unemployment | Saving to Invest

Tennessee Unemployment Benefits in 2026: Up to $325/Week, No State Income Tax, and What Else Is Available

Tennessee's unemployment insurance program, administered by the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development, provides benefits for up to 26 weeks. The 2026 maximum of $325 per week is modest — Tennessee's cap has historically been one of the lower ones in the South. But one notable advantage is Tennessee's…

Will I Get Retroactive Back Payments for PUA, PEUC and $300 FPUC Under Extended Unemployment Stimulus Funding in 2021

See latest updates on retroactive payments in the latest Biden ARP stimulus plan extensions to September 6th 2021. With the passage of the new COVID relief stimulus bill many people are asking if the additional funding of enhanced unemployment benefits will mean retroactive or back payment of UI benefits to…

Are States Making One Time Unemployment Stimulus Payments?

With the expiration of enhanced unemployment benefit programs, many claimants who are struggling to find a job due to local market conditions or for COVID related reasons have been asking if state unemployment agencies will use already allocated stimulus funds to make extra unemployment stimulus payments. However at this stage,…

$300 Unemployment in New COVID Stimulus Bill vs. Retroactive Lump Sum Payments under Lost Wage Assistance (LWA) Program

A New $300 supplementary unemployment payment in 2021? As part of ongoing discussions around an extension to unemployment benefits in the latest stimulus bill, lawmakers are reaching consensus on a supplementary $300 payment for up to 12 weeks between Jan 2021 and March 2021. This will likely work similar to…

The Extra $600 FPUC Weekly Unemployment Benefit Is Really Now $300 in 2021 Under COVID Stimulus Bill

Congressional leaders have passed a circa $900 billion stimulus plan that includes funding for an approximately 11 week extension (Dec 26th 2020 to March 14th 2021) to federal pandemic programs (PUA, PEUC) and additional supplementary unemployment benefits at $300 FPUC per week for millions of unemployed or underemployed Americans who lost their job or income due…

Maximum Weeks of Regular State Unemployment Insurance Benefits – Extended in 2020 with PUA, PEUC and State High Unemployment Emergency Provisions

Great graphic from the CBPP on maximum unemployment insurance benefit duration (in weeks) by state. Unemployment insurance (UI) benefits are state administered and generally most workers are eligible for UI benefits for between 13 to 26 weeks. But with the enhanced unemployment benefits now available under the CARES act, specifically…

Replacing The $300 Extra Weekly Unemployment Benefits With a Back-to-Work Bonus 2021 Payment

With millions of Americans still unemployed and getting enhanced unemployment benefits, there’s been a lot of debate on whether the extended federally funded extra unemployment benefits ($300 FPUC, PUA and PEUC) are helping or hurting the post pandemic economic recovery. The argument is that the extra unemployment benefits, and the…

New Jersey Unemployment Benefits in 2026: Up to $905/Week for 26 Weeks, Partial UI Rules, Taxes, and What Else Is Available

New Jersey's unemployment insurance program — managed by the NJ Division of Unemployment Insurance — provides some of the strongest UI benefits in the country. The maximum weekly benefit rose to $905 for 2026, up from $854 the year before, following the statutory annual adjustment. New Jersey ties its maximum…

Am I Eligible for Unemployment if I’m Working but my Hours Have Been Reduced? State Partial Weekly Unemployment Benefit Rules

Despite a relatively health economy and plenty of jobs on offer many potential workers are not going back to work full time - either by choice or by circumstance. A common question I get from those in this situation is whether they will still be eligible for unemployment benefits if…

Retroactive Unemployment Benefits Back or Missing Payments for Expired $300 Weekly FPUC, PUA and PEUC Programs – Claim Weeks Covered

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…

Received My First $300 FPUC Extra Unemployment Stimulus Boost Payment But No Second Payment – Why Did it Stop and When Will I Get Back Payments?

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…

Independent Contractors, Self-Employed and Gig Economy Workers Still Facing Long Waits to Get Unemployment Checks Under PUA and $600 FPUC Stimulus Programs

Many self-employed, independent contractors and gig workers who had been made eligible for unemployment insurance benefits under Enhanced Unemployment provisions within the CARES act are still unable to successfully file claims several weeks after the law was passed due to delays in states processing unemployment claims and completing income verification…

Working Reduced Hours but Making too Much For State Unemployment and Extra Stimulus Payment (#UIShole)

$600 Unemployment for Part Timers Received the following comments from some higher income people who have fallen into what I call the Unemployment Insurance Stimulus Hole (#UIShole). Yes, I know how it sounds and it is intentional because people who face this situation probably want to use a word that…

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…

Tag: unemployment