Federal Benefits Open Season 2026: Nov. 9 to Dec. 14

The Office of Personnel Management (OPM) says the Federal Benefits Open Season for plan year 2027 runs from Monday, Nov. 9 through Monday, Dec. 14, 2026. The average Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) enrollee share goes up 10.9% for 2027, after a 12.3% rise for 2026, according to OPM’s Federal Benefits Open Season Highlights. Our free printable deadline grid puts the start and closing times on one page.

What are the open season dates and deadlines?

OPM’s open season page lists the season as Nov. 9 to Dec. 14, 2026. The closing time depends on the program.

Program	Deadline on Mon., Dec. 14, 2026
Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)	11:59 p.m. Eastern Time (ET)
Federal Flexible Spending Account Program (FSAFEDS)	11:59 p.m. ET
FEHB and Postal Service Health Benefits (PSHB)	11:59 p.m., per the location of your electronic enrollment system

Both Nov. 9 and Dec. 14 are Mondays. The November 2026 printable calendar and the December 2026 printable calendar show the full window.

How much do 2027 FEHB and PSHB premiums change?

OPM’s highlights give these average changes for 2027, with the 2026 enrollee-share change for comparison.

Program	Enrollee share, 2027	Enrollee share, 2026	Overall premium, 2027	Government contribution, 2027
FEHB	+10.9%	+12.3%	+9.3%	+8.6%
PSHB	+8.2%	+11.3%	+6.7%	+6.0%

For FEDVIP, OPM says the average dental premium rises 1.0% and the average vision premium rises 1.6%.

OPM describes the government share as “the lesser of: (1) 72% … or (2) 75% of the total premium for the particular plan.” The figures are averages, so your own plan’s change will differ. Check the brochure for each plan you are considering.

What plans can you choose from?

According to OPM, the 2027 plan year has these options.

Program	Carriers	Plan options
FEHB	45	118
PSHB	17	65
FEDVIP	11 dental and 5 vision	31 (21 dental, 10 vision)

Some plans end after 2026. OPM says nine FEHB plans end for 2027, and the default plan is Compass Rose Standard. In PSHB, UnitedHealthcare Choice Plus Primary Postal East ends, and the default is Blue Focus.

What changes for PSHB enrollees in 2027?

OPM’s highlights give PSHB an overall average premium increase of 6.7%, down from 9% in 2026. The average enrollee share rises 8.2%, down from 11.3%, and the government contribution rises 6.0%, down from 8.0%. PSHB has 17 carriers and 65 plan options for 2027. UnitedHealthcare Insurance Company, Inc. (Choice Plus Primary Postal East) is the plan that ends, and the default plan is the Blue Cross and Blue Shield Service Benefit Plan, Blue Focus option. PSHB coverage starts Jan. 1, 2027, and the cancellation date is Dec. 31, 2026. OPM says the Postal Service Health Benefits System (PSHBS) has redesigned the Enrollee Portal, scheduled to launch during open season for the 2027 plan year.

OPM’s PSHB premiums page lists 2027 monthly program-wide weighted average premiums, including the government contribution, and the monthly maximum government contribution (72% of the weighted average).

Coverage	Weighted average premium, 2027 (monthly)	Maximum government contribution (monthly)
Self Only	$957.62	$689.50
Self Plus One	$2,074.41	$1,493.57
Self and Family	$2,252.58	$1,621.86

The page gives no percentage changes. See OPM’s PSHB premiums page for the figures. Tricare is a separate program: its open season ends Dec. 8 (see Tricare open season dates).

Where can you compare plans?

OPM says full FEHB, PSHB and FEDVIP brochures are available on OPM.gov in early November. The Plan Comparison Tool is also on OPM.gov and on the PSHB site. For FEDVIP, a dental cost tool is on Benefeds.gov. OPM also says a redesign of the PSHB Enrollee Portal is scheduled to launch during open season.

When do 2027 coverage and cancellations take effect?

OPM lists different effective dates by group.

Group	Coverage starts	Cancellation date
FEHB, non-USPS employees	Sun., Jan. 10, 2027	Sat., Jan. 9, 2027
FEHB, Office of Workers’ Compensation Programs (OWCP) compensationers	Sun., Jan. 24, 2027	Sat., Jan. 23, 2027
PSHB enrollees and annuitants	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	Thu., Dec. 31, 2026
FEDVIP	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	-
FSAFEDS	Fri., Jan. 1, 2027	-

USPS stands for the U.S. Postal Service. Check the row for your group before you assume a Jan. 1 start.

What changes for FSAFEDS and family members?

OPM says FSAFEDS participation “does not automatically continue from year to year.” Current participants who want to continue for Benefit Year 2027 must reenroll. A flexible spending account (FSA) is the account type FSAFEDS offers. New for 2027 is the FSAFEDS Visa FSA Card for health care FSA and limited expense health care FSA accounts, with a choice of a debit card or paperless reimbursement. The Internal Revenue Service (IRS) set the 2027 federal ceiling for a health care FSA at $3,500, up $100 from the prior year, with a maximum carryover of $700, up $20 from 2026 (release IR-2026-133, Nov. 5, 2026). That is the federal ceiling. FSAFEDS had not posted its own 2027 amounts on OPM’s FSA page as of Nov. 6, 2026, so confirm the FSAFEDS election limit when you enroll.

There is also a new documentation rule. OPM says “anyone that is adding a new family member to their FEHB or PSHB plan during Open Season for Plan Year 2027, must submit supporting documentation,” a requirement from the FEHB Protection Act of 2025. Gather those papers before the deadline.

Related enrollment deadlines

Other enrollment windows overlap this one. Tricare’s open season is a different window: it runs Nov. 9 to Dec. 8, 2026, six days before this one ends (see our Tricare open season dates). Medicare’s open enrollment ends Dec. 7, and the Affordable Care Act marketplace open enrollment opened Nov. 1. The month’s other deadlines are in our December 2026 important dates list.