The government may shut down.
Your paycheck shouldn’t.
You keep serving. We help keep life moving. Shutdown Hero is building a membership to help federal employees and their families stay steady when a shutdown stops their pay.
Free to join. Joining the list doesn’t enroll you in a membership.
At home
A paycheck can pause. Everyday life keeps going.
When a shutdown interrupts federal pay, the household bills don’t pause with it. Switch between normal pay and a shutdown to see what keeps coming due.
- Paused
Paycheck
Stopped by the shutdown
- Still due
Rent or mortgage
- Still due
Groceries
- Still due
Childcare
- Still due
Utilities
Why this matters
Shutdowns keep coming, and the latest were the longest on record.
- 1.4million
- federal employees were furloughed or worked without pay in the 2025 shutdown.
- 42days
- without funding in fall 2025, the longest government-wide shutdown on record.
- 75days
- without funding for Homeland Security in 2026, the longest for any single department.
- 13shutdowns
- of a full day or longer since 1981.
Days are full days without funding. 1.4 million combines estimates of about 670,000 employees furloughed and 730,000 working without pay. Sources: Bipartisan Policy Center, Congressional Research Service (R41759), Congressional Research Service (R49105), Office of the House Historian.
Our mission
The public servant is the hero.
Federal employees do work the country depends on. A political funding deadline shouldn’t make it harder to plan life at home.
Shutdown Hero exists to have their back, helping federal employees and their families find greater financial stability when a shutdown interrupts normal pay. Our focus is the people affected, and our mission is politically neutral.
Read our missionMembership first
The relationship starts before a shutdown, so support isn’t something you scramble for after a missed paycheck.
Built around federal pay
Designed for how federal pay and shutdowns actually work, not a generic product with federal branding.
Clear terms, up front
You’ll see what’s required, why, and what your obligations are before anyone asks you to enroll.
Private by design
We ask only for what we need. Our early-access form never asks for bank details or a Social Security number.
Progress
Building it step by step.
The mission goes public
We shared our mission and opened the early-access list.
A working prototype
An internal prototype walks through the member experience, using fictional data.
Now
Preparing for banking partners
We’re using what the prototype shows us to prepare for conversations with potential banking partners.
Next
Clear terms before enrollment
Pricing, eligibility, and program terms will be explained before anyone is asked to enroll.
What is Shutdown Hero?
Shutdown Hero is an independent company developing a membership service to help federal employees maintain financial stability when a government shutdown interrupts their pay. The program is still being developed.
Is the membership available today?
Not yet. Right now, you can join the early-access list. Membership enrollment and financial assistance are not available through this website, and a launch date has not been announced.
Are you part of the government?
No. Shutdown Hero, Inc. is an independent company, not affiliated with or endorsed by the U.S. government. Our mission focuses on federal employees and their households, and is politically neutral.
Do you need my bank details or Social Security number?
No. The early-access form does not ask for bank or card details, a Social Security number, identity documents, or payroll records. Please don’t email us those details either.
Join the list
Be part of
what comes next.
We’re building around the realities of federal employment. Your interest helps us understand who Shutdown Hero could serve.
- Only your email and employment type are required.
- The form never asks for bank details or a Social Security number.
- Joining is free, and you can leave the list at any time.