In light of the government shutdown, below please find some information and resources below. Mention in this list does not imply any endorsement by NTEU or your chapter leadership.
Individual Resources
- Federal credit unions provide interest-free loans during government shutdowns.
- Furloughed employees are often eligible for unemployment insurance in their state. Though, this must be repaid when the employee receives back-pay. Unfortunately, exempted staff are typically not eligible.
- For those who are in need, and those who are able to donate (tax-deductibly), the Community Services Agency of the Metro Washington Labor Council has a Federal Worker Solidarity Fund.
- The Federal Employee Education and Assistance Fund is offering micro-grants of $150 to support federal employees impacted by a shutdown, covering essentials like groceries, gas, diapers, and other basic necessities. More information is available here.
- Some credit card providers including Chase and American Express are reportedly allowing some customers to waive interest on their credit cards during the shutdown.
Regional
- Maryland shutdown resources page
- Arlington, Virginia shutdown resources page
- Georgia blog post on unemployment benefits
Information
- NTEU has a Shutdown Resources and Information page that will be updated over time and contains, among other things, FAQs about shutdowns.
- OPM has published Guidance for Shutdown Furloughs, which includes FAQs and rules for the agency employees.
- Federal employees must be paid backpay after a shutdown as mandated by the Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019.
- Federal employees keep their healthcare under the Federal Employees Health Benefits Program during a shutdown.
- Federal employees can take out TSP loans during a shutdown and then pay themselves back after the shutdown ends.
Other Resource Lists
- Civil Servants Coalition, a loosely affiliated group of Federal Workers from across the government, put together a helpful crowdsourced spreadsheet of resources.
- Members have been sharing discounts and other offers in the promotions channel of the union chat.
- NTEU has a list of emergency resources on their shutdown page.
- FedFam has a helpful guide for applying for unemployment in each state.
Filing for Unemployment
Eligibility
Furloughed federal employees are eligible to apply for unemployment in the state where they last worked. Excepted employees (still working without pay) are not eligible until actually furloughed.
When to File
You can file as soon as the furlough begins. Benefits typically start the week you file, not retroactively, so apply early.
Required Documents
- SF-8 (Notice to Federal Employee About Unemployment Compensation)
- SF-50 or a recent pay stub
- ID and bank info for direct deposit
You can file even if your SF-8 hasn’t arrived yet.
Back Pay & Repayment
When you receive back pay, you’ll need to repay unemployment benefits for that period. States usually handle this automatically with your agency.
Weekly Certification
Depending on your state, you must file weekly or biweekly claims to keep receiving benefits. Missing certifications may stop payments.
Taxes
Unemployment benefits are taxable. You can choose to have federal tax withheld when applying.
Where to File
File in the state of your duty station, not your residence (unless the same). For overseas employees, file through Washington, DC.
States with an FTC Office
Union leadership and members have checked with most of the states where the FTC has an office to ensure that job search requirements don’t apply to furloughed federal employees. They generally do not apply, but it’s a good idea to call and check. Please report back if you do!
- California: job search requirement waived (phone)
- District of Columbia: job search requirement waived (written)
- Georgia: search requirement waived for first six weeks (written)
- Illinois: job search requirement waived (phone)
- New York
- Ohio: job search requirement not waived (written)
- Texas
- Washington: job search requirements waived (written)
All States
AL AK AZ AR CA CO CT DE DC FL GA HI ID IL IN IA KS KY LA ME MD MA MI MN MS MO MT NE NV NH NJ NM NY NC ND OH OK OR PA RI SC SD TN TX UT VT VA WA WV WI WY