Congress ended the shutdown on November 12. Federal employees and servicemembers will receive retroactive pay, and payroll offices will normalize operations quickly. Below, learn what the law guarantees, when funds actually arrive, how to verify your pay statements, and the precise steps to correct any errors without losing time or momentum.
Quick Facts
- Back pay is mandatory, agencies issue payments as soon as practicable after reopening.
- Servicemembers return to normal payroll cycles, civilians receive retro entries on the earliest feasible pay date.
- Check Leave and Earnings Statements for base pay, allowances, differentials, and benefits deductions.
- Allotments, savings contributions, and insurance premiums restart, verify totals and missed installments.
- Keep a written timeline of contacts, tickets, and confirmations for any future reconciliation.
Mini‑FAQ
What did Congress change for back pay?
Retroactive compensation after a shutdown is now guaranteed for affected federal employees. Payment must be issued as soon as possible after reopening, independent of the normal payroll calendar, and employees do not need to reapply to receive it.
Will military pay post right away?
Normal cycles resume quickly, but timing depends on where the lapse fell in the pay period. Finance offices prioritize releasing retroactive amounts together with the first available cycle once systems and banks are synchronized again.
What should I check on my statements?
Confirm gross pay, allowances, differentials, taxes, insurance, allotments, savings plan contributions, leave balances, and remarks. Compare year to date totals, and match bank deposits to the statement to ensure no credits were returned.
Key Takeaways
- Back pay is guaranteed by statute, timing depends on payroll cycle readiness.
- Check LES lines for base pay, allowances, deductions, and accurate remarks.
- DoD and agency guidance explains excepted work and retroactive compensation.
- Allotments and savings restart, verify missed amounts and bank details immediately.
- Guard and Reserve orders require careful reconciliation across the lapse.
- Escalate with documentation, track tickets, and confirm corrected deposits.
What does the back pay law guarantee, and who is covered?
The law guarantees retroactive pay to affected federal employees after a lapse ends. Congress established mandatory retroactive compensation, and agencies must issue it as soon as possible after funding is restored. Servicemembers return to normal pay operations once appropriations flow, and civilians receive retro pay without needing to reapply or file a separate claim. Congress describes these requirements in the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, which became law in two thousand nineteen and remains the controlling standard for back pay. Congress.gov summary of Public Law 116‑1.
- Back pay applies to employees who were furloughed, and to those who worked as excepted or emergency personnel, since the statute directs compensation on the earliest feasible date after reopening, independent of regular pay calendar constraints.
- Eligibility follows employment status during the lapse, and agencies reconcile leave usage, premium rules, and timekeeping codes to ensure employees are made whole for hours worked or charged, then any correction posts once systems finalize the audit.
- Servicemembers receive pay under separate appropriations and systems, but finance offices synchronize quickly, using existing payroll calendars while adding retro entries for days that fell within the lapse, and releasing funds as banks clear transmission windows.
- Create a short note that lists your employing component, status during the lapse, and dates worked or furloughed, then save it with your pay records to speed any correction request later.
- Compare your first post reopening deposit to your statement, then match the retroactive lines precisely, noting any differences in taxes, insurance, or savings plan contributions that need adjustments in the next cycle.
- If you were excepted and worked, confirm your timekeeping codes and premium eligibility, then document any holidays or unusual tours that require later reconciliation by your payroll office.
Government Shutdown Ends: Full Guide to Resuming VA Benefits, GI Bill, & Home Loans
- GI Bill Payments & MHA After Reopening — How to verify enrollment and restore on time housing payments.
- How the Final Vote Restores Funding — Senate cloture, House approval, and budget execution timeline.
- Travel, SNAP, VA: Reopening Checklist — Step-by-step recovery plan for travel, benefits, and essential services.
- Federal Back Pay: Eligibility & Timing — Who qualifies, when deposits post, and how to check LES accuracy.
- TAP and VR&E Services: Restart Steps — Restart timelines, required documents, and scheduling best practices.
- VA Home Loans: Closings & Appraisals Now — Avoid delays, manage appraisals, and secure fast underwriting results.
- VA Services Restored: Smart Follow Ups — Learn how to contact support effectively and resolve backlog issues.
When will servicemembers and federal civilians actually see retro pay?
