Will furloughed employees get back pay?

Whether or not furloughed workers got back pay for the 2013 government shutdown depended on their employee classification. Excepted employees remained at work but did not receive payment. Truly furloughed employees did not remain at work and did not receive their salary.

Excepted employees were in the job class that was eligible for back pay once the shutdown ended. This is because the workers continued to perform their job duties and, as such, were entitled to pay for that time. Affected employees continued to have health insurance coverage even if they were unable to pay their portion of the premium.