Extra $100 Weekly Mixed Earner Unemployment (MEUC) – How Do I get 2021 Retroactive Back Payments in 2022

With the expiry of the MEUC program in September 2021, many claimants were left high and dry as several states had yet to make partial or initial payments. Fortunately in many states eligible claimants can apply (and provide required documentation) to get current and retroactive back payments for covered weeks. The process is manual in most states and requires you to talk to an agent, but with patience you have a chance to get the money you are due.

Retroactive Payments for 2021 MEUC payments

Several readers have reported trying to claim their 2021 MEUC payments. For many, this has been challenging but some readers (depending on state) have successfully gotten paid. Based on reader comments – see/add to those at the end of the article – the following are some tips that may help you get paid.

  • Ensure you qualify for the MEUC program during the covered weeks (see sections below for details)
  • If you are sure you meet the criteria contact your local state agency in writing to advise of your claim. Look at your states unemployment website for their official email or address
  • You will need to contact some at your state unemployment agency. In almost all states (e.g PA, VA etc) you will need to talk to a live agent to get your retroactive claim processed
  • Some sites have clear instructions for retroactive MEUC and other pandemic unemployment payments. But the vast majority (FL, TX etc) do not. You will need to stay very persistent to get your payment and will likely need to jump through many hoops.
  • Keep a clear record of conversations, agency employee names and reference/claim details.
  • If you have tried the above to no avail, you will need to get in touch with your local state representative or local member to try and get them to push your claim.
  • Be careful of scams trying to make you provide payments or confidential data to get paid. These will not work.

$100 MEUC Program Officially Ended in ALL States

The Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC), which provided an additional $100 a week for claimants receiving state benefits or PEUC who also meet requirements for self-employment income, has now ended in all states.

The last day of coverage in the mixed earner program was September 6th, 2021. The correlates to the benefit week ending September 4th or 5th in most states. After this date, no additional weeks will be paid. However prior benefits that are owed to claimants for any weeks ending before September 6th will be paid retroactively.

While there was discussion around extending pandemic unemployment benefits, the Biden administration has confirmed that states will have to use already allocated stimulus funding to expand or extend traditional state unemployment programs. The DES has not indicated that is planning to do so at this stage, but I will post updates if things change.

Note – Many states have had challenges in accepting and paying MEUC claims for covered weeks (prior to Sep 6th). These will be continued to be processed over the next few months and claimants can file claims for eligible weeks via their state unemployment websites. Please review the criteria outlined in sections below for more details.

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$100 Weekly Mixed Earner Program Ending Early in Several States

Following recent job reports that showed a shortage of workers to fill open positions, many Republican (RED) led states have announced that they will be ending one or more of the federally funded pandemic unemployment programs up to 10 weeks earlier than planned in order to incentivize workers to return to work.

The argument is that these generous UI benefits deter lower income workers (who make less than $15 p/hour) from returning to work. Opponents argue that the reason people are not going back to work is due to fears around getting COVID and/or child care and schooling restrictions. You can see more on which states are ending the extra weekly $100 MEUC and 300 FPUC here and a recent YouTube video I made on this topic.

States will still be obligated to implement and pay unemployment benefits up to the early termination date in their state (mid June to mid-July in most states). This includes any missing or retroactive payments.

Biden Stimulus Bill Extension for Mixed Earned Program

The Biden ARP Stimulus package recently passed in Congress extends the Mixed Earner supplement (MEUC) and other enhanced unemployment programs (PUA and PEUC) until September 6th. This is equivalent to an additional 25 weeks. It will be added to the 11 weeks approved under the CAA and paid retroactively for states that are still implementing this program.


Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) Program Overview

A significant provision in federally funded pandemic unemployment programs is an extra $100 weekly payment to workers who had a significant cut to their income due to COVID and had both wage (W2) income and self-employment (1099) income. Think of this as someone with a normal part-time salaried job who also has a reasonable side hustle or freelancing gig making money (e.g Etsy, Contractors or a blogger/you-tuber making more than $5,000).

