This article has been updated.
The record-breaking 43-day government shutdown has come to an end after the House passed legislation on Wednesday night and President Trump signed it into law shortly thereafter.
The legislation funds the government through January 30, 2026. The Department of Veterans Affairs, Department of Agriculture, Food and Drug Administration, and the legislative branch will receive full-year appropriations.
Additionally, the bill ensures that federal employees laid off via reduction in force (RIF) since the shutdown began are reinstated, and additional RIFs are prohibited through January 30, 2026.
Agencies that issued RIF notices between October 1, 2025 and November 12, 2025 must issue notices to rescind the RIF notices within 5 days. The notice to employees must include information on the amount of retroactive pay the employee will receive, which must equal the pay to which the employee would have otherwise been entitled but for the now canceled RIF.
Back pay for federal employees is also ensured per the provisions of the legislation. This was included because the Trump administration indicated that back pay might not be guaranteed at one point during the shutdown.
Because the bulk of the government’s funding in the bill only goes until January 31, there could be another shutdown at that time if Congress fails to enact more comprehensive appropriations before then.
When Will Federal Employees Get Back Pay?
OPM said in guidance issued on Wednesday, “The U.S. Office of Personnel Management (OPM) is committed to ensuring that retroactive pay is provided as soon as possible. As a result, we appreciate the support of all human resources offices, payroll providers, and shared service centers in working towards this goal.”
Federal employees are guaranteed back pay under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (S. 24), a 2019 law that requires federal employees who are furloughed or required to work during a lapse in appropriations resulting from a government shutdown to be compensated for the period of the lapse.
According to guidance from the Office of Personnel Management (OPM), back pay will be provided as soon as possible to employees who were furloughed. It states, “Retroactive pay will be provided on the earliest date possible after the lapse ends, regardless of scheduled pay dates. (See 31 U.S.C. 1341(c)(2).) If retroactive pay cannot be provided by the normal pay date for the given pay period, it will be provided as soon as possible thereafter.”
The same is true for federal employees who had to work during the shutdown. OPM’s guidance states that these employees will receive pay for the time they worked during the shutdown. It also adds, “If the retroactive pay cannot be provided on the normal pay date for the given pay period, it must be provided at the earliest date possible after the lapse ends.”
In practical terms, this means federal employees should be paid within days rather than weeks. AFGE Policy Director Jacqueline Simon told The Hill that back pay has typically come within “a couple of days” after a shutdown ends.
However, when back pay is ultimately distributed varies by agency. Fox 5 DC has published a list of some agencies and the dates on which they plan to provide back pay to their employees. All are within the next few days.
Federal Employee Benefits
Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) Program
The good news for federal employees regarding the Federal Employees Health Benefits (FEHB) program is that coverage continues during a government shutdown, and agencies continue to process FEHB transactions as well.
Open Season began this week, and that continues during a shutdown also, so federal employees can enroll or make changes to their benefits even during a partial government shutdown.
OPM said that it is not changing the dates for Open Season because of the shutdown, but that it “will provide notice should it determine that modifications to Open Season dates are necessary.”
One thing federal employees should budget and plan for is a possible one time lump sum deduction of premiums from their accumulated back pay to compensate for the interrupted benefits deductions.
Once the government shutdown ends, federal employees will automatically begin to repay their share of FEHB premiums that accumulated during the lapse in appropriations through payroll withholding. If FEHB premiums are not withheld from retroactive pay, one additional payment in addition to the current pay period amount will be withheld in each subsequent pay period until the employee’s accumulated share of premiums have been paid.
Federal Employees Dental and Vision Insurance Program (FEDVIP)
Coverage for FEDVIP continues during a goverment shutdown. Once the shutdown concludes, accumulated FEDVIP premiums will be withheld from federal employees’ retroactive pay. If FEDVIP premiums are not withheld from retroactive pay, no more than one additional payment will be withheld in each subsequent pay period until all premiums have been paid.
FSAFEDS
Payroll deductions for FSAFEDS stop during non-pay status, and claims for eligible expenses will be reimbursed upon return to pay status after the shutdown ends. Dependent care expenses incurred during non-pay status may be reimbursed up to the account balance.
FLTCIP
Federal Long Term Care Insurance Program (FLTCIP) coverage does not stop during a government shutdown. Premiums will be paid from retroactive pay after the shutdown concludes, or they can be paid back from another source (i.e., automatic bank withdrawal) for FLTCIP enrollees who elected to make payments directly to the Carrier.
If missed premium payments cannot be collected through automatic bank withdrawals or payroll deductions, enrollees will be billed directly for the due premium amount.
After the shutdown, if an enrollee had opted for automatic bank withdrawals, past-due premiums will be collected by withdrawing up to two months of premiums from his or her bank account each month until they are current.
Thrift Savings Plan (TSP)
Because federal employees are not getting pay during a government shutdown, TSP contributions stop, and for federal employees under FERS, agency matching contributions stop as well. TSP contributions will resume automatically once the shutdown ends and pay resumes.
Federal employees who have loans are kept in good standing during the shutdown, even if the TSP is not receiving repayments during the shutdown.
