Other Information

7114 meetings

7114 meetings are not required for shutdown furloughs due to lapse in appropriations. For 7114 meetings during the shutdown, management should follow Article 8 of the 2022 National Agreement regarding union notification. In addition, management should cc: national NTEU in the person of Ken Moffett (ken.moffett@nteu.org) due to most union chapter presidents being in furlough status. There are retired stewards or NTEU employees who could attend for the Union, neither of whom would not be using official time.

Any current IRS employees who are stewards would not be able to use official time, as union representational duties are not excepted activities; so, if attending in a union representational capacity, those employees would need to do so on their own time. The fact that the union might not have anyone available does not preclude IRS’ right to hold the meetings. IRS has offered to re-schedule the 30 minutes NTEU.

Accessing SF-50s

Employees who do not have access to the HR Connect system may contact the Customer Service Help Line at 866-743-5748, select option 1 for the Employee Resource Center then listen for the Payroll option and request a copy of their latest SF-50.

Print a copy of your most recent SF-50 from HRConnect. If you are teleworking and do not have access to a printer, you can save a copy to your desktop. From the Print tab, select the Adobe PDF option.

Annual evaluations

Completing an annual appraisal is NOT an excepted function. Managers should not complete their employee appraisals until the lapse in appropriations ends.

Background investigations

If IRS employees are contacted by investigators for interviews during the shutdown, they should inform the investigator that they are currently in furlough status, and request that the investigation be rescheduled for another time after the shutdown is over. Per OPM, it is appropriate to request rescheduling while in furlough/shutdown status.

Activities related to background reinvestigations are not considered excepted work. Furloughed and/or excepted employees ordinarily should not participate in those activities during a shutdown. Participation is permitted if it is personal in nature – for example, if the subject of the investigation is a neighbor or friend, rather than the employee or an IRS colleague.

Communications during shutdown

If you are on furlough, you should not use your government issued mobile phone or log into your government account through remote access. You should regularly check www.irs.gov/employee and the IRS Hotline at 866-743-5748 option 3 for shutdown information.

Furlough letter

Excepted employees will receive the same furlough notice as furloughed employees, however, employees that are excepted from furlough will receive a separate notice informing them of their status and the expectations during the funding lapse. If you didn’t print your furlough letter, it will be posted to IRS.gov.

Furlough letters stated we would be furloughed for no more than 30 days. On day 31, a second furlough letter will be issued. While an employee must ultimately receive a written notice of decision to furlough, it is not required that a written notice be given prior to effecting the emergency furlough, although it is recommended. Advance written notice (including through email) is preferable, but when prior written notice is not feasible, then any reasonable notice (e.g., telephonic, oral, personal email, or by mail promptly after the furlough) is permissible when the furlough decision is made. However, a written notice of decision to furlough must be provided as soon as possible after the furlough begins.

