FERS Retirement Help in the Washington, DC Area
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By the OnPAR Federal Retirement Education editorial team · Last updated
The capital region has more federal civilians than any other metro, and most of them will retire under FERS. We help DC-area feds plan by phone or video. We have no office in the region.
Federal employers in the area
OPM's August 2026 workforce data shows 173,850 federal civilians on duty in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro[19]. The biggest employers in that data are the National Institutes of Health (14,081), the Food and Drug Administration (10,214), the Patent and Trademark Office (7,626) and the State Department (7,590)[19].
Who to call about your benefits
Employees should start with their agency's HR or benefits office. DoD civilians use their service's benefits center, such as Army ABC-C at 1-877-276-9287 or Navy at 1-888-320-2917[2]. If you are already retired, call OPM Retirement Services 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.
How DC, Maryland and Virginia tax a FERS annuity
- DC: Your taxable annuity is part of federal AGI on the D-40. The only federal-pension exclusion in the 2025 instructions is for survivor benefits paid to a survivor 62 or older[23].
- Maryland: At 65 or older (or if totally disabled), you can exclude up to $41,200 of pension income for 2025 and $40,600 for 2026, reduced by any Social Security you receive[24].
- Virginia: Virginia has an age deduction for taxpayers 65 and older. For people born on or after Jan. 2, 1939, it is income-tested, with limits of $50,000 for single filers and $75,000 for married filers[25].
Cost of living
BEA puts the 2024 price level for the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro at 108.9, where 100 is the U.S. average[1].
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Sources
- BEA: Regional Price Parities by State and Metro Area (2024 data, released Feb 19, 2026)
- DoD DCPAS: Benefits Service Centers (official DoD civilian benefits contacts)
- OPM: Retirement Services contact
- OPM Federal Workforce Data: Federal Employment raw data, August 2026 (EHRI Status, published Oct 4, 2026)
- SSA: Social Security Office Locator
- DC Office of Tax and Revenue: 2025 D-40 instructions
- Comptroller of Maryland: Maryland Pension Exclusion
- Virginia Tax: 2025 Form 760 instructions (age deduction)