What is a Reduction in Force?
- Reduction in Force is the federal term for layoffs.
How does a RIF work?
- Federal agencies have the right to decide if a RIF is necessary and, if so, when it will occur.
- The RIF process is governed by detailed regulations that outline the process of identifying which positions to terminate, thereby prohibiting arbitrary management decisions.
- Federal rules require layoff decisions to be based on employees’ tenure status, veteran’s preference, length of service, job performance and whether the employees are part of the competitive or excepted service.
- Agencies may, but are not required to, offer vacant positions to employees designated for separation through a RIF.
What federal employees do RIFs affect?
- RIFs can affect civil servants in both the competitive and excepted services as well as career members of the Senior Executive Service. Individual agencies develop their own RIF procedures for SES members, which must be based primarily upon performance and be approved by OPM.
- Political appointees serve at the pleasure of the president and therefore are not affected by RIFs.
How many civil servants have been affected by a RIF?
- Since 2010, RIFs have resulted in just over 5,000 separations* of federal civil servants, a small fraction of the more than 3 million total separations that occurred during the same period. *This number does not reflect any RIF actions taken since Jan. 20, 2025.
What can lead to a RIF?
- Agencies are required to justify their RIF under six possible statutory reasons for action: (1) lack of work, (2) shortage of funds, (3) insufficient personnel ceiling, (4) reorganization, (5) an individual’s exercise of reemployment rights or restoration rights, and (6) reclassification of an employee’s position due to erosion of duties.
- Most RIFs occur as a result of agency reorganizations, including decisions to privatize or outsource work.
How are employees affected by a RIF notified and how much notice do they get?
- Agencies must give written notice to employees designated for separation through a RIF. They must provide notice at least 60 days prior to separation.
Are employees entitled to appeal RIF separations?
- Yes. Employees separated through a RIF have the right to appeal the decision to the Merit Systems Protection Board. Employees have 30 days to file an appeal beginning the day after the effective date of the RIF action.
- Separated employees from a protected class may file a complaint with the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission if they believe discrimination was a factor in their selection for separation. Similarly, employees may file a complaint with the Office of Special Counsel if they believe their RIF separation is retaliation for being a whistleblower.
- Some employees in a bargaining unit may have alternative appeal rights and timelines depending on their collective bargaining agreement.
Do employees taking a lower-grade position due to a RIF retain their former grade and pay rate?
- Employees who accept a lower-grade position as a result of a RIF are entitled to retain the former higher grade for two years (which affects most benefits including pay, retirement, life insurance, eligibility for training, noncompetitive promotions and within-grade increases)—provided they completed at least 52 consecutive weeks at the higher grade.
Do employees who are impacted by a RIF receive severance pay?
- Employees are eligible to receive severance pay depending on their status and standing. More information can be found on the Office of Personnel Management’s website.
Are employees impacted by a RIF eligible for unemployment insurance?
- The laws of an employee’s state or jurisdiction will determine the amount of unemployment benefits and the length of time they will be received. If you are separated, you should file a claim for benefits at your state employment service office or unemployment insurance claims office.
What assistance must agencies provide to employees impacted by a RIF?
- Career Transition Assistance Plan: The Career Transition Assistance Plan is an intra-agency program that helps surplus or displaced federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job in their agency by giving them selection priority over other applicants, as long as they’re qualified for the job.
- Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan: The Interagency Career Transition Assistance Plan is an interagency program that helps surplus or displaced federal employees improve their chances of finding a new job at another agency (not their current or former agency) by giving them selection priority over other applicants from outside the agency.
Do RIFs affect detailed staff?
- Yes. Employees on temporary detail to another position or another agency can be affected by RIF actions undertaken in their home office.
Are RIFs the only way agencies can reduce the size of their workforce?
- No. There are several ways agencies can reduce the size of their workforce or cut positions without layoffs:
- Agencies may conduct layoffs through a “buyout”—formally known as Voluntary Separation Incentive Payments (VSIP)—by offering permanent employees a lump-sum payment to resign or retire. VSIPs allow agencies to avoid cumbersome and often expensive RIF actions.
- Agencies may offer qualifying employees early retirement under a Voluntary Early Retirement Authority (VERA). This mechanism allows federal employees to retire at age 50 with 20 years of service or at any age with 25 years rather than the standard combinations of age and years of service.
- Agencies may avoid a RIF action by reassigning employees whose position is terminated to a vacant position at the same grade or pay, which may be in the same or in a different classification series, line of work, and/or geographic location.
- Agencies may offer employees the option to voluntarily accept a new position at a lower grade instead of being separated, though they must do this before implementing a related RIF.