FEHB for new hires: your first 60 days
You have 60 days to elect health, dental, vision and life. Miss the window and most of it waits for Open Season, while the life insurance options need a medical exam.
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The clock starts on day one
Most federal benefit elections run on a 60-day window from the date you become eligible, which for most new hires is your first day. Some of what you miss can be picked up at Open Season in November. Some cannot be picked up at all without a medical exam.
Nobody chases you. The window closes quietly.
Health, dental and vision
- FEHB: 60 days to enrol, through your agency's benefits system. Miss it and the next chance is Open Season or a qualifying life event.
- FEDVIP: 60 days, through BENEFEDS. Separate system, separate login, no government contribution.
- Postal employees: your programme is PSHB, not FEHB, with its own plans and premiums.
Pick the enrollment type deliberately. If you are covering exactly one other person, check both Self Plus One and Self and Family, because in some plans the family rate is cheaper.
Life insurance, and why it is urgent
FEGLI Basic starts automatically unless you waive it. The three options do not: you have 60 days to elect them, and during that window there are no medical questions at all.
After 60 days, adding an option needs a qualifying life event or a medical exam on form SF 2822 at your own cost. For anyone whose health might make private cover expensive, this is the most valuable deadline in the whole onboarding pile.
Price the FEGLI options firstWhat each election costs now, and in every age band ahead.Flexible spending
FSAFEDS also runs on a 60-day new-hire window, with a cut-off late in the year: enrol too close to December and there is no plan year left to spend it in. If you join in the autumn, it is usually simpler to elect for the following year during Open Season instead.
When coverage starts
FEHB coverage for a new hire takes effect at the start of the first full pay period after your enrolment is received, not the day you sign. Expect a gap of a week or two, and do not schedule anything expensive into it.
FEGLI Basic, by contrast, is in force from your first day in pay and duty status.
What to do in what order
- Week one: confirm you can log into your agency's benefits system, BENEFEDS and FSAFEDS.
- Week one: file your beneficiary forms. FEGLI uses SF 2823 and the TSP uses TSP-3, and each overrides your will.
- Weeks one to three: choose your FEHB plan, checking your doctors and prescriptions rather than the premium alone.
- Weeks one to six: decide on FEGLI options while no medical questions are asked.
- Before day 60: submit everything and save the confirmations.
Common questions
How long do I have to enrol in FEHB as a new hire?
60 days from the date you become eligible, which is normally your first day. After that, the next chance is Open Season or a qualifying life event.
Is FEGLI automatic?
Basic is automatic unless you waive it. Options A, B and C are not, and you have 60 days to elect them without any medical questions.
When does my health coverage actually start?
At the beginning of the first full pay period after your enrolment is received, so usually a week or two after you sign up.
What if I miss the 60 days?
FEHB and FEDVIP wait for Open Season. FEGLI options need a qualifying life event or a medical exam using form SF 2822.
Do I enrol in dental through the same system as health?
No. FEDVIP enrolment goes through BENEFEDS, separately from your FEHB election.
Should I enrol in FSAFEDS right away?
Only if enough of the plan year is left to use it. Joining late in the year, it is usually better to elect for the following year during Open Season.
Sources
- OPM — eligibility and enrollment changes
- OPM — FEGLI program information
- FSAFEDS — enrollment, limits and rules
- BENEFEDS — FEDVIP enrollment
Enrollment windows checked against OPM guidance on September 25, 2026. Your agency's HR office confirms the exact systems and dates that apply to you.