The state Employment Security Department is ready to help federal government workers affected by the partial federal government shutdown that began today.
Washington state has 79,532 federal workers with total wages of $2 billion, as of the first quarter of 2025. Find state and county data on federal workers by downloading the Q1 2025 preliminary data file on the covered employment page on the Employment Security website.
Unemployment eligibility criteria for federal employees
During a federal government shutdown, some federal employees may be required to work without pay. Those employees are not eligible for unemployment benefits if they are working full time during the shutdown.
Furloughed federal workers and federal contractors who are not working during the shutdown may be eligible for unemployment benefits. See details on our rules for federal employees page on the Employment Security website.
Furloughed federal workers and overpayments
Furloughed federal workers who receive unemployment benefits during a shutdown may face overpayments when Congress passes a budget. Learn about overpayments on the Employment Security website.
In the past, Congress has funded back pay for workers for the duration of the shutdown. This is what causes overpayments on federal workers’ unemployment claims, requiring them to repay any benefits received during the period covered by a back payment. In that case, unemployment benefits served as a loan to help federal workers meet basic needs while out of work.
Employment Security will provide regular updates during the federal government shutdown via the website, social media and news releases.