If it’s one thing 2025 has taught us, it’s that nothing is guaranteed. You could be working in federal or state government for over 20 years and be laid off.

No matter what the future holds for government workers, you should always give yourself choices. That’s why so many government workers are turning to freelancing.

Freelancing gives government workers better control of their time and money, new creative and professional opportunities, and better ways to leverage their skills.

One of the most frequently asked questions by government workers is “Can I legally freelance while working in the federal government?”

The short answer is Yes. As a federal or state government worker, you can freelance while being a government worker.

But you don’t want to get yourself in trouble by immediately getting started.

Here are three things you must do before freelancing as a government worker.

Review Your Policy

Every agency has its own policies around outside employment.

Before getting started as a freelancer, your first step is to review your agency’s policies and ethics guidelines. You want to read about any procedures revolving around:

• Outside employment.
• Conflicts of interest.
• Ethics.

With freelancing comes great power and responsibility. Even though you have the power to work with who you want, you don’t want your agency to question your integrity.

Let’s say that you are a policy analyst who offers grant writing services. You end up writing grant proposals for an organization who currently partners with your agency.

You don’t want your supervisor or HR department to accuse you of violating a conflict-of-interest law. Some of the references you want to check are:

• Your employee handbook
• The Office of Government Ethics (OGE)
• Your agency’s HR or administrative policy site.

Review these reference guides to cover yourself and ensure that you are working within the agency guidelines.

Seek Approval

Next, you want to confirm if you need to seek approval for outside work.

Many government agencies have strict ethics guidelines. You want to make sure that you do your due diligence and protect yourself and your day job.

Based on your agency’s policy, make sure that you inform your supervisor and your HR department about your freelancing plans. You don’t want it to seem as if there is a conflict of interest, especially if you perform the same types of services for the same types of clients.

If approval is required, submit all requested information in writing. Depending on your agency’s requirements, you may be asked to submit:

• An outside employment request form.
• A description of the services you’ll provide.
• The types of clients you’ll serve.
• When and where your freelancing will happen.
• How it won’t conflict with your official duties.

Once this information is submitted, keep copies of all written correspondence. You want to keep records showing that you’ve followed the right steps before getting started.

Keep Your Freelancing Separate

Last but not least, once you have approval, you want to make sure that your freelancing remains separate from your official duties.

Again, the more you can show that there is no conflict of interest, the better. Some of the ways that you can keep your freelancing separate are:

• Performing your freelance work outside of government hours.
• Using your own resources (laptop, email, phone, and workspace) to perform freelancing services.
• Choosing clients in areas outside of your official duties.
• Performing services in unrelated fields like editing, writing, or tutoring.
• Keeping a log of your hours and services.
• Using general skills like organization and strategy in a different context.
• Offering services that pose no ethical or legal conflicts.

These methods can help protect you in case your agency performs audits or ethics reviews.

Quick Recap

So, can you freelance while working for the federal, state, or local government? Yes.

But you have to do it the right way.

Before freelancing, remember these key steps:

• Review your agency’s policies about outside employment.
• Find out if prior approval is required before freelancing.
• Seek approval in writing.
• Perform your services using your own time, tools, and resources.
• Keep records of all freelance hours, income, and services.

Download My Checklist Today!

Need a quick guide to help you transition into freelancing? Download my “Quick Check Compliance List” to make it easier.

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