The new $100 Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation supplement is intended to address a major hole in the original stimulus package which penalized those with this form of mixed income who got lower unemployment benefits because they were only deemed eligible for regular state unemployment or PEUC due to their wage based income. This precluded them from the possibly higher PUA benefit payment they may have been able to get if their self employment income was used as the basis for their total unemployment benefit calculation.

For example Mary, a freelancer graphic designer, earns a large part of her income through contract projects she does for various clients and gets a 1099 tax form for this work. She also works at a bar part-time on the weekends for which she gets paid a weekly salary that includes tips. She has been getting a W-2 tax form at the end of the year from this job. Mary lost her bar job during the year due to COVID but because she qualifies for traditional unemployment and eventually PEUC – due to being classified as a W2 salaried worker by her state UI agency – when she applied for UI benefits only her W2/bar job income is used in figuring her Weekly Unemployment Benefit Amount (WBA).

However if she was able to use her freelancing/1099 income she have a higher wage base and could have actually qualified for a higher weekly benefit payment under the the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) available to freelance and gig workers. This means that her weekly unemployment check will be lower because the income she made from the bar job, which is used for her UI benefit WBA calculation, is significantly less than what she earns from her freelancing graphic designer contract job.

Surprisingly data showed millions of Americans fell into this mixed earner unemployment hole and the extra $100 per week, on top of a $300 per week FPUC to those getting at least $1 of regular or enhanced unemployment is intended to make up for this gap.

This mixed earner benefit payment is however subject to state discretion, so some states may choose to pay it while others may not. If the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program is used as a guideline where states could optionally pay an extra $100, then it is likely only a few states will make this supplementary payment to eligible claimants. Not that this is payment is above and beyond the $300 FPUC that is automatically being paid to eligible claimants (see $300 state tracker). Note that per guidelines, if your state chooses to implement the $100 payment, they must notify you that you are eligible.

Do I qualify for the $100 Mixed earner payment (Examples)?

You qualify if you ALL meet these criteria:

1). Getting at least $1 per week in traditional unemployment insurance, which excludes PUA.

2) Reported $5,000 in 1099 and reportable self-employment income prior to your initial claim. Workers who earned at least $5,000 in self-employment income in 2019 will be eligible for the extra $100 per week.

You will need to submit documentation to prove $5k in self-employment income for new claims. If Initial claim was established in 2020, use tax year 2019 documentation to prove your income. If the claim was established in 2021, use tax year 2020 information.

If you meet the criteria and your state is paying it (see list below) then you will get this payment added to your weekly benefit once your MEUC application is successful.

Will missed payment weeks be retroactively paid due to State rollout delays?

Yes. Almost all states have been late in rolling out the new MEUC program (due to focus on PUA and PEUC program extensions), but as they implement the MEUC updates any retroactive week payments that claimants are eligible will be paid in full. The back payment process will vary by state but will likely be made in one lump sum for eligible weeks.

Do I have to manually apply for the MEUC?

Yes. As this is a separate program and has specific documentation requirements (to prove self employment income) you will have to directly apply for this program.

Your state UI agency will confirm you were receiving unemployment benefits from eligible programs other than Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

Why Didn’t I Get My MEUC Payment or Smaller Than Expected

Here are some reasons why your MEUC payment could be delayed or lower than expected

  • Your self-employment income could not be verified against official records. Any self-employment not previously disclosed may be investigated and impact your MEUC payment
  • MEUC payments are subject to child support deductions, which could lower the payment you received.
  • MEUC payments are subject to federal withholding tax and will follow the choice you made for your underlying benefit payment. 
  • If you commit fraud, you are subject to fines and other penalties.

MEUC payments may also affect your eligibility for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There is no legal exception providing that MEUC payments will be disregarded for purposes of determining income for these programs.

When Will I get the Extra $100 Payment?

State UI agencies are responsible for administering this payment and if they choose to make the “mixed earner” benefit payment they will also have to determine eligibility (subject to DOL guidelines). I will continually update the following table to track which states are making this payment and when you can expect to start processing payments. Feel free to leave a comment if your state has started making payments and I will update.

