Who Can Receive This Extra $300
Workers who lost hours or their job due to the pandemic would qualify. That means that people who were unemployed before COVID-19 would not receive this extra check, as they did with the $600 supplemental payment included in the stimulus CARES Act.
Additionally, workers who receive less than $100 in weekly unemployment are excluded from the program.
“It excludes some of our lowest-wage earners and part-time workers, and, perhaps most importantly, adds another layer of red tape that workers in need have to cut through,” Asaro-Angelo said earlier this year. “This will be slicing and dicing and picking losers and winners.”
The Labor Department estimated that more than 1 million workers could be eligible for the extra $300. The department said more than 1.4 million people could receive unemployment since the pandemic began.
Who Qualifies For Extra Weekly Unemployment Payments
All workers who get regular unemployment benefits should be eligible for the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation programs additional weekly $300 benefits, beginning the week ending January 2. Anyone who receives at least $1 in unemployment aid qualifies.
Some workers who are self-employed or have side gigs, but who also earned some regular wages, may get an additional $100 a week. To be eligible for the additional Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation program, you must have earned at least $5,000 a year in 2019 in self-employment income, but be disqualified from receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance as youre eligible for regular state unemployment benefits, too.
But theres another twist, too. States can choose whether to participate in the additional mixed earners unemployment compensation program. According to mixedincome.org, a site set up by the Future of Music Coalition to support those who are eligible, Idaho and South Dakota have not opted into the program.
Note: Ohio said it has started issuing new weekly $300 federal pandemic unemployment compensation payments to those who did not exhaust their benefits before the initial CARES Act program expired on Dec. 27, but is still processing others.
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Approved Weeks Of The Program
Applications approved: weeks ending Aug. 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 and Sept. 5, 2020.
If you were eligible for any of the approved weeks, you will receive the extra $300 retroactively for those weeks.
Washington state applied and was approved for all weeks available from the federal government. The Federal Emergency Management Agency is not funding any weeks beyond the week ending Sept. 5, 2020.
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Who Gets Left Out
The measure threatens to leave behind many low-wage workers. At least 1 million unemployed workers earn less than $100 a week, or about 6% of individuals on basic state unemployment, according to Eliza Forsythe, a labor economist and assistant professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. That disproportionately affects female, low-wage and part-time workers, she said.
To be sure, nearly everyone who is on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which includes self-employed and others who donât qualify for standard unemployment, should be above that $100 a week threshold, Forsythe says.
Federal Unemployment Benefits Ending
Federal unemployment benefit programs under the CARES Act ended on September 4, 2021. You will no longer be paid benefits on the following claim types for weeks of unemployment after September 4:
Note:Federal-State Extended Duration benefits will no longer be payable for weeks of unemployment after September 11.
The federal government does not allow benefit payments to be made for weeks of unemployment after these programs end, even if you have a balance left on your claim. Certification weeks eligible for payment before the end of these programs will be processed. This includes weeks eligible for conditional payments. You will be notified about what to expect based on your claim type.
Note: View the following to learn more about benefits ending and other assistance programs still available:
If your program type is:
- UI, you are receiving regular unemployment.
- PEUC, Extension Tier 2, or Extension Tier 2 , you are receiving Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits.
- Extension FED-ED, you have used all PEUC benefits and are now receiving FED-ED extension benefits.
- Disaster Assistance, you are receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance . If you arent receiving PUA, you are receiving Disaster Unemployment Assistance following a declared disaster.
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Do I Have To Pay Taxes On Unemployment Compensation
Normally yes. Unemployment benefits are considered taxable income by the Internal Revenue Service . That means unemployment benefits are always subject to federal taxes, but state taxes on the benefits vary depending on the state where you live.
However, as part of the stimulus package, the federal government is forgiving taxes on up to $10,200 of unemployment benefits earned in 2020 for individuals earning less than $150,000.
If you already filed your 2020 taxes, you dont need to amend your return. The IRS is adjusting qualifying returns automatically in two phases. Nearly three million refunds were sent the week of June 7, and another batch of refunds is expected to be distributed later in June. The IRS will send a mailed letter to anyone whose return has been adjusted.
If you havent yet filed your 2020 tax return, If you filed for benefits in 2020, your state should mail you Form 1099-G, Certain Government Payment, which will include your total unemployment compensation received during the year. Youll use this form to determine how much to adjust your tax return calculations in order to get the tax break.
Unemployment Relief For The Self
What about the many unemployed Americans who work for themselves? The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program is designed to issue $300 weekly payments to the many contract workers that are having a tough time finding work. Those include freelancers, part-time workers, gig workers, and other independent contractors who arent usually eligible for unemployment.
