The Black Bayou Lake National Wildlife Refuge was closed on Oct. 7, 2025 due to the federal government shutdown.

Federal employees should expect a smaller paycheck on Friday, Oct. 10, the first payday since the partial government shutdown began on Oct. 1.

Although federal workers do not get paid during a government shutdown, the upcoming payday covers a portion of days at the end of September before funding appropriations lapsed.

Meaning, they will be paid according to the regular payment schedule, but only for the hours they worked before funding lapsed.

Hundreds of thousands of federal employees are considered non-essential and therefore furloughed, or not working at all during the shutdown. Others who are considered essential, such as military members, are still working during the shutdown but won't be paid for it.

Once Congress agrees on funding appropriations, ending the shutdown, federal employees should get paid as usual. When that will be, though, remains to be seen.

Here's what to know.

Will government workers get a paycheck on Oct. 10?

Yes, federal workers will get a paycheck on Friday, Oct. 10, the next upcoming scheduled payday. However, it won't cover a full two week's worth of pay.

According to the government payroll schedule, the Oct. 10 check covers work performed between Sept. 21 and Oct. 4, which includes the first three days of the shutdown.

Meaning, employees should expect a paycheck that covers hours worked from Sept. 21 to Oct. 1.

Will government workers get backpay after the shutdown ends?

According to a memo from the Office of Personnel Management, all federal workers will receive "retroactive pay" after the shutdown ends for any hours logged during the lapse.

For the next pay period, which runs from Oct. 5 to Oct. 18, essential employees who work during the shutdown should continue to document their hours in accordance with special instructions from their agency's payroll provider, according to OPM.

The Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019, which was passed during the last government shutdown, says that federal workers who are furloughed during a lapse in government funding "shall be paid for the period of the lapse."

However, President Donald Trump said on Oct. 7 that some furloughed federal workers "don’t deserve" to receive back pay once the shutdown ends.

"For the most part, we're going to take care of our people. There are some people that really don't deserve to be taken care of, and we'll take care of them in a different way," Trump said.

See government employee payroll schedule

The current pay period runs from Oct. 5 to Oct. 18, according to the U.S. Government Services Administration.

After that, time cards will need be certified between Oct. 20-21 and electronic funds will be transferred on Oct. 24.

See the October schedule below:

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

Contributing: Joey Garrison and Zac Anderson, USA TODAY; Reuters

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Will government employees get paid on Oct. 10? What to know amid shutdown

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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