People attend a festival marking the 250th anniversary of the U.S. Army on the National Mall in Washington, D.C., before the military parade on June 14, 2025.

Members of the U.S. Armed Forces will have to report to work without pay amid a partial government shutdown that began on Oct. 1.

Congressional leaders failed to agree on federal funding allocations for the 2026 fiscal year before midnight on Wednesday, Oct. 1, rendering a stoppage to non-essential government services. The shutdown will continue until appropriations are passed in Congress.

Certain agencies, like the U.S. Postal Service, air traffic control and Social Security, are considered essential and will run as usual.

Military operations are necessary to national security, so service members will continue to work during the shutdown, according to the Department of War, formerly known as the Department of Defense. Here's what to know.

Does the military still operate during a government shutdown?

More than two million military workers will continue to work during the government shutdown, according to a Sept. 27 contingency plan published by the Department of War.

"Military personnel on active duty, including reserve component personnel on Federal active duty, will continue to report for duty and carry out assigned duties," the plan says.

Civilian employees for the department who are not needed for essential activities will be furloughed during the shutdown.

In total, about 400,000 of the department's more than 741,000 civilian workers will be retained during the shutdown because they are either considered essential or compensated by a resource other than annual funding, according to the plan.

"The department will continue to defend the nation and conduct ongoing military operations," the plan says. "It will continue activities funded with any available budgetary resources that have not lapsed, as well as excepted activities such as those necessary for the safety of human life and the protection of property."

Does the military get paid during a government shutdown?

No, military members do not get paid despite working during a government shutdown.

Compensation for members of the military is funded through annual personnel appropriations to the Department of Homeland Security and Department of War, according to the Library of Congress.

Therefore, because Oct. 1 marks the beginning of the government's 2026 fiscal year, no funding is currently in place for active duty and reserve component military members.

However, members of the Coast Guard, whose payroll liability accrues on a monthly basis, could still be paid depending on the length of the shutdown, according to DHS.

Congress could pass legislation to pay military members during shutdown

In past government shutdowns, Congress has acted to ensure active duty members continue to get paid.

For example, the Pay Our Military Act allowed military members to be paid during a government shutdown in 2013.

"Human resource organizations must also be prepared to respond in the event legislation is enacted during the lapse that permits some excepted employees such as military personnel to continue to receive pay during the lapse," DHS said.

Melina Khan is a national trending reporter for USA TODAY. She can be reached at melina.khan@usatoday.com.

This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Does the military get paid in a government shutdown? What service members should know

Reporting by Melina Khan, USA TODAY / USA TODAY

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