Capitol Police officers get a wider retirement window

Public Law 119-95, approved May 29, 2026, changes when members of the Capitol Police can retire. Instead of leaving automatically at age 60, officers will now retire at an age chosen by the Capitol Police Board, so long as it falls between 57 and 62.

The law applies to Capitol Police members covered by both the Civil Service Retirement System and the Federal Employees’ Retirement System. In other words, the old age-60 trigger is gone from both parts of title 5, the federal retirement code.

A wider exit window

The change rewrites the retirement language in sections 8335(c) and 8425(c) of title 5. Where the statute once said an officer retired when he or she became 60 years old, it now says retirement happens at an age determined by the Board, within the 57-to-62 range.

That gives the force more control over retirement timing instead of tying every officer to the same birthday cutoff.

Why it matters on the force

For Capitol Police officers, the law changes when a career can end. For the department, it creates more flexibility in managing staffing and keeping experienced officers longer if leaders choose to do that.

The practical effect is simple: retirement no longer turns on a single fixed age. It will depend on the standard the Board sets within the new legal bounds.