February 15, 2019

LA-19-01

LEGAL ADVISORY

TO: Designated Agency Ethics Officials

FROM: Emory A. Rounds, III

Director 

SUBJECT: Ethics Guidance for Employees in Non-Pay Status During a Lapse in 

Appropriations

A number of ethics-related issues have arisen during recent lapses in appropriations, 

especially in the areas of gifts, crowdsourcing, and outside employment. The U.S. Office of 

Government Ethics (OGE) is providing answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) to assist 

employees and ethics officials in navigating the common situations employees in non-pay status1

may face during a lapse in appropriations. Employees continue to be subject to all of the ethics 

rules while they are in non-pay status.2 And, as always, employees are encouraged to seek ethics 

advice from their agencies about specific situations. Additionally, agency ethics officials should 

proactively provide employees with guidance about agency-specific rules with their furlough or 

exempt notice and make sure such advice is easily accessible on the agency website. 

Gift Issues

Generally an employee may not accept any gift given (1) because of the employee’s 

official position or (2) from a prohibited source.3 A gift is given because of an employee’s 

official position if it would not have been given had the employee not held the status, authority, 

or duties associated with the employee’s federal position.4 A prohibited source is any person 

who is seeking action from the employee’s agency, does or seeks to do business with the 

employee’s agency, conducts activities regulated by the employee’s agency, has interests that 

can be affected by the performance or non-performance of the employee’s official duties, or is an 

organization the majority of whose members are in any of those classes.5 However, there are 

several exclusions and exceptions that may apply, as discussed below. 

 1 For the purposes of this advisory, the term “furloughed” refers to all federal employees in non-pay status, whether 

required to work or not. 2 OGE Legal Adv. LA-18-16 (2018). 3 5 C.F.R. §§ 2635.201(a), 2635.202. 4 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(e); see OGE Inf. Adv. Op. 07 x 2 (2007). 5 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(d).
2

 Crowdsourced Funding

Some employees have sought financial assistance through electronic “crowdsourcing” 

campaigns through platforms such as GoFundMe.6 Such campaigns raise a variety of ethics 

concerns, the most common of which are addressed below. However, because these campaigns 

require careful planning to avoid violating ethics rules, employees are urged to always check 

with their agency ethics official prior to launching a crowdsourcing campaign. 

• May I, or may someone on my behalf, start a crowdsourcing campaign to raise 

funds because I am in non-pay status? Generally, no. An employee (or a person acting 

on the employee’s behalf, such as a spouse7) may not solicit a gift based on the 

employee’s federal employment.8 Therefore, an employee’s agency, title, or status as a 

federal employee should not be used in any such solicitation. Additionally, employees 

cannot generally accept gifts from prohibited sources. Therefore, an employee would 

need to be able to identify and reject such prohibited donations.9 An employee could 

accept donations from the employee’s friends or relatives when it is clear that any 

donations accepted are based on that friendship or family relationship.10 Given the 

number of potential ethical pitfalls, OGE strongly encourages employees to consult an 

ethics official before any such campaign begins. 

• May I accept assistance from a crowdsourcing campaign designed to provide 

assistance to federal employees in non-pay status? It depends. Such offers of 

assistance may be accepted if (1) the assistance is offered to a broad class of government 

employees that does not discriminate based on responsibility, rank, or rate of pay (such as 

all furloughed federal employees) and (2) the campaign organizer is not a prohibited 

source.11 

Other Common Gift Questions 

• May I accept free meals or discounts offered to all federal workers or the general 

public? Yes. Many restaurants and other businesses extend offers of free meals, 

discounts, and other support to federal workers during a government shutdown. As long 

as the offer is extended to all federal employees, it may be accepted as a benefit available 

to a class consisting of all Government employees or all uniformed military personnel, 

even if the offer is restricted by geography.12 For example, an employee may accept a 

free meal or Metro ride made available to anyone in the metro Washington D.C. area who 

shows a federal employee ID card. Additionally, an employee may ask for and accept 

