Filing for Unemployment as a Furloughed Federal Employee
If you are a federal employee in North Carolina and have been furloughed because of the federal government shutdown, you may qualify for unemployment benefits. This page explains who can apply, what you’ll need, and how to get started.
Who Can Apply
You may be able to get unemployment benefits if:
You must have been employed by the federal government and are now not working or being paid due to a separation.
Your last official duty station (the place where you last worked) is in North Carolina. Eligibility for benefits is determined by the state (last duty station) where you last worked as a federal employee
- You are able and available to work and meet normal state unemployment rules.
Note: If you are still working for your agency without pay, you usually cannot get unemployment benefits because you are still working - full time.
What You’ll Need
Before you apply, gather the following information and documents:
Your Social Security number (or Alien Registration number if not a U.S. citizen).
Recent pay stubs, your W-2 form, or a Leave and Earnings Statement (LES).
SF-50 or SF-8 forms if you have them (they show your federal job details).
The name and address of your federal agency and the date your furlough started.
How to Apply for Benefits:
Apply Online: Go to des.nc.gov and sign in or create a MyNCUIBenefits account.
Start your claim and choose the option for “Lack of Work.”
Upload or enter your job and wage information, and other required documents: Submit your federal wages and separation details. This may include pay stubs or official documents from your federal agency.
Identity Verification: Employees applying for benefits may also need to verify their identity. Federal workers asked to take this step may already have an ID.me account and may skip full verification. They just need to go into their ID.me account, use a valid email address (i.e., not their government email) and give consent to share information with DES. ID.me provides a tutorial for this.
If you later get back pay from your federal agency for the furlough period, you will have to repay any unemployment benefits you got for that period.
You must report all money you earn while getting unemployment.
If you worked for a federal contractor instead of a federal agency, your eligibility may be different. See DES’s separate page for federal contract and grant employees.
What Happens After You Apply
Your first benefit week is usually a waiting week — you must claim it, but you won’t be paid for it.
It may take time to verify your federal wages. You will receive an initial wage transcript from DES which will not show your federal wages. Please do not file a wage protest. While this happens, your account may show $0 wages.
This is normal. DES will use your wage documentation and contact the federal agency for your wages. Once your federal wages have been added, you will receive an updated wage transcript.
Keep filing weekly certifications, even while your wages are being confirmed.
You must look for work every week and report at least three (3) job contacts you have made.
- If you go back to work full-time, stop filing your weekly claims. If you go back part-time, report what you earn each week.
Furloughed Federal Worker FAQ
If you are a furloughed government employee, you are expected to go back to work when the government shutdown ends but, for now, your federal employer does not allow you to work. Federal law mandates that furloughed employees receive back pay when they return to work after the shutdown ends.
Employees who are laid off are not expected to return to work. Their employment has been terminated. For information on unemployment benefits as a laid-off federal employee, please visit our Filing for Unemployment as a Federal Employee page.
If you are currently not working due to the federal government shutdown and for no other reason, when prompted to enter a reason for separation, please select “lack of work” when applying for unemployment benefits.
The end date would be the last day you worked, not the first day of your furlough period.
As a federal worker, you are responsible for paying back any unemployment benefits received during the shutdown. If you apply for and receive unemployment benefits and then return to work and get back pay for the weeks you were furloughed, you will have to pay back any benefits received. You must provide detailed information about how much you were paid, including dates and gross amounts.
In North Carolina you must reach out to at least three job contacts each week and report that information when you file your weekly certification.
Anyone can apply for unemployment in North Carolina. Eligibility is determined once a claim has been filed. Essential workers can apply; however, you must report the wages you earn when you earn them – not when you are paid.