1,280), the FAA (1,260) and the Forest Service (596)[19].
Who to call about your benefits
Your agency HR office handles estimates and applications before you retire. Afterward, 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.
California tax on your FERS annuity
California's treatment of pension and annuity income is generally the same as the federal treatment, so the taxable part of your FERS annuity on your federal return is generally taxable in California too[32].
Cost of living
BEA puts the 2024 price level for the Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim metro at 113.6, where 100 is the U.S. average[1].
Talk it through, free
Free, no obligation, by phone or video. Not affiliated with OPM or any government agency.
Sources
- BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area (2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026)
- OPM: Retirement Services contact
- OPM Federal Workforce Data: Federal Employment raw data, August 2026 (EHRI Status, published Oct 4, 2026)
- OPM Data Release Policy (security-agency duty stations outside DC are not published by metro)
- SSA: Social Security Office Locator
- California FTB: 2025 Publication 1005, Pension and Annuity Guidelines