Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Questions are grouped by category. Click on any of the questions below to open the accordion box with information to answer that question.
General Furlough FAQs
All full time classified and exempt employees (represented and non-represented) are required to take 12 furlough days during the 2025–2026 academic year. However, there are two key exemptions: full-time employees earning less than $67,000 annually and employees whose positions are fully funded by grants are not required to participate in the furlough.
If you are working summer hours, that is a schedule that is different than the traditional five eight-hour days, you should work with your supervisor to ensure that your 40 hours work-week is reduced by 8 hours for every furlough day you take (e.g. working only 32 hours in a work-week in which you take one furlough day).
All employees working less than full-time are currently exempt from furloughs.
No, employees must stay in "no-pay" status during the furlough day unless otherwise granted an exemption.
For those retiring from PERS/TRS, one of the variables used in calculating the retirement benefit is “average final compensation” – the average of one’s highest 60 consecutive pay. DRS tends to strip out zero earnings periods. It is recommended that individuals set up online account access, https://drs.wa.gov/oaa to use the Benefit Estimator tool to calculate their retirement benefit.
For those retiring from the SBRP, the benefit is based on the value of the account. It is recommended that individuals reach out to TIAA
In either case, retirement contributions will continue based on pay received by the employee, however a reduction in paid hours may impact the employee’s service credit accumulation.
No, they are not included in the furlough.
The CTC Furlough Take in Absence Management will process as unpaid leave for E06 [Exempt] EEs. E06 will not need to take any further action.
The CTC Furlough Take in Absence Management will process as unpaid leave for C06 [Classified]. C06 will need to not record any work hours on their timesheet the days which they requested the furlough day.
Yes, employees on FMLA will still be required to take furlough days. This means replacing a paid leave day with an unpaid leave day.
No, you may not record vacation hours on the same day as a furlough day. Furlough days are designated as unpaid leave and must be taken as such.
No, PTO may not be used on furlough days. Furloughs are meant to be unpaid and are implemented to reduce payroll costs. Shared leave also cannot be used for furlough days, as it is designated specifically for serious medical or family-related situations, not for planned unpaid leave like furloughs
No, you cannot use accrued leaves, including vacation or sick leave, to cover furlough days. Furlough days are designated as unpaid leave and must remain unpaid.
No, employees who earn less than $67,000 annually are exempt from the furlough requirement.
No, employees whose positions are fully funded by grants or self-support are exempt from the furlough requirement.
Yes, if you were transferred to a new position within Seattle Colleges mid-year, you would still be required to take furlough days if your new position is subject to furlough. The furlough requirement is based on your employment status and salary, not the timing of your transfer. Therefore, if your new position is eligible, you will need to take the required furlough days for the remainder of the fiscal year.
It depends. If you're on furlough both the day before and the day after a holiday, you likely won’t receive holiday pay because you’re not in a paid status on either side of the holiday. However, if you are in paid status on at least one of those days, you may still be eligible. To receive holiday pay, you must usually be in paid status on the workday before or after the holiday. Please confirm with HR to ensure how the policy applies to your specific situation.
WAC 182-12-114: An employee is eligible if they are anticipated to work an average of at least 80 hours per month and are anticipated to work for at least eight hours in each month for more than six consecutive months. As folks would be expected to work at least 80 hours/month without furloughs, employer-paid insurance will continue during any month in which the employee is in pay status for at least 8 hours.
If a furlough is scheduled for a day you’ve already planned to use PTO, your paid time off would be canceled for that furlough day and replaced with unpaid leave. However, PTO scheduled on other days within the same week can generally still be used, unless otherwise directed. Please check with your manager or HR to confirm how this may apply to your situation.
Furlough may only be taken in full-day increments. Partial days such as half-days or hourly furloughs are not permitted. This ensures consistency in how furlough time is tracked and reported across the institution.
Yes, if you were hired mid-year and your position is subject to furlough, you are still required to participate. However, the number of furlough days will be prorated based on your hire date. For example, if the annual requirement is 12 furlough days, and you started halfway through the year, you may be responsible for approximately 6 days. Please contact HR to confirm your specific furlough obligation based on your start date and employment classification.
As a manager, you should evaluate furlough day requests using the same criteria you would for other types of leave: ensuring that business operations are maintained and that coverage is adequate. While employees have flexibility in scheduling their furlough days, it’s important that requests are balanced with operational needs, team schedules, and workload demands. If you’re unsure or face a complex situation, consult with your campus HR for guidance.
When an exempt employee takes a partial week of furlough, they become hourly, overtime-eligible employees, due to FLSA rules. If you are overtime-exempt, in weeks in which you are on furlough, you are paid as an hourly employee.
To put it simply: you must furlough at least eight hours each week and work (or use paid leave) no more than 32 hours. For many of us, this will be the most challenging part, but it’s essential that you must adhere to this limit.
Furloughs don’t affect accruals, months of service toward a higher vacation accrual rate, progression start date, seniority, and time off and company service date as long as a person doesn't take more than 10 days a month using furlough days.
No, employees may not voluntarily furlough beyond the 96-hour requirement. The furlough program is a structured, mandatory cost-saving measure, and additional unpaid time off outside of the approved furlough policy must follow the institution’s standard leave procedures. If you wish to take additional unpaid time off, please consult with your supervisor and campus HR to explore additional options.
Filing for Unemployment FAQs
You must complete three steps to get unemployment benefits:
- Create a SecureAccess Washington (SAW) account in order to access ESD’s eServices.
- Apply for unemployment benefits.
- Submit weekly claims each week you want to receive a payment. You submit a claim each week after you have a furlough day.
ESD has prepared two walk-throughs for State employees to assist in completing your paperwork:
If you can not log in for any reason (trouble with your SAW account, it’s still locked, SSN doesn’t match DOB, etc.) – you should email the SAW help desk at ESDGPSAWIssues@esd.wa.gov. This team can either resolve the issue or will forward to the correct department within ESD for resolution.
ESD has developed the following instructional videos:
They have also developed guides available on the left-hand navigation of their employee web page. These guides include step-by-step pictures of how to answer many questions during the application process.
You don't need to request the additional $600 payment. It will automatically be added to your payment if you are eligible for it, but you still must file weekly claims.
ESD may be able to consider your hours worked in another state.
There's an option early in the application process where you will be asked if you have worked for an employer in another state. If you click Yes, you'll be prompted to input information regarding that employer. ESD will then contact the other state and "bring over" your hours to try and meet the 680 hour threshold. This may take some time (e.g. California is telling other states to give them at least 30 days), but ESD will then determine eligibility as of your application date.
If you find that you get an error message saying that your Social Security number already is associated with another account, you might indeed be a victim of fraud. ESD is taking care of this for you.
Please report this to your HR team to ensure ESD has a copy of your Seattle Colleges email address to help expedite unlocking your account.
You should also read the answer to What should I do if I’m a victim of identity theft? in the Questions and answers section of this ESD page about fraud and follow the steps outlined there.
Email the following department withing ESD and include your SAW username and contact information and they will either work to correct the issue or will forward the issue to the appropriate department for resolution: ESDGPSAWIssues@esd.wa.gov.
Your campus HR can help you with your issues or concerns. If they cannot, they can submit a correction on your behalf to ESD.