$100 MEUC (Mixed Earner) Unemployment State Tracker Table

State
(Click state link for details)
Enrolled in $100 MEUC Program? (All expire Sep 4th, 2021)
AlabamaEnded Participation
AlaskaEnded Participation
ArizonaY
ArkansasEnded Participation
CaliforniaSuspended until June 30th.
CA EDD now accepting applications
ColoradoY
ConnecticutY
DelawareY
District of ColumbiaY
FloridaEnded Participation
GeorgiaY
HawaiiY
IdahoN
IllinoisY
IndianaY
IowaY
KansasEnded Participation
KentuckyEnded Participation
LouisianaY
MaineY
MarylandEnded Participation
MassachusettsY
MichiganY
MinnesotaY
MississippiN
MissouriEnded Participation
MontanaY
NebraskaY
NevadaEnded Participation
New HampshireY
New JerseyY
New MexicoY
New YorkY
North CarolinaY
North DakotaEnded Participation
OhioY
OklahomaEnded Participation
OregonY
PennsylvaniaY - Sep 3rd Application Deadline
Rhode IslandY
South CarolinaEnded Participation
South DakotaN
TennesseeEnded Participation
TexasEnded Participation
UtahY
VermontY
VirginiaY
WashingtonY
West VirginiaY
WisconsinY
WyomingEnded Participation

State Notifications for Mixed Earner Payments

States who opt into the MEUC program are legally required to notify potential UI claimants about the program. You will get a notice for claimant action that provides instructions on how to apply for the program and key documentation you will need. I would still recommend you check your state UI website regularly (incase you don’t get the official notice) or bookmark this article as I will update the table above when states have the MEUC program up and running.

Note that it is a known issue in many states (e.g. CA, PA) that MEUC processing is going much slower than expected due to the manual checks that state UI Agencies have to do for eligibility. You can see this reflected in the comments below.

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107 thoughts on “Extra $100 Weekly Mixed Earner Unemployment (MEUC) – How Do I get 2021 Retroactive Back Payments in 2022”

  1. PA update – heard from my state rep contact that L&I is in the process of developing MEUC training (slated late June) for specific staff to handle these claims. Once that is completed, I was told, they will be working through the applications and I should expect to hear something then.

    I was also told they verified I had an active MEUC per the “extended claim dashboard”. Not sure what this is vs the main UC dashboard we used to file claims. Perhaps someone else here is familiar with what he was referencing?

    In any event, it sounds like a positive development. Fingers crossed!

    Reply
  2. I live in New Jersey and I received an email in February 2022 saying I may be eligible for the MEUC benefit. I went to my unemployment account and checked the box then I uploaded all my information. I received a confirmation email stating that I will get another email within 4 weeks telling me whether I qualify. This was March 9. On May 2 I received an email stating that I do qualify and the funds will be automatically deposited into my account within 2 weeks. Today is May 26 and I haven’t gotten any money or correspondence from them. I’m just waiting.

    Reply
  3. Hello all! Just wanted to give a long overdue update to my original post (9/17/21)

    Still no money! Some time later in the fall (~Oct 2021) I reached out to a local State (Pennsylvania) rep’s office and a staff member there took my information and made further “official” inquiries on my specific account and the MEUC program in general. After a few weeks of stops and starts, bottom line was an explanation that they were still processing and were very backed up for a variety of reasons (large response/short staff, lots of ineligible or error filled applications, etc) at the end of the day, no specific deadline of when it could be expected to be processed and I would hear back from them if I was eligible. This inquiry on my application also lead to an equally unhelpful official UC email response from saying the same thing…..

    Fast forward a few months later (late Feb 2022) and I reconnected with this same staffer who had moved on to a different position working for a state Senator. After making similar inquiries from his new position, he received the same “still being processed, no timeframe” explanation. With perhaps a little of my frustration rubbing off on him and the unacceptable fact there has basically been zero progress in months, he informed me that he brought this up to his boss, who would be bringing it up to Sen. Christina Tartaglione, who is the chair of PA’s Senate L&I committee. I’m hopeful this new tact will spark some sort of positive resolution and perhaps this name is a lead for others in PA in the same boat.

