Partial Unemployment for Part Time Workers

See this article for the latest on Partial Unemployment benefits for workers with reduced hours or working part-time.

How Do I Apply For Partial Unemployment Benefits?

You will have to check your state unemployment website for details, but for example in New York, rules have been updated to allow workers the opportunity to work part-time while collecting regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits.

NYS uses a partial unemployment system uses an “hours-based” approach. Under the new rules, you can work up to 7 days per week without losing full unemployment benefits for that week, if you work 30 hours or fewer and earn $504 or less in gross pay excluding earnings from self-employment.

With this change, your benefits will not be reduced for each day you engage in part-time work. Instead, benefits will be reduced in increments based on your total hours of work for the week.

States like PA and CA, offer Partial Unemployment Benefit Credits to offset the impacts of reduced benefits from part time work, but in many higher income states this won’t make much of an impact.

Get the latest money, tax and stimulus news directly in your inbox

One important note in the DOL guidance letter is that individuals whose underlying benefit payments are intercepted to pay debts (e.g., over payments) are eligible for the $300 FPUC, even if 100% of their weekly benefit amount is intercepted.

Benefits intercepted to pay debts are considered to be compensation for the week. Child support obligations however must be deducted from FPUC payments in the same manner and to the same extent as these obligations are deducted from regular UC.

Also the DOL is clear that the $300 payment is taxable by the IRS and will be included in the year end 1099G issued by state unemployment departments. Beneficiaries may be required to withhold taxes for this payment and subject to state taxes where applicable.

Partial Unemployment Benefits For Pandemic Unemployment Benefits

I have been getting this question across several articles published around the now expired enhanced unemployment benefit programs now in place until September 6th, 2021.

The Federal Department of Labor (DOL) has issued additional Unemployment Insurance guidance confirming the fact that individuals who are entitled to receive any portion of their state’s regular unemployment compensation (UC) will also receive the $300 flat weekly payment through to September 6th, 2021.

The $300 weekly FPUC supplementary payment is payable for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after the date on which the state enters into an agreement with the Department of Labor.

In states where the week of unemployment ends on a Saturday, the first week for which the recently funded FPUC may be paid is the week ending March 20nd, 2021 (under the previous CAA extension it was January 2nd, 2021).

In states where the week of unemployment ends on a Sunday, the first week for which FPUC may be paid is the week ending March 21st, 2021. The cost of the additional $300 payments to eligible individuals each week is 100% federally funded, but administered by the state UI agency.

Subscribe via email or follow us on Facebook, Twitter or YouTube to get the latest news and updates

225 thoughts on “Partial Unemployment for Part Time Workers”

  1. Will I get the $300 unemployment from the government for now till September 2021 if I’m on partial unemployment and do I have to receive at least $100 from the state of Florida to qualify

    Reply
  2. I work between 11 and 20 hours per week part time. Will I collect regular unemployment benefits and still get $300.00 a week.

    Thank you,
    Salvatore Bellantoni

    Reply
  3. Hello everyone ,
    I am foreign or international student who worked on opt and paid state and federal tax . Later when my opt expired I have joined the college and got cpt and started working on cpt. Suddenly due to COVID I lost my job . One of the person said me to apply for unemployment in California where I live and I have worked here . When I applied I got a notice that I am eligible for 17 weeks unemployment . I started getting funds . Now I am worried that really I am eligible for unemployment or not . In some articles I saw that foreign students are not eligible .
    Note : I came in USA in 2015 aug and now it 2020 . I was in USA for 5 years

    Reply

Leave a Comment