--- title: Furloughed by the Shutdown? These 3 Steps Can Help You Manage Your Money description: Financial planners share their biggest pieces of advice to furloughed federal workers navigating the government shutdown. authors: - name: Adam Hardy role: Lead Data Reporter url: https://money.com/author/adam-hardy/ bio: Adam Hardy is a lead data journalist at Money, where he frequently reports on financial barriers that affect low-income Americans. Adam’s work has also appeared in Business Insider, Forbes, Nasdaq, The Penny Hoarder, Yahoo! Finance and more than a dozen local and regional newspapers. education: University of South Florida, BA, Magazine Journalism at_money_since: 2021 articles: 501 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Pets - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - The Penny Hoarder - Forbes Advisor - Creative Loafing - The New York Times - The Washington Post - Bloomberg - Harvard Law School - The Federal Register - National Consumer Law Center - CBS News - Becker's Hospital Review - Business Insider - Mother Jones - The Week - Fortune - The Philadelphia Inquirer - National Association of Student Financial Aid Administrators (NAFSAA) - Education Advisory Board (EAB) - The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) - This Morning with Gordon Deal - Empower - Reddit social: - https://www.x.com/hardyjournalism - https://www.linkedin.com/in/hardyjournalism/ editors: - name: Julia Glum role: Managing Editor url: https://money.com/author/julia-glum/ bio: Julia Glum joined Money in 2018 and specializes in covering financial trends that affect everyday Americans' wallets. She also writes Dollar Scholar, a weekly newsletter that teaches young adults how to navigate the messy world of money. education: University of Florida at_money_since: 2018 articles: 453 covers: - Economy and Politics - Banking - Business - Career Advice - Credit - Credit Cards - Debt - Education - Health and Wellness - Housing - Identity Theft - Insurance - Investing - Lifestyle - Loans - Mortgages - Personal Finance - Professional Services - Retirement - Shopping - Taxes - Technology also_seen_in: - Newsweek - International Business Times - CBS News - Good Morning America - WUSA9 - Pix 11 - The New York Times - Mashable - The Washington Post - CNBC - Politico social: - https://x.com/superjulia - https://www.linkedin.com/in/julia-glum published: '2025-10-21T17:46:15.000Z' modified: '2025-10-21T17:55:47.000Z' section: Economy and Politics tags: - News word_count: 786 canonical: https://money.com/financial-help-for-furloughed-workers/ type: NewsArticle source: structured-blocks --- > **Disclosure:** We research all brands listed and may earn a fee from our partners. Research and financial considerations may influence how brands are displayed. Not all brands are included. [Learn more](https://money.com/page/disclaimer/). ![Photo-illustration of person paying bills with the Capitol building in the background](https://img.money.com/2025/10/News-Furloughed-Workers-Bills.jpg) As the [government shutdown](https://money.com/government-shutdown-affect-money/) stretches into its third week, an estimated 750,000 furloughed federal workers are scrambling to make ends meet. When the government shuts down, workers who are classified as “nonessential” are ordered to stay home without pay. When the government reopens, federal law states they are entitled to backpay, but bills are piling up now while their paychecks are in political limbo. Shutdowns are “never fun or fair to the feds who serve,” says Wes Battle, a certified financial planner (CFP) at [Financial Advantage Associates](https://www.finadvinc.com/team/wes-battle-cfp-chfebc-aif) who specializes in working with federal employees. Lawmakers — whose pay is not disrupted by the shutdown — remain gridlocked, and it’s not clear how long the shutdown will drag on. So Money asked financial planners for their biggest pieces of advice to furloughed federal workers [navigating](https://money.com/shutdown-services-continue/) the third government shutdown in recent years. Here’s what they recommend. ## 1\. Prioritize your bills Ideally, financial planners suggest building an [emergency fund](https://money.com/what-is-an-emergency-fund/) that can cover several months of expenses for situations exactly like this. But for federal workers who don’t have savings to lean on, the shutdown is especially difficult. “When paychecks stop, the first rule is triage,” says Patrick Huey, a CFP and owner of [Victory Independent Planning](http://www.victoryindependentplanning.com). “Prioritize the essentials.” Huey encourages federal workers to focus on bills related to home and health: “Keep your roof, utilities, insurance and basic health needs at the top of the list,” he writes in an email to Money, “but cut everything nonessential.” If it comes down to it, he says, you may want to consider deferring payments to bills that “aren’t tied to survival,” such as credit cards, student loans and streaming services. “Any hits to your credit or cash can be repaired, but recovering from lost shelter or insurance is much harder,” Huey adds. ## An emergency fund is an essential part of everyone's financial plan ### Opening a Savings Account with SoFi® to start an emergency fund makes sense for moments like these. Click below to open an account and start saving! [View Rates](https://money.com/pr/uf7374379cf5?ap_referrer=%2Ffinancial-help-for-furloughed-workers%2F) ## 2\. Avoid credit card debt (if possible) With backpay on the horizon, it may be tempting for federal workers to put their normal expenses on a credit card during the shutdown. But financial advisors say to be wary of that strategy. If you have a choice, Huey says to only pay for