    From just a quick survey of the comments, I’m under the impression -and correct me if I’m wrong – that some states are farther ahead and have paid out some while others like NJ are making some sort of minimal contact. Speaking of which – were those of you in NJ who recently heard back via email asked to resubmit your taxes/1099s or was this the first time you would be sending them? Finally, I’ve still yet to confirm one person in PA receiving any MEUC payments.

    I will be following up with my contact within the next two, and will post what I hear back. Best of luck to everyone!

    Reply
    • Sad to report back that my contact only offered “they are made aware and there are no new updates”

      Has anyone here reached out to local or national media about investigating what’s going on? I realize sometimes things happen, but the complete lack of transparency and respect to applicants is quite concerning. At the very minimum, as a taxpayer, I’d like to know what happened to literally tens of millions of dollars that most Americans who were tangentially aware of the program would assume got paid out.

      Would it be possible to post a poll or something on this post to track where people are still waiting on word or payment?

      Reply
    • Hi Tim and everyone else in Pa who is patiently waiting on the meuc payment. I want to update everyone as well. Today is April 21, 2022 after numerous busy signals ( and 3 hours on hold) I finally got through to the unemployment office. I spoke to Susan who did not know anything about the meuc payments. She then asked her Supervisor who said……There are NO updates, NO resolutions (her word) and NO time frame on when payments will be made. Susan told me to “sit tight” and once everything is resolved from covid and processed they will be sending out payments. In addition she did NOT see that claim in my file. I told her I sent in my 1099’s and copy of tax return well before the deadline. This is alarming that they do not even know where my documents are. Good Luck to everyone. This is the ONLY site I found to help each other. Donna

      Reply
    • I’m in New Jersey and I was only asked once to upload my taxes and 1099. I was told I qualify for payment on May 2. Still no money

      Reply
  4. Still haven’t heard anything about the Mixed Earner in New Jersey! Definitely can’t get anyone there to give me any info and it’s almost a year later.

    Reply
    • I’m in NJ as well and received an email from the state. After filling it out and sending in the information, they said I’m eligible. However, the payment never showed up in my account. There’s never anyone to help in this state… they’re all overloaded…they say….sad that we live here like this.

      Reply
      • I am in NJ and also received an , clicked the box as directed and I have been waiting on an email to send in the proper documentation need/required. It was over 3 weeks and so I went back in and the box was not checked… Reclicked the box and I am still waiting…. any help with how to move forward would be great…..

        Reply
      • From the time you sent in your tax return for their review how long did it take for the state to notify you that you were approved for the extra $100 MEUC monies?

        Reply
    • On February 3rd 2022 I received an email stating that if I made at least $5,000 in self-employment I would qualify for the extra $100 for mixed earners. I went to my unemployment account and check the box for a mixed earners. One week later I received an email for me to upload proof of self-employment of at least $5,000 which I did. That was almost a month ago and I haven’t had any correspondence from them since.

      Reply
      • I would try and talk to a live agent. All these retro MEUC claims are being processed manually so long waits. Be persistent and follow-up frequently with a live person.

        Reply
  5. I sent a email in March with my 1099 attached. Their seems to be no one that knows anything at the unemployment office. I have heard some people have been paid. Any news out there? Its soon to be Jan 2022 and no corresponance.

    Reply
  6. We just received a letter saying our MEUC app was approved for back pay for 6 months but nothing on when we will see it! Ohio doesn’t have any type of notice either. They need to update progress!

    Reply
  7. I live in Pennsylvania, applied back in March shortly after they made the MEUC program available. A bit different from what I’ve read here, PA stated we would individually only hear if we were NOT eligible (in other words, “no news is good news”). Looking at the requirements, I fit the program to the letter. Unfortunately for me, here we are mid-September, and I have not received any further correspondence or guidance from PA, any response to my email and phone support inquires, any updates on their website, and most importantly, any payments!

    If there are any other PA folks on here who have heard or experienced differently, please let me know. I will certainly update anything new I learn.

    Also, thank you for posting this webpage – it has been the best resource I have found by far!

    Reply
    • I applied back in February. I have Not been able to get an update on the application nor have I got Any payments. I tried every way to contact them and they will tell me that they don’t know abs to just wait. The emails I sent Have been ignored.

