Federal government telework rules come from two places right now: the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, which still sets the statutory framework, and a January 2025 presidential memorandum that directed executive agencies to bring employees back to the office full-time. The practical result is that most federal employees are expected on-site every workday, and telework survives mainly as a disability accommodation or a narrow exemption approved by an agency head.
The Statute and the 2025 Directive
Chapter 65 of Title 5, enacted as the Telework Enhancement Act of 2010, required every executive agency to establish a telework policy for eligible employees and defined telework as performing duties from an approved worksite other than the employee’s regular location.1Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6501 – Definitions The Act’s eligibility rules, training requirement, and permanent disqualifiers are still in force.2GovInfo. Telework Enhancement Act of 2010
On January 20, 2025, a presidential memorandum instructed executive branch agencies to “take all necessary steps to terminate remote work arrangements and require employees to return to work in-person at their respective duty stations on a full-time basis.” Agency heads may grant exemptions they deem necessary, and implementation has to be consistent with applicable law.3The White House. Return to In-Person Work OPM has since instructed agencies that employees should generally complete their entire biweekly work requirement at an agency worksite unless they hold an approved exemption for a disability, a qualifying medical condition, service as a military or Foreign Service spouse working overseas, or another compelling reason certified by the agency head.4U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Official Worksite for Location-Based Pay Purposes
Who Can Still Telework
Two filters apply. First, the position itself has to be suitable for off-site work. Jobs that require daily access to classified national security materials or in-person service to the public are generally treated as ineligible, and under current OPM guidance even positions previously approved for routine telework may now require full-time in-person attendance unless the employee qualifies for a specific exemption.
Second, federal law creates two permanent bars tied to conduct. An employee who has been officially disciplined for being absent without permission for more than five days in any calendar year is ineligible. So is an employee who has been officially disciplined for viewing, downloading, or exchanging pornography on a government computer or while performing official duties.5Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6502 – Executive Agencies Telework Requirement
Beyond those bars, an agency can revoke any telework agreement if the employee’s performance drops below a “fully successful” rating or if the employee fails to comply with the terms of the written agreement, and managers are expected to document the reasons.6U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Can Telework Be Revoked?
The Three Categories and How Each Is Treated Now
Routine Telework
Routine telework is a regular, recurring schedule where you work from an approved location on set days each pay period. Most routine agreements have been terminated under the return-to-office directive. Agencies may still authorize them in narrow circumstances, but the default expectation is full-time in-person work.
Situational Telework
Situational telework covers one-time or irregular instances rather than a fixed calendar. Under current OPM guidance it should only be authorized for a compelling agency need, such as an office closure due to severe weather, a short-term illness or injury, or a religious observance. It is approved case by case and is not meant to function as a regular schedule.
Remote Work
Remote work means the employee is not expected to report to the agency worksite on any regular basis, and the home or other approved location becomes the official duty station for pay purposes. The January 2025 memorandum specifically directed agencies to terminate remote work arrangements, though some exempted employees continue under existing agreements.
Pay and Duty Station Consequences
Where you’re considered “located” for pay purposes determines your locality rate. If you have a telework agreement and report to the office at least twice during each biweekly pay period, the agency worksite remains your official duty station and you keep that location’s locality pay.7eCFR. 5 CFR 531.605 – Determining an Employee’s Official Worksite Fall below that threshold and your home becomes the official duty station, with pay adjusted to the locality rate for that area. The regulation allows temporary exceptions for situations like medical recovery, emergencies that prevent commuting, or extended approved leave.
Travel reimbursement follows the same logic. If you’re a remote worker whose official duty station is your home and you live outside the local commuting area of the agency office, the agency reimburses your travel when you’re called in. Live within the local commuting area and you’re generally on your own for those costs, though individual agencies may have their own policies.8U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Are There Limits on What Locations Are Appropriate for Remote Work?
