On October 10, hundreds of thousands of federal employees will receive a payment, although it will not be their usual salary. This is due to the partial government shutdown that began on October 1. While federal workers typically don't receive pay during a government shutdown, in this case, the payment will cover only hours worked before federal funds ran out. This Friday's payment will be adjusted for days worked through October 1, just before the shutdown began. This means the paycheck will cover only workdays between September 21 and October 4, which includes the first few days of the government shutdown. Employees should expect a smaller payment, covering only that period. While the government shutdown affects many workers, not all federal employees are receiving pay this time. According to officials, employees deemed "non-essential" are on mandatory leave, or what is known as "furlough," and are not working during this period. However, employees who perform essential functions, such as members of the military, continue to work during the shutdown. However, these workers will also not receive payment for their work until the fiscal crisis is resolved.

On October 10, the payment will cover only hours worked through October 1. This is what has been established within the government's payment schedule, which establishes the date of this payment as the period between September 21 and October 4.

Federal workers who have been affected by the funding suspension will receive what is known as "retroactive pay" once an agreement on government funding is reached and the shutdown ends. This compensation will cover hours that were not paid during the shutdown, according to a directive issued by the Office of Personnel Management (OPM).

Despite this promise of retroactive pay, President Donald Trump made controversial comments on October 7, suggesting that some furloughed employees “don’t deserve” to receive back pay.

“For the most part, we’re going to take care of our people. But there are some people who really don’t deserve to be taken care of, and we’re going to take care of them in a different way,” the president noted.

On the other hand, essential employees who continue to work during the shutdown should log their hours according to their respective agencies’ instructions. These hours will be compensated later, once the dispute is resolved and the government resumes normal operations.

The government’s pay schedule indicates that the next pay period is from October 5 to 18. In this case, essential workers should continue to log their hours to ensure they can be compensated when normal operations resume. Time cards must be certified between October 20 and 21, and payments will be transferred electronically on October 24.

The uncertainty about the duration of this shutdown puts federal employees in a difficult situation. Although some will receive their pay on October 10, many are wondering when the next payment will be made and if retroactive pay will be honored as promised.