      Reply
    • Hi Tim, I am in the same boat as you. I have not received any compensation or response yet. I wish I had some answers. Yes, this has been the best resource I have found also. Regards Donna

      Reply
    • I am currently in the same situation. I have not recieved any updated information. I did recieve a letter saying that only person that can over turn my situation is a judge. My advise is to call and continue to put in tickets with pua stressing your concerns for back dated funds. Request a uc specialist call. Emails dont seem to give a resolve. I hope this helps.

      Reply
    • Hi Tim, I also live in Pa. Your e-mail could have been written by me. I am having the same frustrating issues, I qualified for MEUC and submitted all my documentation to no avail. No help anywhere. Yes, this article has been the best information I have found so far. All my emails have never been answered. I await my additional $100 weekly compensation almost every day. Thank you. Donna M

      Reply
  8. How interesting all of the personal stories, God bless to those who have shared some of their financial burdens. I honestly do qualify for MEUC however, in 2019 I did get a 1099, but in 2020 I did not. In 2019 I have my own cleaner service, I just applied for UI benefits this august. Late 2019 everyone was scared about Covid I lost all my clients, (not by death). So I started doing personal in home health care, the client whom I took care of family member ask me if I would move in with my client ( her sister) so she can go back to Oregon. I moved in to my clients home in Oct 2019 and paid by cash every two weeks. No deductions were made, and no 1099 provided my client became very sick and did not need me to help her any longer she was put in a facility. I reported my income under “other income earned” on my 2020 tax forms. But without showing a 1099 is it worth filing for MEUC for being honest? I also had W2 forms which I included on tax forms. My feeling is to just leave it alone, and hand off the additional $100 to someone who can show a 1099. Any opinions would be greatly appreciated.
    Thank you
    God Bless Us All In The days of our financial situations.

    Reply
  9. Colorado finally started sending emails to those who qualify and apparently we’ll start seeing back pay payments starting in September.

    Reply
  10. I live in Indiana and i am on PUA but i got something on my corosponces saying i was eligible for the MEUC but i was wanting to know Am i eligible for the $100 weekly if i am only on PUA does anyone know and has anyone recieveed the payment yet for Indiana ?

    Reply
    • Did you see Indiana governor got sued. Because he cancelled the weekly benefits. A judge ruled against the governor. Now Indiana must continue the weekly benefits.

      Reply
  11. I live in Indiana…I am eligible for the extra $100. My question is will I get retroactive pay of $300 plus the $100 from Jan 2 – June 19?

    Reply
      • I send in the documents they requested. I did received a letter saying I am eligible.

        What you mean by certify for those weeks?

        Reply
      • Yes, I am eligible. All I want to know is how much retroactive pay will I get. Because this is so confusing. Will it only be $100? Or will it be $100 plus $300 for date Jan 2 – June 19?

        Reply
  12. California has not alerted any mixed earners that CA EDD has opted out of the MEUC $100 stimulus payment. EDD CA took all information regarding the MEUC payments off the website months ago. The last that was said was EDD was designing a web page for mixed earners. Now this shocking information that CA opted out as of March 14, 2021 when they haven’t paid anything back to December 27, 2021. Honestly, mixed earners have been and continue to be the most neglected group of tax payers through this pandemic. I hope something is done so mixed earners can receive all money due back to the start of the pandemic, March 2020.

    Reply
    • Please see my earlier comment: “I spoke with someone at EDD this week. She said that EDD had just sent out a communication to their staff that the MEUC program was going to be made available to recipients sometime between June 11 and 22.” Hopefully EDD will get the program rolled out and we will get retroactive benefits. The EDD rep had no information, of course, just “Keep checking the site.”

      Reply
  13. I got approved for the MEUC in March, will I get back dated payments to the effective date of January 2nd, 2021? I’m in NY. I had to file a new claim based on my year end date ending in March- so I think they’re not linking due to my new claim. I called and they said they’d look into it but no definitive answer. But seems like if you adopted MEUC it should be backdated to January even if you’re approved later on? Need some guidance here thanks!

    Reply
  14. Mixed earner unemployment compensation(meuc)was to begin on 04/26/2021.but i donot see any notification how to file for meuc.