 6 For the purposes of this guidance, crowdsourcing is the practice of soliciting contributions or services from a large 

group of people, and especially from the online community. See Crowdsourcing, Merriam-Webster Dictionary (11th

ed., 2016); “crowdsourcing” for yourself or on your behalf in this context is distinct from “fundraising” as defined in 

5 C.F.R. § 2635.808.

7 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(f). 8 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702(a). 9 5 C.F.R. §§ 2635.201(a), 2635.202. 10 Employees should refer to the discussion below for ethics guidance on gifts based on a personal relationship. 11 5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(c)(2)(iii). 12 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(b)(4).
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assistance from organizations that provide aid to members of the general public, such as 

food banks or religious institutions. 

• May I accept any benefits offered only to furloughed federal workers? It depends on 

who is offering the benefit. Employees may accept gifts offered to a class of government 

employees that does not discriminate on the basis of official duties or rank13 (such as all 

furloughed federal employees) given by an organization or person who is not a 

“prohibited source” (such as an organization or person that has business with your 

agency, as described more fully above).14 For example, an employee may accept a free 

month of gym membership available to all furloughed federal employees as long as the 

gym is not a prohibited source for that employee. 

• May I accept a low or no interest loan from a bank or credit union? It depends. 

Employees may accept loans from banks or financial institutions on terms available to the 

general public15 or to all federal employees, whether or not restricted by geographic 

considerations.16 If an offer is limited only to furloughed federal employees, the 

employee may accept as long as the bank or credit union making the offer is not a 

prohibited source for that employee. 

• May I accept a small gift, other than cash, offered as an individual gesture of 

goodwill? Yes, provided certain conditions are met. A career government employee may 

accept such offers as long as the offer is unsolicited, the offered gift’s value is $20 or 

less, the offered gift is not cash or a cash equivalent (such as a VISA or MasterCard gift 

card), and the employee does not accept more than $50 from the same person in a year.17

For example, an employee may accept an unsolicited offer to provide or pay for the 

employee’s lunch as long as the lunch bill is $20 or less. However, most political 

appointees cannot use this exception to accept a gift from a lobbyist.18

• May I accept financial assistance offered by a friend and/or family member? In 

most cases, yes. Employees may accept gifts that are based on personal relationships as 

long as the circumstances make clear that the relationship is the motivating factor, rather 

than the employee’s federal position.19 Relevant factors include the history and nature of 

the relationship and whether the family member or friend is personally offering 

assistance.20 For example, an employee may likely accept a $1,000 cash loan offered by a 

family member or close friend. However, an employee would generally need to decline a 

similar offer from a friend who works for an agency’s contractor where the employee’s 

official duties affect the contractor. 

 13 5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(c)(2)(iii). 14 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(d). 15 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(b)(3). 16 5 C.F.R. § 2635.203(b)(4). 17 5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(a). 18 Exec. Order No. 13770, sec. 1, par. 5; sec. 2(b).

19 5 C.F.R. § 2635.204(b). 20 Id.
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• May I offer or accept financial assistance from co-workers? The limitations on gifts 

between employees remain in effect. Generally, employees may not give, donate to, or 

solicit contributions for, an official supervisor, and may not accept gifts from employees 

receiving less pay.

21 However, employees may accept the following from subordinates or 

employees receiving less pay: (1) non-cash gifts with a value of $10 or less, (2) gifts of 

personal hospitality of a type and value customarily provided, or (3) food and 

refreshments to be shared in the office.22 Additionally, while appropriate gifts may be 

given on infrequently occurring occasions of personal significance, a lapse in 

appropriations in itself is not such an occasion.23 OGE encourages employees to discuss 

offers of financial assistance between co-workers with their ethics official. 

