Federal Government Reopening Information

The temporary federal government shutdown has officially ended as of Wednesday, November 12, 2025 . Furloughed federal employees may begin to return to work on Thursday, November 13, 2025.

Under the Government Employee Fair Treatment Act of 2019 (GEFTA), federal workers will receive retroactive pay for the time they were furloughed. It also requires these workers to pay back unemployment benefits they received during a shutdown, as they are considered overpayments.

Important: If you received unemployment benefits during the shutdown, Georgia law (O.C.G.A. § 34-8-254(d)) requires that those benefits be repaid once back pay is issued.

The Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL) will mail letters to all affected federal employees who received unemployment benefits during the furlough. Your letter will include the total amount you received and instructions for repayment.

Voluntary repayment is available:

• You may repay the full amount before receiving your official notice of overpayment.
• Payments must be by personal or cashier checks only. Please do not return your UI-issued debit cards, as we cannot apply funds from them.
• Make checks payable to:

Georgia Department of Labor
Overpayment Unit
P.O. Box 3433
Atlanta, GA 30302-3433

Include with your payment:

• Your full name
• A contact telephone number
• A copy of your GDOL correspondence