From today’s Los Angeles Times:
New coronavirus laws provide a litany of benefits to the self-employed, freelancers and workers in the gig economy. But what are the benefits, and how do you claim them? Here are some answers explaining how the laws impact freelancers.
I lost my part-time gig because of the coronavirus lockdown. Can I claim unemployment insurance?
Yes. The federal CARES Act creates a temporary Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, which provides unemployment insurance coverage to self-employed individuals, independent contractors and those with limited work history. (You must be available for work but unable to do your job as the result of the pandemic.) All of these individuals were barred from claiming state unemployment insurance benefits prior to the passage of this law.
How much will I get?
That depends on where you live. Each state operates its own unemployment insurance program. Requirements and pay-out ratios vary from state to state. For instance, California’s unemployment insurance program provides about 46% of working wages, up to set limits. Maximum unemployment benefits amount to $450 a week.
Thus, if you previously earned $1,000 a week ($4,000 a month), you’d get $450 in weekly unemployment coverage, or $1,800 per month from the state of California. The new CARES Act adds a federal payment of $600 a week to that. So, this hypothetical worker could get as much as $4,200 a month.
However, if you live in Alabama, the state’s maximum weekly benefit caps out at $275. Thus, an unemployed worker in Alabama would receive a top benefit of $1,100, plus $600 weekly from the CARES Act, for a total of $3,500.
Read the complete article here.