essentials using credit. “Avoid racking up balances for things you don’t need right now,” he adds. “Try to limit charges so you won’t be overwhelmed by repayments.” Battle says credit cards aren’t ideal. One alternative federal workers could tap is their Thrift Savings Plans, or TSPs. Keep in mind, hardship [withdrawals from TSPs](https://www.tsp.gov/in-service-withdrawal-basics/alternatives-to-withdrawals/) may come with tax penalties and permanently reduce the retirement account balance. However, a TSP loan could be a smart option during a furlough, as it comes with low interest rates and no pre-pay penalty. Plus, the amount borrowed — plus the interest charged — goes back into the account once it’s repaid, Battle says. “Nobody knows how long the shutdown will last or if the ones furloughed are even going to have a job when this is over,” adds Bill Shafransky, a senior wealth advisor at [Moneco Advisors](https://monecoadvisors.com/our-team/bill-shafransky/). “What you don't want is a balance on a credit card that is compounding with interest and with no way to pay it back.” Shafransky's advice underscores the added uncertainty of this shutdown, as the Trump administration has attempted firing — not just furloughing — some federal workers. (A judge has [issued a temporary halt](https://www.afge.org/article/judge-orders-halt-to-shutdown-rifs-in-win-for-workers-public/) to any reductions in force.) President Donald Trump has suggested some federal workers don't deserve their backpay, despite law that guarantees their lost wages while the government is closed. ## Struggling with debt? Get relief today! ### If you owe over $20,000, Freedom Debt Relief can help reduce your burden. Start your journey by clicking below! [Visit Site](https://money.com/pr/o8c065d70a1a?ap_referrer=%2Ffinancial-help-for-furloughed-workers%2F) ## 3\. Communicate early and often Huey recommends federal workers contact their major creditors to let them know about the furlough — especially landlords or mortgage lenders. “Get ahead of the problem by proactively calling every biller and lender, even before you miss a payment,” he says, noting that this could open up short-term relief options like flexibility with payments. Some lenders may even have benefits for federal workers that keep missed payments during a government shutdown from dinging your credit, he says. PNC customers can request a freeze in credit reporting, for instance, and Lubbock National Bank says it will waive fees and not report missed payments on its mortgages. According to the American Bankers Association, about [two dozen banks](https://www.aba.com/news-research/analysis-guides/government-shutdown-bank-action-2025) are offering similar assistance to furloughed federal workers. Experts also recommend tapping community organizations for assistance. One option to quickly scan what’s available nearby is the [My Fed Benefits](https://myfedbenefitshelp.com/shutdown-assistance-map/) tool, which aggregates known financial assistance programs for federal workers based on location. It shows discounts at local restaurants and entertainment options for furloughed federal workers. ## Reduce payments and make debt manageable with a Debt Relief program ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/97aa3e8ced15?bidid=4112912465&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=670594558&ptoken=8d9eb2d8be731895a36e94021e0d15f6) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/23879/medium_3847e650-29eb-411b-9b8c-05deb0d02cbc.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/8f5ef85c7b44?bidid=4112912470&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=670594558&ptoken=144a6c820c0e82a8238345de038c5473) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/15565/medium_832cc4b7-74f8-4735-8fe1-6917816cbe8d.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/544aa43661c0?bidid=4112912461&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=670594558&ptoken=3fbe406b9c80d2c03a606067214123d2) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/22445/medium_ba73f26a-1e1e-4e49-9739-df1298783de6.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/655ecb6cee38?bidid=4112912481&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=670594558&ptoken=d52d084eee5a8b0f7d495ff70b752163) ![VISIT SITE](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/9246/medium_94931930-28cf-46b5-b09d-683979caec81.png) Our Partner [VISIT SITE](https://money.com/go/33281b889915?bidid=4112912475&pmeta=p129-c628-u31158&ptid=670594558&ptoken=df1d9e2156811d8775db3d544d23a530) ![](https://s3.consumersadvocate.org/prd/image/image/25289/medium_2e7b27ce-b30d-40a3-beef-0139ecba6b47.png) If you owe over $20,000 or more, Freedom Debt Relief can help you get back on your feet! [Get Started](https://money.com/pr/u5c2defb44d4?ap_referrer=%2Ffinancial-help-for-furloughed-workers%2F) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "@id": "https://money.com/financial-help-for-furloughed-workers/#breadcrumb", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://money.com" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Economy and Politics", "item": "https://money.com/economy-and-politics/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Furloughed by the Shutdown? These 3 Steps Can Help You Manage Your Money" } ] }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://money.com/#website", "url": "https://money.com", "name": "Money", "publisher": { "@id": "https://money.com/#organization" } }, { "@type": "WebPage", "@id": "https://money.com/financial-help-for-furloughed-workers/#webpage", "url": "https://money.com/financial-help-for-furloughed-workers/", "name": "Furloughed by the Shutdown? 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