If you qualify for PUA, youll need to apply through your states unemployment office. Be prepared to submit documentation verifying that youre eligible for assistance. To qualify, you need to be able to demonstrate that you are self-employed. This verification could include documents like tax returns, a business license, or client invoices.
Unemployed workers who combine freelance work with a W-2 job could qualify for an additional $100 each week. If you think you meet the qualifications, contact your state unemployment office for instructions.
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Is $300 Extra Per Week In Unemployment Benefits Actually Stopping Anyone In Minnesota From Taking A Job
You know were going to say: Its complicated.
As more Minnesotans are vaccinated against COVID-19, the features of a post-pandemic world are emerging: maskless faces, hugs and Now Hiring signs on storefronts and businesses. It seems everyones hiring, from restaurants to big box stores to bars, and many of them are struggling to find enough workers to fill their open positions.
At the same time, there are a lot of people still out of work. And workers who are on unemployment are receiving an extra $300 per week through the federal American Rescue Plan passed earlier this year.
Lots of people pundits, employers, politicians are sure that those extra unemployment benefits are a problem, incentivizing workers to stay home instead of looking for work. In fact, 25 states including Montana, Florida, Arizona and Ohio, are ending the weekly supplemental benefit early in an effort to push unemployed workers into jobs.
But is a $300 weekly benefits bump really enough to keep unemployed workers from taking jobs?
Measuring unemployment
Unemployment in Minnesota hit 4.1 percent in April just a bit higher than the low unemployment before the pandemic and the lowest its been since the pandemic began in March of 2020.
Throughout the pandemic, a historically high number of people were unemployed. Because of the crisis this posed to the economy, the federal government added supplementary unemployment payments to the usual amounts people were eligible for.
Who Is Eligible For The Extra Benefits
Anyone receiving unemployment benefits of at least $100 will receive additional federal aid.
According to the Lost Wages Grant, states must also agree to pay the first $100 per week that each person receives in unemployment benefits.
This means that if you do not currently qualify for at least $100 per week under your stateâs benefits policy, you will not be eligible to receive the extra $300 from the federal government.
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How To File For Unemployment Benefits Back Payments
Many of the recent comments in this article reflect the challenges with actually being able to claim unemployment back payments for eligible weeks. In particular getting through a live agent or getting a response from your local state agency has been a challenge which has often meant stress and panic around the status of your unemployment check, and if you will even be getting paid one for current or past weeks.
While it varies by state, the following are the key ways to file and get your retroactive unemployment payments:
- To claim past weeks or correct dates you will generally have to contact your state UI agency and get them to retroactively certify you for past week. Getting an agent is a challenge, so may agencies are offering secure message as a way to lodge your claim. New York is doing this extensively and people have reported this is more effective than trying to get through to someone.
- States like Florida have actually setup dedicated phone lines and options to modify the date of unemployment claims or to certify for past weeks. In California, there is a dedicated site to certify for past weeks to confirm your eligibility .
- Some states like PA are trying to do more of this online through their unemployment portals/dashboards, and actually are recommending claimants experiencing any errors or issues email their state agency. But response times are still expected to be several days.
When Workers Can Expect To Receive The New $300 Unemployment Boost
Workers in some states, including New York, Minnesota and Rhode Island, could start seeing the latest $300 weekly unemployment boost hit their accounts starting next week.
The Department of Labor confirmed this week that workers will be entitled to the full 11 weeks of enhanced unemployment benefits laid out in the $900 billion Covid rescue package for periods of joblessness from Dec. 27 through March 14, 2021. Payments for the first week covered in the act, which ends Jan. 2 or 3 depending on the state, will go out early next week.
Previously, lawmakers and labor experts worried President Donald Trumpâs delay in signing the bill would cut aid for millions of jobless Americans down to 10 weeks, though that is no longer the case.
While some states expect to get new boosted payments out after this weekend, it could take others several weeks to reintroduce new payments to record-level numbers of claimants. With that said, most states are expected to start issuing the $300 boost to workers in the next two to three weeks, writes Andrew Stettner, a senior fellow with The Century Foundation.
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Federal Programs That Expanded Unemployment Programs Are Expiring
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Federal programs that expanded and extended unemployment benefits are expiring.
The week ending Sept. 4, 2021 is the last payable week of benefits from these programs that were established with the Coronairus Aid, Relief and Economic Security Act and continued under the American Rescue Plan Act:
- Pandemic Unemployment Assistance: for the self-employed, freelancers, independent contractors and others who don’t qualify for regular unemployment benefits.
- Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation : Extends benefits after you run out of regular unemployment benefits.
- Pandemic Unemployment Compensation : The extra $300 a week for all eligible claimants.
- Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation : Provides an additional $100 per week to certain claimants who have earned at least $5,000 in net self-employment income.
If you have eligible weeks prior to Sept. 4:
- If we find that you are eligible, we will continue to process and pay benefits for weeks you claimed through the week ending Sept. 4. Your certification for the week ending Sept. 4 will be due after that date, however, you will still be able to certify for that week on your regularly scheduled certification day and time.
If you are currently receiving PEUC benefits:
- You may be eligible for a regular unemployment claim. Login to your MiWAM account and follow the link under “Account Alerts” to reopen/file a claim.
If you have a claim pending in adjudication or appeal after Sept. 4:
Pandemic Unemployment Benefits Expired On Labor Day Could They Be Renewed
Millions of Americans lost jobless benefits this month. Some lawmakers are proposing that aid be reinstated in an upcoming spending package. Heres the latest.
The September termination of unemployment benefits was considered the largest in US history.
After the pandemic-related expansion of unemployment insurance ended on Sept. 6, roughly 7.5 million people lost their benefits entirely, with millions more losing the $300 weekly bonus checks. The temporary federal benefits which included coverage for those normally ineligible for jobless aid, like gig workers and the long-term unemployed were in place since spring 2020 to help those who lost income from COVID-19 restrictions or layoffs.
This week, a group of Democratic lawmakers, led by Reps. Cori Bush and Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, called to reform the unemployment system in the coming $3.5 trillion House spending plan. In a , they noted that the country now denies life-saving resources to over two-thirds of those without jobs, as aid now covers less than half of lost wages. They also noted that 90% of unemployed workers and especially Black and Brown communities have been left with no benefits at all.
With the uptick in delta-variant cases, the COVID era hasnt come to a close. Could the White House renew those extra benefits? What can people do who need unemployment coverage to make ends meet? Well explain below. This story has been recently updated.
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What Happened When Some Gop
For most of the last year, expanded federal unemployment benefits helped keep Tammy Foster afloat while she was at home due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The 47-year-old, who lives in Joplin, Missouri, was forced to leave her job as a robotics machine operator for a dairy company after a doctor advised her that it was unsafe for her to work during the pandemic due to complicating medical conditions, like diabetes. While state and federal unemployment assistance did not equal what she had been making at her previous job, which paid $20 an hour, it helped cover rent, food, utilities during the months she was not working.
But when Missouri Gov. Mike Parson announced the state would stop providing additional federal unemployment benefits of $300 a week starting on June 12, Foster could no longer afford to stay home to stay safe. She and her husband both found lower-paying jobs at another food-manufacturing company in the area.
Foster had been working for four days when she started feeling ill. On July 6, she tested positive for COVID-19.
The moment I was forced to go back to work, my life was put at risk, said Foster, who had received the first dose of the Moderna vaccine before contracting the coronavirus.
Where Is This Money Coming From
Under a previous federal stimulus plan, everyone on unemployment received an extra $600 in benefits a week, but that program expired at the end of July.
After summer negotiations halted in Congress because Democrats and Republicans couldn’t agree on a replacement amount, President Donald Trump signed an executive order on Aug. 8 allowing states to apply for additional federal funds for certain people out of work due to the pandemic.
At first, Trump said states had to contribute $100 a week to receive $300 from the federal government, but then relaxed those rules after states said they couldn’t afford to pitch in a share. New Jersey applied and was approved for the $300 benefits, without paying the $100 contribution.
The money comes from the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which funds emergency responses to natural disasters, such as Hurricane Laura, under the “Lost Wages Supplemental Assistance program.”
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Who Lost Federal Unemployment Benefits On Labor Day
At the very start of the pandemic, the March 2020 CARES Act established temporary federal unemployment aid programs, and the American Rescue Plan in March 2021 extended those benefits to Labor Day. Here’s who was affected by the programs’ expiration, according to a detailed analysis of Labor Department data by the Century Foundation.
More than 3 million additional people lost Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, the weekly bonus — initially $600, then $300 — that helped out-of-work Americans supplement benefits and recover some lost wages. If you’re still eligible to collect state unemployment insurance , you’ll continue to receive some compensation after the cutoff. But the amount will be lower without the weekly $300 bonus.
Some 3.3 million people lost all their Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, or PEUC, which extended aid to those who had already exhausted their state’s benefits period . This category includes workers who would have no longer been eligible to receive unemployment because they passed their state’s benefit window. The program provided up to 53 weeks of additional aid for those who had exceeded state allowances.
That’s not the full picture of everyone affected by unemployment. Reported jobless rates generally don’t account for those who have left the labor force entirely and are no longer counted as looking for work, such as the long-term unemployed.
