How much do federal employees contribute to health insurance premiums?
Executive summary
Federal employees generally pay the remainder of their Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) premium after the government’s contribution, which is set at either 72% of the program-wide weighted average or 75% of the total premium for the specific plan selected—whichever is less—meaning employees typically cover roughly 25–28% of the premium but can bear far more for high-cost plans [1] [2].
1. How the government share is calculated and what that means for employee contributions
The Office of Personnel Management sets the government contribution each year as either 72% of the weighted average premium for an enrollment type or 75% of the premium for the plan an employee selects, whichever results in a smaller government payout; employees therefore pay “the remainder,” so an enrollee in a plan receiving the full 75% government share would pay 25% of that plan’s premium, while employees in plans priced above the weighted average can see the government share fall toward the 72% cap [1] [2].
2. Typical dollar examples for 2026 and how to translate percent into paycheck impact
For 2026 OPM published biweekly program-wide weighted-average premiums of $451.05 for Self Only, $987.73 for Self Plus One, and $1,080.60 for Self and Family, with the 72% biweekly government contribution equal to $324.76 (Self Only), $711.17 (Self Plus One) and $778.03 (Self and Family); employees therefore pay the difference between those figures and the total premium for their selected plan, not a fixed nominal amount [3].
3. Why employee shares are rising and what that implies for the “how much” question
Employee contributions are increasing because plan premiums rose sharply: for 2026 enrollees will pay on average 12.3% more toward FEHB premiums compared with the prior year, driven by factors OPM and reporters cite including an aging federal workforce, growing chronic-condition treatment and higher prescription drug utilization such as GLP‑1 medications; that percentage rise means the employee-dollar amount withheld from paychecks is increasing even if the government percentage rule (72%/75%) remains the same [4] [1] [5].
4. Variation matters — not all federal workers pay the same share
Plan-by-plan and region-by-region differences are material: many lower‑cost plans receive the full 75% government contribution (66 of 132 self-only options in 2026 received the maximum), but some high-cost options have a much lower government contribution—OPM examples and independent analysis show cases where the government’s share covers as little as 27% of a plan’s premium, which would leave the enrollee paying roughly 73% of that plan’s cost [2].
5. Practical takeaway and reporting caveats
The short, actionable answer is: there is no single dollar amount—federal employees pay the premium remainder after the government covers either 72% of the weighted average or 75% of a chosen plan (so typically roughly 25–28% of standard plans), but the actual employee share varies by plan, enrollment type, and geography and is rising [1] [3] [2]; reporting focuses rightly on average percentage increases (12.3% for 2026), but readers should consult OPM’s published premium tables and their plan brochures for exact biweekly or monthly employee-dollar amounts because those specifics are not uniform across plans [3] [6].