Implementation Shutdown Checklist

Completed / Not Applicable	Shutdown Activities
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Furlough Letter Confirm receipt of Furlough Letter by all employees Provide Furlough Letter if employee does not have email account or did not receive letter
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Shutdown Inform furloughed employees to begin shutdown processes to be completed in four hours Provide direction of whether employees can execute the shutdown process at their Post of Duty or at their alternative work location Cease all normal non-excepted operations
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Contact Information Update and print employee contact information Create a communication plan with your employees for future contact
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Leave Notify furloughed and excepted employees on pre-approved leave that due to the furlough, their leave (annual, sick, court, etc.) is cancelled Ensure that cancelled leave was approved in writing to support possible reinstatement requirements Excepted employees report to work on their next scheduled work day
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Official IRS Travel Notify employees on travel to return home Cancel all pending travel Direct employees to cancel travel reservations (hotel, airline or rental car) in the Concur System
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Out of Office Direct furloughed employees to update out of office messages for voicemail and emails. Direct furloughed employees to cancel upcoming appointments (meetings, hearings, and other non-excepted operations)
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Unemployment Direct employees to print four documents required by many states for unemployment applications Form W-2, Leave and Earnings Statement, Furlough Letter and Form SF-8Advise employees to research their individual state unemployment rulesEnsure employees understand that any unemployment benefits received are required to be repaid if salaries are reinstated
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Timekeeping Validate employee time in SETR Confirm that time for Furloughed employees is entered in SETR for [INSERT PP] thru Close of Business on [INSERT DATE]. Direct Excepted employees to continue to report working time Direct Exempt employees to continue to report time as usual (working, leave, overtime, comp time) Refer to SETR Alert 2019-0XX for guidance
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Property – Personally Identifiable Information Secure all records, personal property and real property Direct employees to secure any PII or personal items in their work area. If employees are working remotely, ensure PII case files are secured Complete inventory of property
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Shutdown Status Ensure employees know to regularly check the IRS Hotline for shutdown information 1-866-743-5748, or TTY at 1-866-924-3578 for information Campus employees use emergency hotline procedures specific for each campus. Information is also available at www.irs.gov; type “employee emergency” in the search box. Shutdown information can also be found at treasury.gov and opm.gov
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Contracts – Not Excepted Suspend all work performed by contractors for those contracts that are not identified as excepted Ensure that the contractors secure files, equipment, etc. Ensure that contractors do no use government furnished equipment
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Cases / Projects Document the status of cases and projects so that cases can be resumed, transferred or other appropriate actions when funding is appropriated
Completed: ☐ Not Applicable: ☐	Complete Shutdown Confirm furloughed employees complete the Shutdown activities Assist your Lapse Program Manager to execute the completion of shutdown certification Release employees after orderly shutdown is complete **Stay connected to the network, so you receive the necessary IT updates, but take out your PIV card.

· Update your voicemail.

I will be out of the office for the duration of the government Shutdown. There is additional information regarding the Shutdown on the Treasury website.

· Set up your out of office e-mail message.

I will be out of the office for the duration of the government Shutdown. There is additional information regarding the Shutdown on the Treasury website.

IRS buildings and mail

Some IRS buildings will be open and some will not. During furlough, all IRS-owned buildings will be open and will have standard utilities and janitorial services. Taxpayer Assistance Centers (TAC Offices) will be closed. Federal buildings will be operating under weekend procedures, and employee/bags may be subject to search. Cafeterias and snack bars will be open but with limited offerings. Exception: The Martinsburg ECC cafeteria and Main IRS snack bar will be closed.

The U.S. Postal Service will continue normal operations during a shutdown. Routine mail service will continue to the 59 sites covered by the national mail contract as well as the courier service to the 26 sites covered by individual contracts. Campus mail, along with New Carrollton Federal Building and Washington D.C. locations will continue to be picked up and delivered by excepted employees.

Orderly shutdown activities

Employees have four hours to complete orderly shutdown activities. Employees should not conduct orderly shutdown activties on their AWS day and should wait until their next regularly scheduled work day. Use the Implement Shutdown Checklist to complete orderly shutdown activities.

Stay connected to the network, so you receive the necessary IT updates, but take out your PIV card.

Pre-Shutdown Preparation Checklist

This checklist is recommended to help managers and employees prepare for a potential lapse in appropriations.

Employees working remotely do not need to come into the office to perform pre-shutdown activities, unless otherwise required by their manager/business unit. Employees should check with their supervisor for additional guidance.

Manager Actions

Confirm your employees are verbally notified of their status (exempt, excepted and non-excepted) and understand the work they will perform if excepted or exempt.

Note: A group meeting or call is recommended to ensure employees understand actions required, information they need to download to have available during the lapse period and where to locate that information. Use your emergency contact list (Call Tree) to contact employees who are off work, on leave, or are in training/travel status or otherwise not able to attend your meeting by phone to provide this information. Your excepted and exempt employee list will be provided by your Business Operating Division.
Inform excepted employees of their specific work assignments and duties during the lapse period. Remind excepted employees that they may only work on authorized activities during the lapse period.
Ensure you have updated Call Tree/contact information for your employees so you contact them in the event of a shutdown. Managers are expected to keep in contact with employees throughout the lapse period.
Ensure employees receive the following information on where to find updated information if there is a lapse in appropriations.
Employee communications alerts: Where to find the information you need (PDF 275KB)
Certify completion of pre-shutdown to your management.

