Last Updated: October 19, 2026 Reading Time: 6 min

The November 3, 2026 midterms will decide who sits in Congress next year. The deadlines that matter most to federal employees this fall belong to the Congress already in office, and the rules that changed your job this year are final regulations an election doesn't undo. Here's the calendar from Election Day to January 3, and what each date controls.

Midterms 2026 Calendar for Federal Employees

Date What happens Who acts
August 27, 2026 Alternative pay plan sent to Congress: 0% for 2027 civilian base and locality pay The President
September 2, 2026 OPM's revised RIF rule takes effect Already in effect
November 3, 2026 Election Day Voters
November 17, 2026 Comments close on OPM's proposed excepted-service rule (Pathways conversions to Schedule Policy/Career) Public
December 11, 2026 Stopgap funding ends Current 119th Congress
January 3, 2027 New terms begin at noon; the 120th Congress convenes New Congress
January 2027 2027 pay year starts under the alternative plan unless a law changes it Already set

December 11: The Lame-Duck Funding Deadline

The stopgap bill signed in September (H.R. 6500) funds agencies through December 11, 2026, or earlier for any activity whose full-year FY2027 appropriations bill passes first. The enrolled text lists December 11 as the outside date in Division A, section 106.

That deadline falls in the lame-duck session. The members voting on what comes next are the ones serving now. Under the 20th Amendment, members' terms end "at noon on the 3d day of January," so anyone elected November 3 isn't seated until January 3, 2027.

If no new funding law passes, the lapse would begin December 12. For what that would mean for your pay and your job, see our guides to a government shutdown and to the shutdown RIF settlement.

One detail in the current stopgap: section 112 lets agencies fund civilian pay at the rate needed to avoid furloughs, but only after they have "taken all necessary actions to reduce or defer non-personnel-related administrative expenses." That clause applies only while the stopgap is in effect.

Your 2027 Raise Was Decided in August

On August 27, 2026, the President sent Congress an alternative pay plan. The letter says: "I have determined that for 2027, base pay and locality pay for civilian Federal employees will not change from the 2026 rates."

Federal law requires an alternative plan to reach Congress "before September 1 of the preceding calendar year" (5 U.S.C. § 5303(b)(1)). It did. That plan stands for January unless Congress enacts a different raise in law, and any such law before January would come from the current Congress.

The same letter separately directs OPM to raise 2027 pay for law enforcement personnel by 3.8%. The letter doesn't define which positions count as law enforcement personnel.

A flat 2027 adjusts your pension math too. If you're near retirement, enter your 2027 salary at your 2026 rate in our High-3 Calculator to see how a frozen year changes your average. For the pay tables, see our 2027 GS pay scale tracker.

Rules an Election Doesn't Undo

Two of this year's biggest workforce changes are final regulations already in effect:

  • Schedule Policy/Career has been in effect since March 9, 2026 (91 FR 5580). Our Schedule F guide covers who it reaches.
  • OPM's revised RIF rule, which ranks performance ahead of tenure and length of service, has applied since September 2, 2026 (91 FR 49178). Our RIF final rule guide has the details.

A final regulation changes through new rulemaking, a new law, or a court ruling. An election result doesn't trigger any of those by itself.

One rule is still open. OPM's proposed excepted-service rule would "authorize and clarify Pathways conversions to Schedule Policy/Career," and comments close November 17, 2026, two weeks after Election Day (91 FR 59076). Our Pathways conversion guide explains what it would change.

Hatch Act Rules Through Election Day

The Hatch Act doesn't pause for the election. Under 5 U.S.C. § 7324(a), most covered federal employees may not engage in political activity (a narrow exception in § 7324(b) covers certain senior political appointees):

  • while on duty,
  • in a federal workplace,
  • while wearing a uniform or official insignia, or
  • in a government vehicle.

So leave the campaign button and the candidate T-shirt at home on November 3.

Separately, 5 U.S.C. § 7323(a)(2) generally bars employees from knowingly soliciting, accepting or receiving political contributions, with a narrow exception for certain contributions to a federal employee organization's political action committee from fellow members. That ban isn't limited to duty hours; check with your ethics office before relying on the exception. It applies on your own time, and agency ethics guidance relaying OSC says that includes your own social media.

Most employees also can't run as candidates in partisan elections, and employees of agencies such as the FBI and Secret Service face broader limits. Agency ethics offices, relaying guidance from the Office of Special Counsel, say employees may post about candidates on personal social media if they avoid political activity on duty or at work and never ask for donations. Our Hatch Act midterms guide covers posts, shares and likes in detail.

What Changes on January 3, 2027

At noon on January 3, 2027, the 120th Congress convenes under the 20th Amendment, which says Congress's meeting "shall begin at noon on the 3d day of January" unless a law sets a different day. New members take their seats.

Our federal workforce bills tracker follows the legislation affecting your pay and benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does the election change my January 2027 raise?

Not by itself. The President's August 2026 alternative pay plan holds 2027 civilian GS base and locality pay at 2026 rates unless Congress enacts a different raise. Any law changing that before January would come from the current Congress, because newly elected members aren't seated until January 3, 2027.

Who handles the December 11 funding deadline?

The current 119th Congress. Stopgap funding runs through December 11, 2026 (earlier for any activity whose full-year FY2027 bill is enacted first), and the members elected on November 3 don't take office until noon on January 3, 2027.

Does the election undo Schedule Policy/Career or the RIF rule?

Not by itself. Both are final regulations already in effect: Schedule Policy/Career since March 9, 2026 and OPM's revised RIF rule since September 2, 2026. An election doesn't change a final rule. Changing one takes new rulemaking, a new law or a court ruling.

Can I wear a campaign button at work on Election Day?

No, for most covered employees. They may not engage in political activity while on duty, in a federal workplace, while wearing a uniform or official insignia, or in a government vehicle. Section 7324(b) contains a narrow exception for certain senior political appointees.

Can I ask friends for campaign donations on my personal social media?

No. The ban on knowingly soliciting, accepting or receiving political contributions isn't limited to duty hours, so it applies on your own time too, and agency ethics guidance relaying OSC says that includes personal social media.

Sources: H.R. 6500 enrolled text (FY2027 continuing appropriations), House Document 119-189, alternative pay plan letter, U.S. Constitution, 20th Amendment, 5 U.S.C. § 5303, 5 U.S.C. § 7323, 5 U.S.C. § 7324, 91 FR 5580, 91 FR 49178, 91 FR 59076.