Agencies are required to pay as soon as possible after reopening, timing still depends on payroll readiness. Civilian back pay often posts on the earliest feasible pay date, and servicemembers resume normal cycles once finance offices confirm files, banks, and treasury transmissions are synchronized. OPM explains that the law requires prompt payment after a lapse ends, and that agencies should record time accurately for retro processing. OPM guidance for shutdown furloughs.
- If the lapse ended near a cutoff, some payroll providers may issue a catch up payment separate from the regular cycle, while others combine retroactive and current hours into one deposit, which can vary by provider readiness.
- Bank settlement times can differ across institutions, so one employee may see funds sooner than a colleague at a different bank, therefore verify deposit status inside your payroll self service portal before assuming a processing error.
- Return notifications occur if account or routing numbers changed during the lapse, therefore confirm your direct deposit details now, and update them before the next transmission window to avoid another delay and a manual check.
- Mark your provider’s expected pay date on a calendar, then allow normal bank settlement before opening a ticket, since many missing deposits are simply delayed postings at the receiving institution.
- Log in to your payroll or finance portal, confirm the advice of deposit and remarks, then download the statement for your records before calling, so you can quote exact lines if support asks.
- If your deposit is missing beyond normal settlement, open a help ticket, include account details and the official deposit advice, then request a trace so the provider can locate or reissue funds quickly.
How do you verify a Leave and Earnings Statement, and what errors are common?
Read the statement line by line, confirm base pay, allowances, deductions, and remarks. The statement explains entitlements, deductions, allotments, leave, taxes, and savings information. DFAS provides clear references for both military and civilian statements, which you can use to map each section to the amounts in your deposit, and the totals in your year to date figures. DFAS, Understanding Your Pay and LES.
- Verify base pay matches your grade, rank, and service status, confirm special or incentive pay if applicable, then review housing and subsistence allowances to ensure they reflect your duty location and dependency status accurately.
- Check deductions for taxes and insurance, look at savings plan percentages and dollar amounts, and ensure allotments restarted, then compare the total net amount to the bank deposit for a complete end to end reconciliation.
- Examine the remarks section for retroactive adjustments, many providers explain corrections in plain language, and those entries often reference the period covered so you can audit against the dates in question.
- Print or save the statement as a PDF, then highlight any retro lines, next add totals for base pay, allowances, deductions, and net, so you can attach the annotated file to any help ticket.
- Use a simple worksheet to list the expected amounts based on your grade and orders, then compare each line to the statement, and note any mismatches to discuss with finance or HR.
- If an amount is missing, gather orders, leave slips, or award approvals, then submit the packet through your support channel, ask for a case number, and calendar a follow up date for confirmation.
| Pay category | What to verify | Where to check | Common issues during reopening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Active duty servicemember | Base pay, BAH, BAS, special pays, taxes | LES earnings, deductions, remarks | Allowance start or stop out of sync, returned deposit after account change |
| Guard or Reserve on orders | Days paid on orders, travel settlement, leave charge | LES earnings, travel vouchers, remarks | Partial periods across lapse, delayed travel reimbursement, incorrect leave code |
| VA or federal civilian employee | Retro hours, premium pay, leave balances, benefits | LES, time sheet, benefits summary | Retro line missing, overtime differential pending, insurance premium catch up |
Use the table as a quick triage tool, then dig into your statement using the references provided by your payroll office for more detailed definitions and examples.
What should Guard and Reserve members check if orders crossed the lapse?
Verify all paid days, travel settlement, and any leave taken during the covered period. Orders that span the lapse often generate partial periods and travel vouchers that settle on different timetables, and small mismatches on days paid or allowances can hide inside those splits. Coast Guard and similar components publish practical pay notices that explain allotments and back pay timing during lapses and reopening. USCG, funding lapse frequently asked questions.
- Match the number of days on orders to the days shown on the statement, then review travel claims and per diem, since those amounts may settle after base pay posts, and will require a second reconciliation later.
- Verify allowance eligibility based on the status during the period, then confirm that the correct rate applied, and that any location change or dependency change appears in the allowance calculations correctly.
- Check that allotments and insurance premiums restarted with the correct amounts, since these may have paused and then restarted, and missed deductions often appear as catch up entries in later cycles.
