The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is Currently Closed Due to a Lapse in Appropriations

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) is currently closed because of a lapse in its appropriation.  

While the agency is closed, a limited number of EEOC services are available.  If you are trying to contact the EEOC or have existing business with the agency during the shutdown period, please refer to the following information.  

During the shutdown, information on this website will not be updated. Transactions submitted via the website will not be processed, and EEOC staff will not be able to respond to requests or questions submitted to the EEOC, including those submitted by email or through its website until appropriations are enacted.  

The EEOC Public Portal (https://publicportal.eeoc.gov/Portal/Login.aspx) will be available to submit a pre-charge inquiry online. Please note that an inquiry is not a charge of discrimination. See below for more information.   

Members of the public who call the EEOC's toll free telephone number, 1-800-669-4000, during the government shutdown will be able to access the pre-recorded information available on the EEOC's Interactive Voice Response System, but EEOC staff will not be available to assist them.        

Email inquires sent to info@eeoc.gov will be monitored for urgent matters but generally not addressed during the shutdown.   

Employment Discrimination Charges  

The U.S. EEOC enforces federal laws prohibiting job discrimination based on race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, genetic information; or based on retaliation for filing a charge of job discrimination, participating in an investigation of a job discrimination complaint, or opposing job discrimination.   

Filing a Charge  

IMPORTANT NOTICE: Interviews scheduled to occur during the period that the federal government is closed are cancelled and will be rescheduled when the government reopens.  

The laws enforced by the EEOC, except the Equal Pay Act (EPA), require you to file a charge before you can file a lawsuit in court for unlawful employment discrimination. If you would like to file a charge of discrimination against a private employer or a state or local government employer, there are specific time limits for filing a charge. You must file a charge with the EEOC within either 180 or 300 days from the last act of alleged discrimination, depending on whether the allegations are also covered by state or local employment discrimination laws. If you do not file a charge of discrimination within the required time period, you may lose your rights and the EEOC may not be able to assist you further.  

If you are within 60 days of your time expiring, or you are unsure when your time expires, you should begin the process by submitting a pre-charge inquiry online at the EEOC Public Portal. The EEOC will review inquiries submitted through the EEOC Public Portal during the shutdown for appropriate handling. Please note that EEOC will only contact you during the shutdown if it appears that your charge filing deadline will expire within 14 days. For all other inquiries, we will contact you to discuss your inquiry when the federal government reopens.  

Charges of discrimination may still be filed with state or local agencies that investigate employment discrimination matters. There are time limits associated with filing charges at such agencies. You may find your state or local fair employment practices agency by going to www.eeoc.gov/field-office and once you are at the EEOC office page near you, click on the “State, Local and Tribal Programs” menu item.  

Pending Charges  

During the shutdown, we will not be able to respond to inquiries about pending charges or investigate charges.  However, you may check the most recent status of your charge on the EEOC Public Portal.  

Statute of Limitations and Notices of Right to Sue  

If you have received notice of your right to sue, please be advised that the time limits for filing your case in federal court are not suspended while the request is pending. If you do not file suit within the time period, as explained in the dismissal letter, you will lose the right to do so.  

Requests for Reconsideration  

During the government shutdown, the EEOC will accept requests for reconsideration, but the EEOC will not take any action on such requests until the federal government reopens.     

Mediation  

Mediations scheduled to occur during the government shutdown are cancelled and will be rescheduled when the government reopens. This applies to mediation of private sector charges and federal sector cases.   

Federal Sector  

Hearings  

The EEOC will accept federal sector hearing requests during the shutdown.  Hearings/proceedings before an Administrative Judge (AJ) (settlement conference, pre-hearing conference, mediation, hearing on a motion, or hearing on the merits) that are scheduled to occur during the government shutdown are cancelled and will be rescheduled when the government reopens. Similarly, deadlines for completing discovery or submitting motions are also suspended during the federal government shutdown. For any matters that were scheduled and postponed due to the shutdown, the parties should contact the AJ to reschedule once the federal government reopens. As a general rule, deadlines for discovery or to submit motions will be extended by the number of days the government is shut down. AJs have discretion to modify deadlines as appropriate.   

Appeals & Requests for Reconsideration   

The EEOC will accept federal sector appeals and requests for reconsideration during the shutdown. Please follow the instructions for filing an appeal or request for reconsideration that appear on the agency's final order or the EEOC's decision. Parties should use the EEOC Public Portal or regular USPS mail to submit all appeals, appeal briefs, and requests for reconsideration. If the due dates for submitting appeal briefs and complaint files fall within the period of the government shutdown, the EEOC will generally extend these deadlines by the number of days the government is shut down. Note that we will not extend deadlines that expire before the government shutdown.  

Litigation  

EEOC litigation will be paused unless the court requires the case to proceed.      

Outreach  

All EEOC-sponsored technical assistance, training, and outreach events are postponed during the shutdown. Additionally, EEOC staff are unable to participate in any outreach or educational program, regardless of the sponsoring organization, during the government shutdown.  

Requests for EEO Counseling - Employment Discrimination Complaints Against EEOC  

The EEOC will accept requests for EEO counseling from individuals with an employment relationship with the EEOC (current EEOC employees, former EEOC employees, and applicants for employment with EEOC). Requests for counseling may be directed by e-mail to contact_ocr@eeoc.gov or by telephone to (202) 921-2945. Individuals seeking counseling should anticipate that the 45-day deadline to initiate contact with an EEO counselor pursuant to 29 C.F.R. § 1614.105(a) will not be tolled or extended during the shutdown, and that the 45-day deadline still applies. However, the Office for Civil Rights (OCR) will be unable to respond during the shutdown. If the deadline for completion of EEO counseling or other stage of EEO complaint processing is impacted by the government shutdown, the EEOC will generally extend those deadlines by the number of days the government is shutdown.  

FOIA  

EEOC will not acknowledge, process, or respond to FOIA requests or appeals during the shutdown. In addition, the Commission’s FOIA Public Liaison and FOIA Requester Service Center will not be operational during the shutdown.  

EEOC Hiring/Onboarding  

By law, individuals do not become federal employees until they report for work and are sworn in. The EEOC will consider delaying the entrance-on-duty (EOD) or reporting date for new employees who are scheduled to onboard during a shutdown. The EEOC will contact individuals directly who already have reporting dates.  

EEOC Shutdown Contingency Plan  

The EEOC has posted a Shutdown Contingency Plan in the event of a lapse in appropriations. This plan identifies excepted activities which will continue during the shutdown.