FAQs

The National Active and Retired Federal Employees (NARFE) Association 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.

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In addition to NARFE’s legislative efforts on behalf of members, membership includes: advance information on changes to your federal retirement, health and other employee and retiree benefits; an award-winning monthly magazine and exclusive website access; access to live and recorded webinars about employee and retiree benefits; special member discounts and eligibility for college scholarships and disaster relief grants. For more information, visit the Benefits of Joining NARFE or NARFE Perks pages on our national website.

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Membership 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, surviving spouses of those eligible to join NARFE, and former spouses who are legally eligible for a federal or survivor annuity. You don’t have to be retired to join NARFE. One out of every five new members is an active federal employee. There is no minimum age requirement.

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Military service does not qualify for membership in NARFE. To find other groups you could consider joining, see Wikipedia’s list of US Military Associations or Reserve & National Guard Magazine‘s list of veterans’ organizations.

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Yes, postal employees and retirees are eligible for NARFE membership.

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To join other active and retired federal workers who are NARFE members, you can click the Join NARFE link at the top right of this page. Or you can contact Recruitment and Retention at 703-838-7760, extension 204 (8 am to 5 pm ET), email hq@narfe.org or write to NARFE Recruitment and Retention, 606 N Washington St, Alexandria VA 22314-1914.

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Spouses 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.

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Active 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’ chapter dues of record; or the three-year rate is $102.00, plus three years’ chapter dues of record.

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By 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.

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Yes, 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 your age. Members are invoiced each year for chapter dues. Read the NARFE Life Membership flyer for 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.

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Yes. 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, www.narfe.org. In the menu at the top right, select FOR MEMBERS and then Renew Your Membership. You will need to log in the NARFE website with your User ID and password to get to the renewal form.

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NARFE’s 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 filling out the online form on their web page.

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No, 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’s annual convention/meeting and can vote in federation and national elections. They may occasionally receive updates from their state federation.

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With 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. Check the NARFE Find a Chapter Tool, contact Member Records at 800-456-8410 or write to Member Records to find a chapter near you.

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