Federal Worker Loan Programs

The Maryland Department of Labor (MD Labor) is accepting applications for the Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program, to assist Maryland residents who have recently been terminated from federal employment and are experiencing financial hardship.

Please note that MD Labor can no longer accept new applications for the Federal Shutdown Loan Program, which launched on October 6, 2025, in response to the federal government shutdown, to provide financial support to “excepted” federal employees who were required to work without pay during the shutdown. As the federal government shutdown has concluded, the application for that program is no longer available.

MD Labor will continue to process all Federal Shutdown Loan Program applications received prior to the end of the shutdown, and will continue to accept applications for the Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program for terminated federal employees. 

Federal Shutdown Loan Program

Loan amount and repayment

This program provides financial support during a federal government shutdown to federal workers who reside in Maryland and are required to continue working during the shutdown but are not receiving a paycheck. These workers are designated as "excepted," sometimes called "essential," workers. Under this program, eligible "excepted" federal employees may receive up to two no-interest loans of $700 each, for a total of $1,400. 

As the October-November 2025 federal government shutdown has concluded, this program is not currently accepting applications. In the event of a future federal government shutdown, this program would relaunch.

All recipients of the Federal Shutdown Loan are required to repay the funds by January 26, 2026. MD Labor has provided repayment details to loan recipients via email, and staff are available to answer any questions.

Questions?

For answers to common questions, visit our FAQ page. You can also contact our support team via email at MDshutdownloan@submittable.com or by phone at 410-849-6424 (Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm).

Unemployment insurance

During a federal government shutdown, “excepted” federal employees are not eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits because they are working. “Furloughed” federal employees, who are not paid and ordered not to work during a shutdown, may be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits. See our federal worker support page and Unemployment Insurance page for more information. Please note that you should apply for Unemployment Insurance in the jurisdiction of your duty 

station.

Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program

Loan amount and repayment

This program provides financial assistance to Maryland residents who have recently been terminated from federal employment due to a mass layoff, relocation, or closure of a unit of the federal government and who are experiencing financial hardship.

Under the Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program, certain former federal employees residing in Maryland may be eligible to receive a no-interest loan of $700. Loans are due 180 calendar days after the loan agreement is signed. A 90-day repayment extension may be requested if loan recipients continue to experience financial hardship.

Questions?

For answers to common questions, visit our FAQ page. You can also contact our support team via email at MDfedworkerloan@submittable.com or by phone at 410-541-1075 (Monday-Friday, 9 am-5 pm ).

Unemployment insurance

Applying for the Federal Worker Emergency Loan Program will not disqualify unemployed Marylanders from being eligible for Unemployment Insurance. You may apply to both programs at the same time. To learn more about Unemployment Insurance, see Maryland’s Unemployment Insurance page.

How to apply for a loan

• To submit an application, you will be required to create an account through our online portal, hosted by Submittable. Use your full name as the "Submitter name" when creating your account. 
• We will send important information about your application to the email address you use to create your Submittable account so you should use an email address that you check regularly. 
• Be sure to add notifications@email.submittable.com to your contact list to ensure our messages are not routed to Spam/Junk.