2026 active-employee plans
FEHB plan comparison tool
Match plans to your location, compare exact employee premiums, and inspect OPM benefit terms side by side—without hiding the differences inside a black-box score.
OPM-derived 2026 snapshot
Checked 2026-07-22 · 132 plan options · 396 enrollment codes
Geographic match only—not enrollment eligibility. The official plan brochure controls.
USPS/PSHB, annuitant, TCC, former-spouse, and overseas matching are outside this tool.
Use OPM's official comparison3. Select two or three options
Plan catalog
Select a complete location to reveal geographic matches.
Start with a state and service area
The catalog stays closed until the location is specific enough to apply OPM's geography rules.
4. Inspect the evidence
Selected-plan comparison
Published values remain verbatim. A “lowest shown” marker describes only that row—not the best plan.
Select at least two geographic matches
Premium, risk, benefit, and known-copay ledgers will appear here.
Your entries and comparisons stay in this browser. FedUp.work does not transmit or store the location, plan, or care-use values you enter.
Comparison method
Exact where OPM is exact; visibly unresolved where it is not
The page turns four public workbooks into a local comparison, but it keeps OPM's limits and the brochure's authority visible.
- 01
Match the official service area
Choose a state and county, then add a ZIP when a plan covers only part of that county. The matcher applies OPM's nationwide, statewide, countywide and explicit-ZIP rules in that order.
- 02
Keep published values intact
Premiums are annualized in cents. Deductibles, out-of-pocket limits, copays, coinsurance, additional details and prior-authorization flags stay visible instead of being compressed into one score.
- 03
Verify the brochure and network
The OPM public-use files support a strong comparison, but the plan brochure is the official statement of benefits. Confirm who may enroll, providers, prescriptions and case-specific coverage before choosing.
No manufactured answer
A useful comparison is not the same as a best-plan recommendation
Premium, deductible and out-of-pocket maximum describe different parts of a plan. None of them can tell us whether your doctors are in network, a prescription is covered, or a plan's enrollment restrictions apply to you.
That is why the matrix marks the lowest displayed row without rolling unlike facts into a score. Geography is a match signal, not a finding that you are eligible to enroll.
Never silently priced
- Coinsurance and provider-specific allowed amounts
- Deductible sequencing, embedded family rules or balance billing
- Conditional, combined or unclear OPM benefit text
- Drug formulary placement and pharmacy price
- Eligibility, prior authorization or claims outcomes
- Medicare coordination, PSHB or annuitant premiums
A counterintuitive rate check
Self Plus One is not always the cheaper family tier
OPM tells enrollees to compare Self Plus One with Self and Family. Some 2026 plan options charge the employee more for Self Plus One. The tool checks the two rates for each selected option and shows the exact pay-period and annual difference when that happens.
It is a pricing notice, not a coverage or enrollment recommendation. Confirm who must be covered and the official enrollment code before changing tiers.
Official 2026 example
Aetna HDHP enrollment codes 226 and 225
- Self Plus One
- $325.85
- per pay period
- Self and Family
- $279.69
- per pay period
Self Plus One is $1,200.16 higher over 26 pay periods in this example.
Source posture
Canonical files, reviewed local transform
OPM publishes the plan key, rates, benefits and service-area workbooks. FedUp.work normalizes those files into a versioned local snapshot; it does not call an undocumented OPM endpoint while you compare plans.
OPM says public-use files may be amended and are not guaranteed 100% accurate. FedUp.work is responsible for this transformed display. The linked brochure is the official statement of benefits.
FEHB comparison FAQ
Questions before you compare
What does this FEHB plan comparison tool calculate?
It matches 2026 FEHB plan options to the state, county and ZIP information you provide, then compares the active-employee premium for your enrollment tier, deductible, medical-account contribution, net deductible, out-of-pocket maximum and selected OPM benefit fields. You can compare two or three plans at a time.
Does the tool tell me which FEHB plan is best?
No. It identifies lower values only within a displayed comparison row and never creates a composite score. Provider participation, prescriptions, expected care, Medicare, eligibility restrictions and personal risk preferences can matter more than a single premium or deductible figure.
Why do I need to enter both county and ZIP?
OPM's service-area file includes countywide coverage and some partial-county areas defined by an explicit list of ZIP codes. Asking for both avoids relying on an inferred ZIP-to-county crosswalk. ZIP is optional unless you want partial-county plans to match.
Are the annual premiums exact?
The employee premium is taken from OPM's 2026 active biweekly rate file and multiplied by 26 using integer cents. The monthly figure is an average annual amount divided by 12, not a payroll deduction. Your earnings statement and official enrollment materials control.
What is the known-copay subtotal?
It is a narrow illustration that multiplies your visit or fill counts by a clean fixed copay published in the OPM file. Coinsurance, combined charges and unclear terms stay unpriced. The subtotal is not an estimate of total annual healthcare spending and does not model deductibles, allowed amounts or claims.
Can Self Plus One cost more than Self and Family?
Yes. OPM specifically advises enrollees to compare those premiums because Self Plus One can be higher for some plan options. This tool flags that situation using the exact employee rates for the same option without recommending a tier.
Does this include Postal Service Health Benefits plans?
No. This page is limited to active, non-Postal FEHB plan data. USPS employees and annuitants should use the official PSHB comparison resources. FEHB annuitant, TCC and former-spouse rate lanes are also outside this version.
Is FedUp.work affiliated with OPM or Consumers' Checkbook?
No. FedUp.work independently transforms OPM's public-use files for this comparison and is responsible for that transformation. The page links back to OPM's official comparison tool, source files and plan brochures for verification.
Planning a move beyond government?
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