TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (WTXL) — A new unemployment benefits program is rolling out as part of the COVID-19 relief bill signed into law Sunday.
But it’s caused a lot of confusion among people who wonder if they qualify.
If wages earned go in your 1099 rather than your W-2, you might not have qualified for unemployment because Florida doesn’t recognize 1099 wages when it calculates state unemployment eligibility.
To make up for the shortcomings, the federal government is now rolling out a new program called Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation, or MEUC, which will pay those who qualify $100 extra per week but not exceed the maximum benefit amount of $275. This is on top of the $300 they’d receive through the extension of Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, or PUA.
The program, just like PUA, ends March 13.
States could have opted out of the program, but Florida is one that opted in.
To qualify for the program, you must be self-employed or a gig worker who made at least $5,000 in net income for the most recent tax year, receiving wages through both 1099 and W2.
It’s still unclear when the program will be implemented — the DEO says it's waiting on guidance from the Department of Labor.