Telework as a Disability Accommodation
The return-to-office directive does not override federal disability law. Under the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, agencies must provide reasonable accommodation to qualified employees with disabilities, and telework can be one of those accommodations. The EEOC has stated that agencies cannot use a blanket return-to-office policy to deny all telework accommodation requests; each one must be evaluated individually.9U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Frequently Asked Questions from the Federal Sector about Telework Accommodations for Disabilities
Telework qualifies as a reasonable accommodation only when it enables you to perform the essential functions of your position or to enjoy equal benefits and privileges of employment. Personal convenience does not meet the legal standard. The agency also has the right to choose among effective accommodations, so if an in-office alternative would work just as well, the agency can offer that instead.
The process runs through an interactive dialogue between you and your agency. You may need to provide medical documentation when the disability or need for accommodation isn’t obvious. The agency then assesses whether telework would let you do the job, whether in-person attendance is an essential function of the position, and whether another accommodation would be equally effective. Temporary telework may qualify during periods of medical treatment or recovery even where permanent remote work would not.9U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Frequently Asked Questions from the Federal Sector about Telework Accommodations for Disabilities
Agencies can revisit previously granted accommodations if circumstances change, such as when job duties shift, operational needs evolve, or new medical information becomes available, and they may substitute an effective alternative. Employees who request telework as a disability accommodation are protected from retaliation under federal discrimination laws.
Training, Agreement, and Workspace Requirements
Before any telework arrangement takes effect, the statute requires you to complete an interactive telework training program.10Office of the Law Revision Counsel. 5 USC 6503 – Training and Monitoring OPM offers a “Telework Fundamentals” course, and agency heads can exempt employees who were already teleworking before the Act took effect.11U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Many of Our Employees Have Been Teleworking for Some Time Now. Are They Still Required to Take the Telework Training?
You’ll also sign a written telework agreement. There’s no government-wide form; each agency uses its own. The core information is the same across agencies: the alternative worksite address, emergency contact information, specific work hours, and how you’ll be reachable during duty hours.
Most agencies also require a self-certification safety checklist for your home workspace. You verify that the space has adequate lighting, working smoke detectors, and a setup that won’t cause injury. That shifts responsibility for a safe off-site work environment to you, though the government may reserve the right to inspect your home office with advance notice. Federal law does not require agencies to reimburse home internet, utilities, or office furniture. Some agencies provide government-furnished equipment such as laptops, but other out-of-pocket costs generally fall on you unless your agency has adopted a specific reimbursement policy.
Telework Is Not a Substitute for Dependent Care
OPM policy is explicit that you cannot telework with the intent of providing dependent care during duty hours.12U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Dependent Care You are still expected to have separate care arrangements for children or adult dependents while you’re on the clock, whether your arrangement is routine, situational, or remote.
Information Security Obligations
Working from home doesn’t relax the rules for handling government data. Federal agencies follow NIST guidance that requires multi-factor authentication for remote access, timeouts on inactive sessions, and encryption of sensitive information stored on telework devices or transmitted between your home and agency networks.13National Institute of Standards and Technology. Guide to Enterprise Telework, Remote Access, and Bring Your Own Device Security Agencies set their own policies on which devices are permitted and what data can be accessed remotely, and in high-risk situations they may prohibit remote access to certain categories of information, such as sensitive personally identifiable information. A violation can cost you both your telework privileges and expose you to formal discipline.
If Your Request Is Denied or Revoked
A denial or revocation must be in writing with an explanation provided in a timely manner.14U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Can My Supervisor Prevent Me from Teleworking? There is no statutorily mandated notice period for revocations, though OPM guidance recommends that managers follow applicable agency procedures and inform the employee of any appeal rights.
Your options depend on your situation. If you’re covered by a collective bargaining agreement, you may be able to file a grievance through your union’s negotiated procedure. Otherwise, contact your agency’s employee relations staff in Human Resources to learn which internal procedures apply. If the denial involves a reasonable accommodation request, the legal protections are stronger, and you may have additional remedies through the EEO complaint process.
The Telework Enhancement Act gives managers authority to terminate agreements when performance declines or when the employee violates the written agreement’s terms, and those decisions are supposed to be case-by-case rather than blanket punishments.15U.S. Office of Personnel Management. Can a Manager Suspend or Terminate a Telework Agreement If you believe a revocation was retaliatory or discriminatory, document everything and consult with your union representative or an employment attorney familiar with federal-sector labor law.