A deposit labeled OPM1 TREAS 310 on your bank statement is a federal civil service retirement payment. It comes from the Office of Personnel Management and is disbursed by the U.S. Treasury through the Automated Clearing House network. In practice, that means a monthly annuity paid to a retired federal civilian employee or to the survivor of one.
Breaking the label apart: “OPM” is the Office of Personnel Management, the agency that administers civilian federal retirement. The “1” is a sub-code for the payment type, a civil service annuity. “TREAS” identifies the Treasury as the disbursing agency. “310” is the ACH transaction code for an electronic deposit. You may also see trailing text such as “XXCIV SERV,” which refers to civil service. Other federal payments follow the same pattern with different prefixes, like IRS TREAS 310 for tax refunds and SSA TREAS 310 for Social Security.
Who Gets Paid Under This Code
OPM1 TREAS 310 deposits go to retired federal civilian employees enrolled in either the Civil Service Retirement System (CSRS) or the Federal Employees Retirement System (FERS). Both systems require at least five years of creditable civilian service to draw an annuity.1U.S. Office of Personnel Management. FERS Information – Eligibility2U.S. Office of Personnel Management. CSRS Information – Eligibility
Surviving spouses, former spouses, and dependent children of deceased federal employees can also receive payments under the same code. A surviving spouse generally qualifies for a survivor annuity if the marriage lasted at least nine months before the employee’s death, if a child was born of the marriage, or if the death was accidental.3eCFR. 5 CFR Part 843 Subpart C – Current and Former Spouse Benefits
Three payment types share this label:
- The regular monthly retirement annuity paid to the former federal employee.
- A survivor annuity paid to an eligible spouse, former spouse, or child. Under FERS the survivor annuity is typically 50% of what the retiree’s annuity would have been.3eCFR. 5 CFR Part 843 Subpart C – Current and Former Spouse Benefits
- Interim payments of roughly 60% to 80% of the estimated net annuity, paid while OPM finishes processing a retirement application, followed by a one-time adjustment payment once the final annuity is calculated.4OPM.gov. OPM Guide to Federal Retirement Processing
When the Deposit Arrives
OPM pays annuities on the first business day of each month for the prior month’s benefit. Your May annuity, for example, posts on the first business day of June.5U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Annuity Payments When the first falls on a weekend or federal holiday, the deposit shifts to the next business day. Interim payments follow the same schedule.
Why the Amount May Not Match What You Expected
The number that lands in your account is your net annuity, not your gross. Before the deposit goes out, OPM subtracts federal income tax withholding, health insurance premiums under the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program, and life insurance premiums under the Federal Employees’ Group Life Insurance (FEGLI) program. Insurance premium withholding starts once OPM finishes processing the retirement application, and the first deduction is retroactive to the annuity start date.5U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Annuity Payments That retroactive catch-up can make one or two early payments noticeably smaller than expected.
Voluntary allotments also come out before the deposit hits, such as automatic transfers to a savings account or dues for organizations like NARFE. A savings or checking allotment must be at least $50, and your net annuity has to stay at $100 or more after all deductions.5U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Annuity Payments
Each January, OPM applies the annual cost-of-living adjustment, so a January deposit is usually the first to show the increase.6U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Learn More About Cost-of-Living Adjustments (COLA) For a full breakdown of gross annuity, deductions, and net payment, log in to OPM’s Services Online portal at servicesonline.opm.gov and pull your most recent annuity statement.
Debt Collection Can Cut the Payment
If your deposit is smaller than usual and none of your deductions changed, it may have been reduced through the Treasury Offset Program. That program allows the government to withhold up to 25% of your annuity to satisfy outstanding federal debts, including delinquent student loans, unpaid taxes, and child support obligations.7Bureau of the Fiscal Service. TOP Legal Authorities Quick Reference When an offset is applied, the Bureau of the Fiscal Service sends a notice identifying the debt and the creditor agency.
OPM can also recover overpayments if you were paid more than you were owed. Before collecting, OPM has to send written notice explaining the debt amount, the repayment schedule, and your rights. You then have 30 calendar days to request reconsideration, a waiver, or a compromise, and filing on time pauses collection while OPM reviews the case.8eCFR. 5 CFR Part 845 – Federal Employees Retirement System Debt Collection A waiver may be granted if you were not at fault and repayment would cause financial hardship or otherwise be unfair, though waivers are not available for overpayments caused by fraud or paid to an estate.9eCFR. 5 CFR Part 845 Subpart C – Standards for Waiver of Overpayments
If You Don’t Recognize the Deposit
If you never worked for the federal government, aren’t the survivor of a federal employee, and see OPM1 TREAS 310 on your statement anyway, treat the deposit as almost certainly an error. Treasury may have routed a payment to the wrong account, or a bank processing issue may have misdirected funds.
Do not spend the money. Contact your bank right away and tell them you received an unrecognized federal payment. The bank can coordinate with Treasury to return it. You can also reach OPM’s Retirement Operations Center directly. Keeping funds you weren’t owed creates a debt to the federal government that Treasury will eventually reclaim.
Reporting a Missing or Wrong Payment
If a scheduled deposit doesn’t show up, start with your bank, since processing delays there are the most common cause. If the deposit still hasn’t posted after a couple of business days, report it to OPM online through the retirement services page or by writing to the Retirement Operations Center at P.O. Box 45, Boyers, PA 16017. You’ll need your seven-digit claim number: a CSA number if you’re a retiree, a CSF number if you’re a survivor. OPM typically responds within 3 to 5 business days for online reports and 1 to 3 weeks for mailed inquiries.10U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Report a Missing Annuity Payment Repeated phone calls while a report is being researched slow the process down.
If the deposit posted but the amount looks wrong, pull your annuity statement from Services Online before assuming there’s an error. The statement lays out your gross annuity, each deduction, and your net payment, and the discrepancy is usually visible there, whether it’s a new insurance premium, a tax withholding change, a retroactive adjustment, or an offset.5U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Annuity Payments To change how much federal tax is withheld from future payments, update your withholding through Services Online or by calling 1-888-767-6738; changes submitted early in the month are typically reflected in the next month’s payment.11U.S. Office of Personnel Management. How Do I Change My Voluntary Withholdings