    Reply
  15. I was receiving unemployment and like many others, my bye date was 3/14. On the website it said to keep claiming and you would be automatically get extended. I’ve been claiming since then, it’s now 4/18 and nothing. In my online forms is the MEUC form which I never looked to apply for and I know I can’t get since I only worked one job. It says:
    “Do you wish to apply for MEUC with the New York State Department of Labor?
    Yes No”
    I press NO and it says:
    “To proceed with the MEUC Application, you must select “Yes” when answering the question above. Otherwise, you may click the “Back to My Online Forms” button below to exit this form.” So it doesn’t let me press NO. I’m so confused as to what I’m supposed to do then. I tried calling so many times and I just get hung up on because there’s too many calls and the agents are busy. I’m in nyc btw.

    Reply
    • Same!! I applied in February. No one I know from any unemployment help group that is eligible for meuc has recieved it in michigan yet. Very frustrating

      Reply
      • Same for me! Filed within the first hour of the application hitting MIWAM and still nothing! They say they’re being processed in the order they are received but yet I dont know a single person thats got it? I better get it soon or I’m contacting the senators! They already owe like $1800

        Reply
    • Same here I received a letter July 6th telling me I was eligible but still not payments! Does anyone know when Michigan’s payments will begin?

      Reply
      • Robin,

        I had a hearing with an administrative law judge yesterday with a subpoenaed UIA worker. I applied for MEUC in February. Now I have a payment pending tomorrow, but only for six weeks. I’m not sure if it will link to my PEUC claim and pay through present or not. ‍From what I’ve read, this should also be eligible, I think.

        Reply
  16. I applied for the mixed income but now I don’t want it cause he will mess up my Medicaid. I never uploaded my documents but did the application. Can I just not upload them and be fine.

    Reply
      • Actually, you should do yours… it clearly states…
        “ MEUC payments may also affect your eligibility for Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP). There is no legal exception providing that MEUC payments will be disregarded for purposes of determining income for these programs.”

        Reply
  17. I have been messing with this all day. How exactly do you apply? Do you email the info too them? Doesn’t make it clear. I am in Ohio. I have been trying too do this for the last 7 hours.

    Reply
    • Many are still implementing this program. When done you will be able to go to their website to apply and upload required documentation. It will take them some time to verify eligibility and then you will be paid, including back payments.

      Reply
  18. I just got this in my beacon today. I work only 8 hours a week right now a pt job. I get PEUC my pt job is W2 not self-employed so should I apply for this too. Thank you to anyone that answers.

    Reply
    • You HAVE to also be self employed and or have made 5,000$ in SELF EMPLOYMENT to get approved. I received the MEUC application in my beacon portal as well. I also now work very few hours every week at my part time job so I receive reg UI as well and a W-2 from my part-time job. But I have NEVER been self employed or received a 1099 form so I do not know why they sent me the MEUC form as an action item. But I am NOT applying and risking messing anything up because I already know I’m not eligible. And it sounds like you aren’t either.

      Reply
    • As I understand it, you must have a minimum of $5K on a 1099 to be eligible for MEUC Xtra $100/week….
      ie. MIXED I COME (Part W2 and minimum of 5K on 1099 for year prior to when you filed for UI benefits….
      For many, that would be for 2019 tax year!!

      Reply
  19. My husband is receiving regular UI. He is also self employed. He does not receive 1099 but includes his self employment income on State and Federal income tax. Would he be eligible for MEUC?

    Reply
    • It depends on the state you are in. You have to show proof that you got $5,000 of self employment income and if this itemized correctly on this tax return he should be eligible. He should try and apply and see what happens.

      Reply
  20. Does anyone Know when Texas will finally start paying out FPUC Been receiving Peuc since early January Exhuasted my regular benefits before Dec 26 2020. Texas Workforce Commission Gives no updates at there websites extremely frustrated.

    Reply
  21. I’m on PUA, I made a backday payment request and got qualified, the money showed up in my account but I didn’t manage to recuest payment because the money disappeared and now it shows $0, I call unemlloyment but no one can tell me what happened? I got 1099 and there it shows that I got the money but I never got it physically, what should I do now?

