Federal Job Probation Doubles to Two Years for New Hires: Job Security Protections Delayed.

The newly proposed Ensuring a Qualified Civil Service Act of 2025—the EQUALS Act—is set to fundamentally change the job security timeline for thousands of new federal employees. If you’re planning on joining the competitive service, the standard probationary period is jumping from what was typically one year to a full two years before your appointment becomes final. This means agencies get twice as long to decide if you’re a good fit before you gain full civil service protections. This extension also applies to new hires in the excepted service, where a two-year trial period is now the default.

The Two-Year Tryout: Who Gets the Extra Scrutiny?

This change isn't universal, and that’s where the policy gets interesting. For new hires who are veterans—known as “preference eligibles”—the probationary period remains just one year (Sec. 2). For everyone else, the clock doubles. This means if you’re a recent grad, a mid-career professional, or someone transitioning from the private sector without veteran status, you’ll be working under the shadow of potential termination for twice as long. The bill even applies these new, longer trial periods to personnel at the FAA and TSA, ensuring the new tenure rules ripple out across key government functions (Sec. 4).

The 'Public Interest' Hurdle

Passing probation under the EQUALS Act isn't just about showing up and doing your job well. Before an agency can make your appointment final, the agency head must certify to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that keeping you actually “advances the public interest” (Sec. 2). This is a big deal because it gives agency leadership significant discretion. While performance and conduct are factors, that 'public interest' standard is subjective. If an agency wants to let someone go near the end of the two years, they can use this broad standard, which makes it harder to fight a termination during that extended probationary window. Imagine working for 23 months, thinking you’ve made it, only to be told you don't meet an undefined 'public interest' standard.

Delayed Protections Against Adverse Actions

Perhaps the most significant impact for the non-veteran workforce is the change to when job security protections kick in. Currently, many federal employees gain the right to appeal adverse actions—like suspension or removal—after one year of continuous service. The EQUALS Act extends this requirement to two years for non-preference eligible employees (Sec. 5). This means for two full years, non-veteran employees can be disciplined or fired for performance issues with limited recourse. This creates a stark difference in job security timelines: a veteran achieves full job protection after one year, while a non-veteran in the cubicle next door has to wait twice as long for the same rights. For the busy professional, this means two years of uncertainty before feeling truly secure in their federal career.

The Fine Print: What Needs to Happen Next

Agencies need to get their act together fast. Supervisors must be given reminders at multiple checkpoints (1 year, 6 months, 3 months, and 30 days) before an employee's probation ends (Sec. 2). The OPM also has a tight deadline—180 days after the bill becomes law—to write the detailed regulations that will govern this entire system (Sec. 6). These changes are slated to take effect one year after the bill is signed, applying only to new hires on or after that date. If you’re already serving your probation, you’re safe under the old rules. But if you’re applying next year, prepare for the two-year tryout.