- Open your travel system and confirm voucher status, then download the approval, and retain the audit trail so you can match the deposit to the itinerary dates in the next banking window.
- If base pay posted and travel did not, wait through the normal settlement period, then submit a status inquiry with the voucher number if the deposit is still missing after routine processing time.
- For orders across two pay periods, annotate your statement with the expected number of paid days in each period, then attach the orders to any ticket so finance can validate quickly.
What should VA employees and other civilians review, and which rules control premium and leave reconciliation?
Check retro hours, premium eligibility, and leave adjustments against agency guidance. Civilian payroll uses specific codes for excepted work and furlough status, and OPM directs retroactive pay as soon as possible after reopening, along with clarification on how to record time and correct entries. OPM also explains how leave usage interacts with retro payments during a lapse. OPM special instructions for agencies.
- Review each day of the lapse, confirm the correct time code was used, and ensure premium rules were applied where appropriate, then compare the retro line to the hours recorded to avoid underpayment or overpayment conditions.
- Look closely at leave balances, the law permits retroactive pay without charge to leave for furlough periods, and time and attendance teams adjust entries to reflect that requirement after reopening completes.
- Confirm benefits deductions restarted correctly, late or paused deductions often show as catch up entries, so watch for larger than normal benefit lines in the first or second cycles after reopening.
- Download your time sheet and the payroll advice, then align hours worked and hours charged to leave, and annotate any day that looks incorrect, with a simple note that explains the mismatch.
- Open a ticket with your HR or payroll office, attach the annotated documents, and request a correction, then calendar a follow up two business days later to confirm progress and a revised statement.
- If your agency offers self service corrections for obvious entry errors, submit those immediately, then notify the payroll office so they can monitor the fix in the next run.
Which policy explains excepted work and why some pay was delayed until reopening?
Defense guidance defines excepted duties, and pay for that work still posts after funding returns. DoD’s continuation of operations guidance explains which functions are excepted during a lapse, and it clarifies that many uniformed personnel continue to perform duties, while pay waits for appropriations to reach finance systems. This explains why work continued while deposits paused. DoD continuation of operations guidance.
- Excepted status means the work must continue, however compensation still depends on the availability of funds, therefore the first post reopening pay run contains those entries as retroactive lines that correspond to the documented hours.
- Communication from commanders and agency heads explains local implementation, but the underlying policy is standard, so similar patterns appear across components once finance offices receive appropriated funds and restart operations.
- Employees who were furloughed still receive retroactive pay by law, so the statement will show compensated time for the lapse, while leave categories are adjusted to match the statutory treatment.
- Confirm whether you were excepted or furloughed, then save any duty orders or memos that describe your status, since those documents help finance resolve questions about premium eligibility and overtime.
- Ask your supervisor to validate any unusual tours or mission requirements that affect premium rules, then attach that message to your ticket if the payroll system did not apply the rule automatically.
- Retain your annotated statement and deposit confirmations, in case a later audit asks for proof of payment timing and amounts across the reopening window.
| LES section | What it shows | How to reconcile | Frequent fixes after reopening |
|---|---|---|---|
| Earnings | Base pay, allowances, special pays, retro lines | Sum entitlements and compare to deposit advice | Allowance start or stop, retro line missing for a covered day |
| Deductions | Taxes, insurance, savings plan, allotments | Match rates and percentages to prior cycle | Paused allotment restart, catch up deduction amount larger than normal |
| Leave | Balances and usage | Check for corrected charges during the lapse | Leave code wrong, leave charged when statute requires restoration |
| Remarks | Plain language explanations | Read for period covered and purpose | Missing explanation for a large adjustment or corrected benefit |
Use the second table during your reconciliation, then retain the annotated version with your ticket, support staff resolve cases faster when the evidence is clear and organized.
How do you fix a pay problem quickly without endless calls?
Document the issue, open a ticket with attachments, escalate with precise requests. Clear documentation shortens review time, and a specific remedy request, for example a trace or a corrected retro line, helps the finance office route your case correctly. Defense and agency policy also reminds employees to monitor official news pages for broader updates during recovery. Defense news on pay impacts during lapses.