    Reply
  22. I’m not sure what states you all live in but not one of you really have the right answer. Nothing is added automatically. We have been getting paid on the new federal program for a month now. Why are you just now asking? You have to stay on top of your correspondence/mail. If your PUA and you can’t provide proof of employment for 2019, people who didn’t have income,
    are now required to pay this money back. 18k, 24k etc. Depending on how much you received. A
    lot of people thought insufficient work history was good enough, nope. Now they want proof. It’s terrible and wrong. At the same time, I’m glad that anyone who did get this money illegally, will face consequences.

    Reply
    • I just got an action item in my portal about applying for MEUC, but I have not done any side work, such as self-employment, side gigs or freelance, such as you, YS! I’m confused as to why I got this action item to apply for MEUC! So, I’m wondering if I need to enroll in MEUC, too! Can someone please reply to me about this situation? I don’t want to miss out on collecting any money, but I don’t think this plan is for me!

      Reply
      • I got the same, I’m so confused because it won’t let me NOT apply to it. I don’t get why I got this if I only had one job the whole year and it wasn’t self employment. I’ve been claiming since 3/14 when my bye date was up and I haven’t received anything.

        Reply
        • They are processing all the time – lots of claims for adjudication for past weeks. Unfortunately MEUC payments are taking the longest and could take until 2022 for agencies to get caught up on back payments.

  23. Hello I got a message from edd saying my claim has ended. Do I need to reapply for another claim or is it automatically extended? Also on my claim summary it says I still have a claim balance. Thanks

    Reply
    • It is only extended if your claim is active and you have remaining weeks (which looks to be the case for you). The new 11 week extension is being rolled out by the CA EDD so you should automatically get your claim extended. Check your UI portal to ensure this happens.

      Note – the new extension, PUA includes up to 57 weeks of benefits beginning February 2, 2020. The date you can start collecting these benefits depends on when you were directly affected by COVID-19 and the date you filed your PUA claim. See more here: https://savingtoinvest.com/californias-employment-development-department-for-unemployment-insurance/

      Reply
      • This is exactly me. I did some side work for someone who gave me a W2 in 2018. Well when I applied for the PAU they instead based my unemployment on the W-2 which gave me $49 a week instead of getting the $450 a week that my self employment income made me eligible for.. So I got screwed. My saving grace was the extra $600 a week that they were giving everybody last spring when the lockdowns effectively put me out of business. I still got screwed out of $400 bucks a week. However I wouldn’t even have bothered to apply for unemployment it was just for $49 a week..

        Reply
        • Call Unemployment and have them get this straightened out. If they calculated your benefits incorrectly, they need to fix this and pay you retroactively for all the weeks you were paid the lesser amount.

        • Same! And they will not pay you the higher PUA no matter what because if you technically qualify for regular unemployment the legislation said they had to use that. That is why there is this extra $100 program starting. Well what about all the week form March 19 2020 till now? Giving people $100 a week isn’t enough. It should have been legislation to recalculate benefits to base their unemployment off the largest amount or total amount at the very least for folks like us who lost their whole self employment income and should have received a high weekly payout. No excuses. And the $100 is only from Dec 27 2020 and isn’t retro from the start of your initial claim ( for me March 19) We are an afterthought. We also missed out on the extra $400 last fall because they deemed us low earners who didn’t need the extra because we make less than $100 a week so we must have hardly worked before Covid. Completely unfair to us hard working self employed. At least it’s something I guess.

    • It will not add automatically. We were all duped into believing that, it’s not the case..you have to reopen or refile your claim. Nothing with Unemployment is simple or easy. You must reopen. Again it will not be added automatically.

      Reply
  24. I am an independent contractor. I was not able to work for 5 weeks because of covid 19. When I went back to work my I was only able to earn a third of what I normally do. I did not receive and compensation during 2020.
    I am 66 yrs old. Do not know how to use a computer. Called DOL of Ga. many times and could never get in touch with anyone.
    Hope you can help me. The money I borrowed will run out in 3 months. Thank You.
    Kenneth Simmons

    Reply
    • HI Kenneth, Contact your local assembly members office and ask them for assistance with EDD. I live in CA and getting through to EDD was like winning the lottery, in other words impossible. My local assembly members office had me straitened out with EDD in a few weeks.
      There is an online tool to find out who to contact. They will be able to help you get enrolled and even retroactively paid as you didn’t receive any help. Good Luck!

