House Covid Bill Extends and Increases Unemployment Benefits

Those programs include pandemic unemployment assistance for the self-employed, chores, and other workers who are not eligible for state-level assistance; and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation, which pays extra weeks in government benefits to the long-term unemployed.

The bill would offer PUA recipients up to 74 weeks in benefits, starting at 50. PEUC recipients would receive up to 48 weeks instead of 24.

Benefit recipients would also receive an additional $ 400 per week through August 29.

According to the Department of Labor, in the third quarter of last year, state unemployment benefits replaced on average about 38% of wages before dismissal. An extra $ 400 a week would put that wage replacement up to 86%.

The bill would also provide an additional $ 100 per week for certain self-employed workers. Employees are eligible if they earn at least $ 5,000 in net self-employment income and do not receive benefits through the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program.