All Employee Actions

Verify your status (non-excepted/furloughed, excepted/non-furloughed or exempt) with your supervisor.
Provide your supervisor with your personal contact information to update you in the event of a lapse period and for Reactivation/Recall notification.
We recommend you download the IRS.gov App to your mobile device(s) and save the link to the employee emergency page (irs.gov/employee) and other websites such as the NFC’s Employee Personal Page Login to have available in the event of a lapse period.
Print a copy of your most recent SF-50 from HRConnect. If you are teleworking and do not have access to a printer, you can save a copy to your desktop. From the Print tab, select the Adobe PDF option.
Print or save a copy of your most recent Earnings and Leave Statement from the Employee Personal Page (EPP).
Note: Make sure your personal email address is in your EPP profile just in case you need to reset your password while in furlough status.
Print a copy of the Password Recovery Guide (PDF 228KB) – This document includes help for Symantic Endpoint Encryption (SEE), LAN and password recovery. This is a helpful guide to print and keep for future reference. This will provide guidance on how to unlock your accounts without having to call the helpdesk.
Regularly check the IRS Hotline at 1-866-743-5748, or TTY at 1-866-924-3578 or IRS.gov/employee for information.
- Excepted and Exempt — monitor the IRS Hotline 1-866-743-5748 for POD closure updates due to intermittent weather.
- Campus employees — use your campus emergency hotline procedures.
- Information is also available at www.irs.gov; type “employee emergency” in the search box.
- And at treasury.gov and opm.gov
Print the – Employee Communication Alerts: Where to Find the Information You Need (PDF 275KB) or send the .pdf document to your personal email address.

Protecting Personally Identifiable Information (PII)

Prior to leaving the office, all employees should take steps to ensure that records containing PII or classified information are secured in designated storage areas to prevent unauthorized access.

What is a shutdown furlough

A furlough is the placing of an employee in a temporary non-duty, non-pay status because of lack of funds. In the event that funds are not available through an appropriations law or continuing resolution, a “shutdown” furlough occurs. A shutdown furlough is necessary when an agency no longer has the necessary funds to operate and must shut down those activities which are not exempt or excepted pursuant to the Anti-deficiency Act.

Why are employees being furloughed

Employees are being furloughed due to a lapse in appropriations. Most employees who perform functions paid by annually appropriated funds are being furloughed. The only exemptions or exceptions to the shutdown and furlough are positions that perform the following functions:

Functions with a continuing source of funding; or
Functions expressly authorized by Congress to continue even without funding; or
Functions for which authority to obligate funds is necessarily implied by statute; or
Functions that are necessary to ensure the safety of human life or the protection of property; or
Functions necessary for the discharge of the President’s constitutional duties; or
Activities necessary for a short period in order to ensure an orderly shutdown of operations.

Employee Assistance Program

Employees can seek assistance from the Employee Assistance Program (EAP) during the lapse in appropriations. These services are available. Services are available 7 days a week, 24 hours a day by calling toll-free 1-800-977-7631 (TDD: 800-697-0353 or by visiting www.Guidanceresources.com. First-time users will need to enter their IRS Company ID, IRS112, when prompted. All services are provided by ComPsych, Corporation.

The EAP is a free benefit program for all IRS managers, employees and their immediate family members. The EAP provides free confidential counseling services to managers, employees and members of their household who are dealing with personal and/or work-related problems.

This no-cost counseling service helps you address stress, relationship and other personal issues you and your family may face. It is staffed by EAP consultants highly trained masters and doctoral level clinicians who will listen to your concerns and quickly refer you to in-person counseling and other resources for:

Stress, anxiety and depression
Relationship/marital conflicts
Problems with children
Job pressures
Grief and loss
Substance abuse

Financial Help from EAP

Financial Connect allows employees and their immediate family to speak by phone with Certified Public Accountants and Certified Financial Planners over the phone. The EAP/ComPsych Financial Connect staff provides individualized, objective guidance on a variety of topics, including money management, credit and family budgeting.

All services are free and completely confidential.
All services are completely confidential and cost free to you.
All IRS employees and their immediate family members can use the program services.