      Reply
      • Tina – Were you able to get the MEUC from California EDD? The rep I spoke with had never heard of MEUC and her supervisor said it ended in March. An earlier email response I received said the EDD had not yet implemented the program, but gave me no date for implementation. If you had any success in getting benefits, I’d love to hear about it. There is no information on CA EDD’s site.

        Reply
        • The MEUC program was extended under the Biden ARPA Bill to Sep 6th, 2021. Along with other programs. However you are right that CA is no longer accepting new applicants into this program. I have updated table.

      • I have emailed through the CA EDD Web Portal numerous times since last September asking about how to apply for the MEUC benefit through no avail! I even asked my assemblyman’s office to check into it, to no avail!! Now CA has withdrawn from the program, but what about those of us who did qualify for the 12/27/20 to 3/14/21 benefit time frame? Are they obligated to still pay us for that, in a lump sum now? And since I was never directed on the process to apply (did any other PEUC people in CA get notified to apply for MEUC?) – was the requirement to qualify $5000.00 gross or net?? And was a 1099 adequate to apply, or where tax returns mandatory?? Please advise, as I’m not sure if I should give up or try, to continue to pursue this benefit?!!

        Reply
        • I spoke with someone at EDD this week. She said that EDD had just sent out a communication to their staff that the MEUC program was going to be made available to recipients sometime between June 11 and 22. I asked her if I needed to apply, or would it just be automatic, and she did not know. She said to keep checking the EDD site for info. I asked for a call back from a supervisor to get more info but, of course, no one called me back.

          I saw a tip on Reddit on how to get through to EDD by phone. Paste the following number into your phone contacts and use it to dial EDD: 1 (800) 300-5616,0,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,,1,2,,,,,,,,,,,,4 The commas created pauses, and the numbers will select the options, so you can get through all the prompts without dialing. The best time to call is 8:01 ( if you call at 8:00, the recording will say they are still closed.) Good luck!

  25. Is the new extra 300 in unemployment retro active from beginning of December or no? Asking for a friend =-o

    Reply
  26. I feel I am getting srewed by the state for unemployment I get 31$a week for unemployment now . I am 66years old .yes I get SS my but I also worked part time as a cashier. But the business shut down cause if the virus. I want to work but I do have a few health issues. So I am afraid to look for another job. I lost my apartment so now living outside. The state does not care about the people . But they sure get their money and raises .. They need to live like we all do . They won’t like it. It’s sad .

    Reply
  27. So how would this work for the people that used their PEUC if they already exhausted their benefits? Are they going to be able to file again for the extra 11 week’s

    Reply
  28. I was only getting $81 a week..I was getting the EB which I only got for 3 weeks last payment was Oct..I haven’t gotten any unemployment since..do I qualify for the $300 plus the extra $100?

    Reply
  29. Ok my claim ran out on 12/26/2020 in Louisiana I filed a new claim cause the website said so I filed a new one so today I go on the website it said if your claim expired on 12/26/2020 don’t file a new claim and it wasn’t like my original claim cause I didn’t know not to file until Monday 12/28/2020 so would they erase the new claim and stick with my original claim cause I can’t get a answer at the LWC ?

    Reply
    • Just went through the same problem but I was able to get ahold of someone at the office stick to ur regular claim everyone that filed a new claim is getting erased and the regular claim is getting extended

      Reply
  30. I work for NFL football ball team. I have lost money because of no fans this season. I have only working 12 hours a week. Usually I would work32 hours or more a week. After a game. Am I eligible for the additional $100. If so how do I file?

    Reply
    • you would likely be. But your state will have to roll-out the benefit (its at their discretion) so you’ll have to wait a few weeks. If you get/qualify for the $300 FPUC then you will also retroactively get this payment.

      Reply
    • That would be a yes being you work for a sporting event but if you recall the lwa pymts should’ve been $400 but most states opted out on paying the extra $100. Shows how much our state leaders care for their own.

      Reply

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