Democrats and Republicans still haven’t found a compromise
Eight days into the government shutdown, Democrats and Republicans appear no closer to a deal.
Federal employees should expect their paychecks to be reduced on Friday, October 10th, the first payday since the partial government shutdown began on October 1st.
Federal employees will not be paid during the government shutdown, but the upcoming payday will cover a portion of the days at the end of September before the funding allocation expires.
This means they will be paid according to their regular pay schedule, but only for hours worked before the funds expire.
Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are deemed non-essential and will be furloughed or not working at all during the government shutdown. Those deemed essential, such as military personnel, are working during the shutdown but are not being paid.
If Congress agrees to appropriate the funds and end the government shutdown, federal workers should be paid as usual. However, when that will happen remains to be seen.
Here’s what you need to know:
Will civil servants get paid on October 10th?
Yes, federal employees will receive their paycheck on the next scheduled payday, Friday, October 10th. However, it does not fully cover two weeks’ worth of wages.
The Oct. 10 checks will be eligible for work done between Sept. 21 and Oct. 4, which includes the first three days of the shutdown, according to government payroll records.
This means employees should expect to be paid to cover hours worked from September 21st to October 1st.
Will government workers receive back pay once the government shutdown ends?
According to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management, all federal employees will receive “retroactive pay” after the shutdown ends for time logged during the shutdown.
For the next pay period, from Oct. 5 to Oct. 18, essential employees who work during the shutdown will need to continue documenting their hours, according to special instructions from the agency’s payroll provider, OPM said.
The Public Employees Fair Treatment Act of 2019, passed during the last government shutdown, says federal employees who are furloughed while federal funding lapses “will be paid their wages for the period of lapse.”
But President Donald Trump said on Oct. 7 that some furloughed federal workers “will not be eligible” to receive pay once the government shutdown ends.
“For the most part, we’re going to take care of our own people. There are some people who really don’t deserve to be taken care of. We’re going to take care of them in other ways,” Trump said.
See civil servant pay slips
The current pay period runs from Oct. 5 to Oct. 18, according to the U.S. Government Services Administration.
After that, timecard verification will be required between October 20th and 21st, and electronic funds will be transferred on October 24th.
Please see below for October’s schedule.
Melina Khan is USA TODAY’s national trends reporter. Contact her at melina.khan@usatoday.com.
Contributors: Joey Garrison and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY. Reuters
