Category: Government Rebates and Payments

Note: The PUA program ended on September 6, 2021. While retroactive payments were made (see sections below) for several months following this date, no new or further pandemic related benefits were paid. Currently, only traditional state unemployment benefits are available to unemployed claimants. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program overview The…

If you've lost your job or had your hours cut in Illinois, the state's unemployment insurance system offers some of the stronger benefits in the Midwest. The maximum weekly benefit runs to $628 for individual claimants — and jumps to $859 per week if you have dependent children. Here's what…

With the expiry of pandemic unemployment programs (PUA, PEUC and $300 FPUC) and resurgence of COVID-Omicron cases, many workers are asking if they would qualify for unemployment if they are unable to work and/or face a full or partial loss of income. Under the Pandemic programs, the answer was YES…

Massachusetts' unemployment insurance program — managed by the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) — provides up to $1,105 per week in 2026, the second-highest maximum in the country. Massachusetts sets its maximum benefit each October using a formula tied to the state average weekly wage: 57.5% of the prior year's…

I seem to be getting a lot of comments and questions related to child support arrears and offsets around the advance/expanded Child Tax Credit (CTC) and stimulus payments (recovery rebate credit) for adults and their child dependents. The IRS has confirmed that the stimulus check (economic impact) payments will NOT be offset or…

With the expiry of federal enhanced unemployment benefit programs like PUA, PEUC, $300 FPUC and $100 MEUC after September 6th 2021 in all states, there have been a lot of questions around what happens with ongoing, new and past payments. You can see the following sections where I discuss these…

While most states have now updated their unemployment filing systems to accept new claims or reactivate existing PUA and PEUC claims to support the pandemic unemployment assistance programs rolled out under the CARES act and extended in 2021 under the CAA COVID Relief Bill, there are still many, many issues…

Georgia's maximum weekly unemployment insurance benefit is $365, and the state provides up to 14 weeks of regular benefits — one of the shorter durations among larger states. It's not the most generous program in the country, but it's also one of the faster and more straightforward systems once you…

[Update] - All past stimulus (economic impact) payments need to now be claimed via filing a tax return for the applicable tax year the stimulus check was paid. 2020-2021 Stimulus Check Payments More than 120 million stimulus payments have been made by the IRS and associated Economic Impact Payment (EIP)…

Despite three rounds of dependent stimulus checks and the advance monthly child tax credit (CTC) paid in 2021, many tax payers are still waiting to be paid and are relying on their 2021 tax filing to get missing payments for their eligible dependents. While retroactive payments were made or "caught-up"…

The IRS has published the latest figures on how stimulus check payments have been made by state. Roughly three-quarters of people who are eligible for a $1,200 stimulus payment from the federal government have received it, according to the Treasury Department. Payouts have gone to over 135 million individuals worth…

With payment now having started for the latest round of stimulus checks, many people are seeing issues with their payments, especially around getting the higher dependent stimulus payment. The IRS have stated there is no action required by eligible individuals to receive stimulus payments and will be done in several…

Under the now passed $1.9 Trillion Biden COVID Relief Package (American Rescue Plan, ARP) there were provisions included for another (third) round of stimulus checks. The amounts will be $2800 for couples, $1400 for single adults and $1400 for each eligible dependent. While payments have started going out per the estimated IRS schedule, many are…