{"id":33,"date":"2024-04-07T13:36:29","date_gmt":"2024-04-07T17:36:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/?page_id=33"},"modified":"2025-11-12T10:41:28","modified_gmt":"2025-11-12T15:41:28","slug":"faqs","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/resources\/faqs\/","title":{"rendered":"FAQs"},"content":{"rendered":"
NARFE<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: What does NARFE do?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0The National Active and Retired Federal Employees Association (NARFE) has been protecting and improving the earned benefits of federal employees, retirees and their families since 1921. NARFE is an advocate for both active and retired federal employees before Congress and the White House. NARFE sponsors and supports legislation to protect the earned benefits and general welfare of members. Membership totals\u00a0some 175,000.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

MEMBERSHIP<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Why should I join NARFE?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0In addition to NARFE\u2019s legislative efforts on behalf of members and their families, NARFE membership includes:\u00a0advance information on changes to your federal retirement, health and other employee and retiree benefits;\u00a0an award-winning monthly magazine and exclusive Web site access;\u00a0access to live and recorded webinars about employee and retiree benefits;\u00a0special member discounts and\u00a0eligibility for college scholarships and disaster relief grants<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: What are the requirements of membership?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Membership is open to civilians in any agency of the federal or the District of Columbia governments who contribute(d) to a federal retirement plan, under either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Included are current employees, former employees, retirees and their spouses, spouses and surviving spouses of those eligible to join NARFE, and former spouses who are legally eligible for a federal or survivor annuity. You don\u2019t have to be retired to join NARFE. One out of every five new members is an active\u00a0federal employee. There is no minimum age requirement.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Can military retirees join NARFE?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Military service does not qualify for membership in NARFE. To find other organizations you could consider joining instead, see\u00a0MilitaryLife.com<\/a>\u00a0for their extensive list of Military Associations.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: If I work(ed) for the U.S. Postal Service, can I join NARFE?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, postal employees and retirees are eligible for NARFE membership.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: How\u00a0do I become a NARFE member?<\/strong>
\n<\/strong>A:<\/strong>\u00a0To join other active and retired federal workers who are NARFE members, you\u00a0can\u00a0visit\u00a0the NARFE website at\u00a0www.narfe.org<\/a>. Click on MEMBERSHIP at the top of the page and then the JOIN button on either the \u201cBenefits of Joining NARFE\u201d or \u201cNARFE Perks\u201d pages. Or you can\u00a0contact Recruitment and\u00a0Retention at 800-627-3394 or write to Recruitment and\u00a0Retention to get started.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Can my spouse join NARFE?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Spouses are encouraged to join NARFE so that they can participate in activities of the Association, vote, hold office and become more knowledgeable about federal employee and retirement benefits.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

<\/div>\n
DUES<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: How much does it cost to join?<\/strong><\/div>\n
A:<\/strong>\u00a0Active federal employees, retired federal employees, their spouses and survivor annuitants can enroll for $48.00 for the first year in lieu of national and chapter dues. Upon the anniversary date for renewal, these members will have the option of renewing for multiple years. The one-year rate is $48.00, plus one-year chapter dues of record; the two-year rate is $72.00, plus two years\u2019 chapter dues of record; or the three-year rate is $102.00, plus three years\u2019 chapter dues of record.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: What is dues withholding?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0By signing an authorization form, retired members and survivor annuitants instruct the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) to withhold 1\/12 of their annual Association dues each month from their annuity. OPM will send the money to NARFE. This can be arranged for both national and chapter dues. Dues cannot be deducted from the paychecks of active federal employees.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Is life membership available? If so, how much\u00a0does it cost?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes, national life membership is available. A member can pay for all future national dues with one payment or with four consecutive quarterly payments in the first year. The amount of dues is based on age. Members are invoiced each year for chapter dues. Read the\u00a0NARFE Life Membership flyer<\/a>\u00a0for details and the dues structure. You can also contact Member Services at 800-456-8410 or write to Member Records to find out more information.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Can I pay dues over the phone or via the NARFE Web site?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Yes. Member Records at 800-456-8410 can respond to questions regarding billing, dues withholding, renewals or change of information. Dues also may be submitted via the NARFE website,\u00a0www.new.narfe.org<\/a>. Go to\u00a0\u201cFOR MEMBERS\u201d and then \u201cRENEW YOUR MEMBERSHIP.\u201d<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: What else will I have to pay for as a NARFE member?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0It\u2019s your choice. You can donate to NARFE\u2019s Alzheimer\u2019s Fund, NARFE-PAC, the scholarship fund or other areas of interest. However, these are all voluntary contributions. None are required.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n

CHAPTERS<\/strong><\/em><\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Do I have to join a chapter?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0No, chapter membership is voluntary. Members who do not join a chapter are categorized as National-only members. They pay NARFE association dues only. They are still supported by the federation for the state in which they reside, can attend their federation\u2019s annual convention\/meeting and can vote in national elections. They may occasionally receive updates from their state federation.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: How are members assigned to chapters?<\/strong><\/div>\n
A:<\/strong>\u00a0A member\u2019s assignment to a chapter is usually based on the zip code of the member\u2019s permanent legal residence. However, each member retains the right and option of belonging to any chapter. Check the\u00a0NARFE Find a Chapter Tool<\/a>, contact Member Records at 800-456-8410 or write to Member Records for answers to<\/div>\n
questions about\u00a0chapter assignment and transfer.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: Is there a chapter near me?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0With more than 1,500 chapters in all 50 states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, Panama, Guam, the Philippines and the Virgin Islands, it is likely that there is a chapter close to your home or workplace.\u00a0Check the\u00a0NARFE Find a Chapter Tool<\/a>, contact Member Records at 800-456-8410 or write to Member Records to find a chapter near you.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: How much are chapter dues?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0Chapter dues are set by chapters and range from $2.00 to $20.00, with the average being about $6.00. As a chapter member, you have a voice in setting your chapter\u2019s dues, based upon the programs developed within that chapter.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: When I move, how do I find out if there is a chapter closer to my new home?<\/strong>
\nA:\u00a0<\/strong>Check the\u00a0NARFE Find a Chapter Tool<\/a>, contact Member Services at 800-456-8410, or write to Member Services to locate area chapters and to register your chapter transfer.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n
Q: If I have trouble reaching the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) and need help with retirement issues, can NARFE help?<\/strong>
\nA:<\/strong>\u00a0NARFE\u2019s Federal Benefits Institute is staffed with skilled professionals waiting to assist you in resolving benefit and insurance problems. In addition, there are 122 service centers nationwide maintained by NARFE in federal agencies or on military installations. Chapters also have volunteer Service Officers ready to help. You can contact the Institute by\u00a0filling out the online form<\/a>\u00a0on their web page.<\/div>\n
<\/div>\n

Return to Top<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

NARFE Chapter 1301 Answers to common questions members or visitors may ask.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"parent":29,"menu_order":2,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"kp-content-permissions":[],"class_list":["post-33","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=33"}],"version-history":[{"count":15,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":333,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/33\/revisions\/333"}],"up":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/29"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=33"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"kp-content-permissions","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.narfe.org\/chapter1301\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/kp-content-permissions?post=33"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}