2026 RS Plan Interest Rates Announcement Delayed

The interest rates slated for release in mid-October that will be used for 2026 Retirement Security (RS) Plan single cash payments have been delayed due to furloughs of Internal Revenue Service (IRS) staff impacted by the current federal government closure.

Additionally, the Bureau of Labor Statistics has delayed their release of the September Consumer Price Index (CPI-W) data to October 24. This data is used to determine cost-of-living-adjustments for Social Security benefits. It is unclear when the bureau will release the CPI-U data, which is used to determine adjustments to plan limits like the 401(a)(17) limit on compensation allowed to be used for qualified plans, and the 415-dollar limit which is used to determine the limit on benefits payable from a qualified plan, as well as the RS Plan’s 2026 CPI increases.

Upon the release of interest rates, NRECA staff will begin work to implement rates in our systems. Once that process is complete and 2026 rates are available for benefit estimate calculations, alerts will be placed on the NRECA Employee Benefits website and a Priority Alert message sent to co-ops via email.