Practical service directory
Choose a topic or search for a service. The answer depends on the funding source, the agency’s legal authority, and the contingency plan in force.
16 services shown
Your agency decides whether you are furloughed or excepted. Both groups are entitled to retroactive pay after a shutdown ends.
Watch for written instructions from your agency and save recent pay records.
Military operations generally continue. Pay timing depends on available funds and any special provision Congress has enacted for that lapse.
Follow command finance guidance and keep copies of recent Leave and Earnings Statements.
Contract work may pause when funding, access, or federal supervision is unavailable. Back pay is not automatic for contractor employees.
Ask your employer whether your contract and worksite remain funded and accessible.
Scheduled benefit payments generally continue because they are funded outside annual appropriations. Some customer service can slow.
Keep scheduled appointments unless SSA contacts you, and use online services when available.
Coverage and benefit payments generally continue, though some administrative work may be delayed.
Keep medical appointments and contact your plan or state Medicaid office for case-specific issues.
Compensation, pension, and VA health care generally continue. Claims processing, call centers, and some scheduled services can slow.
Keep appointments unless VA tells you otherwise, and use VA.gov for claims and messages.
Program operations depend on available funding, state administration, and the length and scope of a shutdown.
Check your state benefits agency for the payment schedule that applies to you.
Existing loan servicing often continues. New originations, some FSA processing, and PSLF reviews can be delayed depending on the Education Department plan.
Keep making required payments and use StudentAid.gov rather than waiting on a call center.
Security officers and air traffic controllers are generally excepted and work during a lapse, but staffing pressure can cause delays.
Check your airline and airport, allow extra time, and monitor FAA notices.
Fee-funded passport and consular services often continue, but some locations or support functions can be affected.
Do not delay an urgent application; confirm the specific facility is open before traveling.
Border, TSA, and many enforcement functions are excepted. USCIS is often fee-funded. A DHS-only lapse can still delay E-Verify, some benefits work, and FEMA grants.
Check the specific DHS component and keep copies of receipts, notices, and appointment letters.
Access, visitor centers, sanitation, permits, and emergency services can vary by park and by the shutdown plan in effect.
Check the official park page immediately before your visit.
The Postal Service is generally self-funded and mail delivery continues during a federal funding lapse.
Use USPS service alerts for local disruptions unrelated to a shutdown.
Filing and payment deadlines remain unless the IRS formally postpones them. Refunds, phones, audits, and walk-in help depend on the IRS contingency plan and the time of year.
File and pay by existing deadlines and use IRS.gov instead of assuming a pause.
Already obligated funds may still be spent. New awards, inspections, closings, and some servicing actions can wait until the administering agency has authority again.
Ask the awarding agency or lender what is funded before relying on a closing or start date.
The judiciary can use fee balances for a period, then continue constitutionally required work while postponing some civil and administrative functions.
Meet every court deadline unless the court issues a different order.
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A “government shutdown” is a lapse in some annual appropriations, not a switch that turns off every federal activity. Permanently funded programs may continue. Other work can continue when it protects life or property or is otherwise authorized by law. Agency plans determine the operational details.
Use this directory as a starting point, then follow the linked official agency guidance for a decision about your pay, appointment, application, or trip.