A federal worker with family coverage will pay about $328.15 every two weeks in 2027 toward the Federal Employees Health Benefits program, the Office of Personnel Management’s new premium table shows. The program-wide average for Self and Family coverage is $1,171.97 per biweekly pay period, and the government covers $843.82 of it.

The worker’s share is the gap between those two numbers. OPM does not print it separately, but $1,171.97 minus $843.82 leaves $328.15. For a family plan, that is the weighted average across all plans, so a worker who picks a cheaper or pricier plan will pay less or more. Federal employees and retirees deciding on a plan for next year are the people who need the figure, because it works out to roughly one deduction per paycheck for employees paid every two weeks.

The next date that matters is the start of the 2027 Open Season on November 9, which runs through December 14, 2026.

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The 2027 premium table

OPM’s table lists weighted-average biweekly premiums for enrollments that receive a government contribution. For 2027 the figures are:

• Self Only: $488.95 total, with the government paying $352.04, which leaves $136.91 for the enrollee
• Self Plus One: $1,066.02 total, with the government paying $767.53, which leaves $298.49
• Self and Family: $1,171.97 total, with the government paying $843.82, which leaves $328.15

Those enrollee amounts are the differences between the two figures OPM publishes on its premiums page. Over a 26-paycheck year, $328.15 a pay period comes to about $8,532 for a family plan at the average.

What the three tiers cost over a year

Stretched across 26 biweekly pay periods, the averages add up. Self Only at $136.91 a pay period is about $3,560 a year. Self Plus One at $298.49 is about $7,761. Self and Family at $328.15 is about $8,532. The jump from Self Plus One to Self and Family is only $29.66 a pay period, which is why adding a second child or a spouse’s dependents to a plan often costs far less than the step up from Self Only.

How the government share is set

OPM says the biweekly maximum government contribution for most employees and annuitants is 72 percent of the weighted average premium. The $843.82 is that share of $1,171.97. The same formula produces the $352.04 for Self Only and the $767.53 for Self Plus One.

It is a maximum. If a worker picks a plan priced below the average, the government’s share can be lower than the table’s figure, and if a plan costs more, the worker covers the difference above it. That is why the $328 should be read as a benchmark and not as a bill.

An average is not a plan’s price

The weighted average sits across every carrier and option in the program. OPM’s 2027 Open Season highlights say there are 118 FEHB options from 45 carriers for plan year 2027. A national fee-for-service plan, an HMO available only in one region and a high-deductible option can each carry a very different premium, and the individual rate is what shows up on a pay stub.

The same highlights say people with a health care flexible spending account through FSAFEDS must re-enroll for 2027 and will get a new FSAFEDS card. That matters for anyone counting on pre-tax dollars to cover costs on top of the premium.

Open Season dates

The 2027 Open Season runs from November 9 to December 14, 2026, according to the OPM Open Season page, which sets a hard cutoff of 11:59 pm on December 14.

Comparing 2027 plans on biweekly cost before December 14

The official route is OPM’s Open Season page, which links to each plan’s brochure and rates. Start with the enrollment type, since Self Only, Self Plus One and Self and Family are priced separately, and compare the biweekly figure for the plan currently held against the same line for the alternatives.

Look past the premium. A plan with a $50 lower biweekly rate saves $1,300 over 26 pay periods, but a higher deductible or different network can cost that and more in a bad year. Check the doctors and drugs the household actually uses against each brochure, then decide.

Retirees on the program compare the same table. OPM says the 72 percent formula applies to most employees and annuitants, so a federal retiree who keeps coverage into 2027 is looking at the same weighted averages before choosing a plan.

Keep the cutoff in mind. The change has to be made by 11:59 pm on December 14, 2026, and OPM’s $1,171.97 and $843.82 are the figures to measure any plan’s quoted rate against.

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This article was produced with AI assistance and edited for accuracy against the sources linked above.