- Support teams work the oldest and most time sensitive cases first, which means concise tickets with evidence attached often move earlier than long narratives that lack documents, so keep your submission short and factual.
- Ask for a specific action, such as a deposit trace, a corrected allowance rate, or a leave code change, then confirm who owns the next step, and record the promised completion date for follow up.
- Use respectful persistence, and contact the office on a steady rhythm, while updating the ticket with any new documents, since well documented cases resolve faster when the reviewer has everything needed in one place.
- Write a one page summary of the discrepancy, attach the annotated statement, orders, and proof of bank details, then submit through the official portal so the ticket is tracked.
- Calendar a two business day check in, then ask for status, and request an advice of correction once the fix posts, so you can confirm the deposit in your bank.
- If a deadline approaches, request supervisor review with your packet attached, and propose a workable fix, for example a same day trace or an off cycle correction in the next available run.
The Bottom Line
The shutdown is over today, November 12, and back pay is required by law. Servicemembers and civilians will see retroactive amounts as soon as payroll systems and bank transmissions are ready, then normal cycles resume.
Verify your statement carefully, confirm allowances, deductions, and leave, and match deposits to the lines. Guard and Reserve members should reconcile orders that crossed the lapse and check travel settlement timing. Correct problems with a short, well documented ticket, then follow a steady cadence until you receive an advice of correction and a confirmed deposit.
References Used
- Congress.gov, Government Employee Fair Treatment Act, Public Law 116‑1
- OPM, guidance for shutdown furloughs and retroactive pay
- DFAS, understanding your pay and Leave and Earnings Statement
- United States Coast Guard, funding lapse frequently asked questions
- OPM, special instructions for agencies on lapse and reopening
- DoD, continuation of operations during a lapse in appropriations
- Defense Department, pay impacts discussion during lapses
FAQ's
Who qualifies for back pay after the shutdown ends?
Affected federal employees qualify for retroactive pay, including those furloughed and those who worked as excepted employees. Servicemembers resume normal cycles, and civilians receive retro lines as providers process the first available payroll after reopening.
How soon will I see my back pay deposit?
Agencies must pay as soon as practicable, timing depends on payroll readiness and bank settlement windows. Many providers release funds with the first available cycle, then post corrections or small remainder amounts in later runs.
What should I check on my Leave and Earnings Statement?
Confirm base pay, allowances, differentials, taxes, insurance, allotments, savings plan, leave balances, and remarks. Compare totals to deposits, then open a ticket with annotated evidence if any amount or code looks incorrect.
Do allotments and savings contributions restart automatically?
They usually restart when payroll resumes. Verify that each deduction and contribution posted correctly, because paused amounts sometimes appear later as catch up entries that increase one cycle’s deduction unexpectedly.
How do Guard and Reserve members verify orders across the lapse?
Match days paid to orders, then confirm travel voucher status and allowances. Partial periods sometimes split across cycles, so keep copies of orders, vouchers, and statements to reconcile entries and deposits precisely.
How are leave balances handled for furloughed civilians?
Leave entries may be adjusted after reopening according to agency guidance. Review the time sheet and the statement, then request corrections where leave was charged incorrectly during the lapse in appropriations.
What if my direct deposit was returned by my bank?
Verify your account and routing numbers, then ask payroll to trace the deposit. Returned funds cause delays even when payroll released correctly, so update details before the next transmission window opens.
How do I escalate a pay problem efficiently?
Submit a short packet with an annotated statement, supporting orders, and a specific remedy request. Ask for a case number and a completion date, then follow a consistent schedule until the correction posts.
Are retirees and survivor benefits affected by shutdowns?
Those payments are typically processed under separate funding and schedules. Monitor normal deposit dates, and contact the appropriate pay center only if a routine payment fails to appear on its expected calendar date.
What single action prevents the most delays this week?
Verify your statement and bank details, then document any discrepancy clearly and submit it through the official portal. Well organized tickets with supporting evidence move faster and require fewer follow up calls.
Levi Rodgers is the Founder of VA Loan Network, a leading resource for Veteran homebuyer education. A Retired Green Beret and Broker-Owner of LRG Realty in San Antonio, Levi leverages his military discipline and real-world real estate expertise to provide Veterans with expert loan advice, guidance, and trusted financial leadership.
