As federal employees return to the office after the historic federal government shutdown, they should expect to receive full backpay and benefits. Although some employees may have already received backpay, the Administration says that most federal employees should receive backpay on November 19, 2025.
OPM has issued a guidance on employee pay, leave, and benefits impacted by the lapse in appropriations. Excepted employees be paid at their standard rate of pay, which is the pay the employee would have been entitled to for actual hours of work had the shutdown not occurred. If an excepted employee normally worked overtime beyond the normal requirements of their job, they will be paid for that actual overtime to the extent that the employee is eligible for it.
Employees who would have been in an advanced annual leave and/or advanced sick leave status will receive backpay and will not be charged for paid leave that they were planning to take. Employees who were scheduled to be in a non-pay status such as Leave Without Pay (LWOP), Absent Without Leave (AWOL), or extended Suspension status, are not entitled to backpay. Employees with use or lose annual leave should schedule the entirety of the leave prior to November 29, 2025, and any leave must be used by January 10, 2026. Agencies are, however, given the leeway to issue a memo that restores annual leave for all employees whose leave was forfeited because of a specific exigency of the public business as long as the leave was scheduled by November 29, 2025.
Employees who would have been in an advanced annual leave and/or advanced sick leave status will receive backpay and will not be charged for paid leave that they were planning to take. Employees who were scheduled to be in a non-pay status such as Leave Without Pay (LWOP), Absent Without Leave (AWOL), or extended Suspension status, are not entitled to backpay. Employees with use or lose annual leave should schedule the entirety of the leave prior to November 29, 2025, and any leave must be used by January 10, 2026. Agencies are, however, given the leeway to issue a memo that restores annual leave for all employees whose leave was forfeited because of a specific exigency of the public business as long as the leave was scheduled by November 29, 2025.
All hours for which retroactive pay is granted are treated the same as time in a pay status for the purpose of calculating pay, leave and benefits. In addition, because the furloughed employees are considered to have been in a pay status for the full period of the shutdown, they will accrue annual and sick leave for this time period. For more information regarding other payment scenarios, federal employees should consult with their Agencies as well as review the OPM Guidance.