• What else should I consider when deciding whether to accept such a gift? A criminal 

law prohibits employees from receiving any contribution to or supplementation of salary 

as compensation for their services as an employee.24 However, the Department of 

Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel (OLC) has previously found that payments (in that 

instance, limited to terminally ill children or grandchildren of present or former 

employees of a federal agency) that were motivated by sympathy, rather than an intent to 

compensate the employee for the employee’s government service, did not violate this 

law.25 Donations made to furloughed federal employees who are not in a position to 

influence the government on behalf of the payor would generally appear to be motivated 

by sympathy unless there is some clear indication to the contrary. If employees have 

concerns, they should discuss their concerns with their ethics official. 

Outside Employment

The duration of a partial lapse in appropriations may also result in some employees 

seeking outside employment while in non-pay status. While career employees may generally 

take on outside employment during a funding lapse, common concerns are addressed in the 

FAQs below. Moreover, employees considering outside employment are cautioned to coordinate 

with their agency ethics officials because some agencies have additional restrictions such as prior 

approval requirements. 

• May I seek alternative employment while I am in non-pay status? Generally, yes, if 

it does not conflict with your official duties and your agency does not have additional 

requirements. There is no government-wide restriction on outside employment for career 

employees. However, employees may not accept outside employment that would conflict 

with their official duties.26 Outside employment is unlikely to conflict with an 

employee’s official duties unless the outside employer is an organization with which the 

employee is likely to interact or otherwise affect in the course of the employee’s

government duties. Be aware that many agencies have specific regulations or statutes 

 21 5 C.F.R. § 2635.301. 22 5 C.F.R. § 2635.304(a). 23 5 C.F.R. § 2635.304(b). 24 18 U.S.C. § 209(a). 25 See “Applicability of 18 U.S.C. § 209 to Acceptance by FBI Employees of Benefits Under the ‘Make a Dream 

Come True’ Program,” 21 Op. O.L.C. 204 (1997). 26 5 C.F.R. § 2635.802.
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relating to outside employment, including, in some cases, prior approval requirements. 

Additionally, public and confidential financial disclosure filers must report any outside 

earned income and employment positions on their financial disclosure forms.

27 Finally, 

some noncareer employees are prohibited from earning outside income,

28 and most other 

noncareer employees are limited in the amount they can earn.29 

• How do I determine if my agency has any additional outside employment 

limitations? Employees who may wish to pursue outside employment at any time are 

encouraged to consult with their agency ethics officials. Because employees may be 

unable to contact an ethics official during a lapse in appropriations, employees are 

encouraged to become familiar with their agencies’ outside employment rules prior to a 

lapse in appropriations. Agency ethics officials are encouraged to provide accessible 

resources to their employees regarding outside employment requirements. 

• Are there limitations on what I can do for an outside employer? Yes. Employees are 

prohibited from representing outside parties before the federal government.30 For 

example, a furloughed employee may not contact a federal government agency or court 

that is open during a lapse in appropriations in order to sell a company’s products or 

services. Employees considering outside employment which involves representation 

before the federal government should seek guidance from an agency ethics official. 

• May I use my official title or position in connection with my non-federal 

employment? Generally, no. Employees are prohibited from using their federal 

government title or position to benefit a non-federal employer.31

• What should I do when I return to federal service? Once employees return to their 

federal employment, they should consult with agency ethics officials to discuss whether 

their outside employment during the lapse would require them not to work on matters 

involving their former employer for a period of one year.32 If an employee is going to 

continue outside employment after returning to federal service, it is vital that the 

employee meet with an ethics official to ensure that the outside employment does not 

create a conflicting interest with the employee’s federal duties.33

 27 5 C.F.R. §§ 2634.302, 2634.307; 5 C.F.R. §§ 2634.907(b), 2634.907(e). 28 Exec. Order No. 12674, sec. 102; see 5 C.F.R. § 2636.302.

29 5 C.F.R. §§ 2636.301, 2636.304. 30 18 U.S.C. §§ 203, 205. Employees are also prohibited from sharing in payments others have received for 

representing other parties before the federal government. 

31 5 C.F.R. § 2635.702. 32 5 C.F.R. § 2635.502. 33 18 U.S.C. § 208; 5 C.F.R. § 2635.802.