Tonight the President is expected to announce on the major networks and cable news services that he has signed or will sign into law today the next stimulus bill called the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021, which Congress passed on Wednesday, March 10. The bill (H.R. 1319) includes the “Crisis Support for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020,” which provides for yet another extension of the CARES Act unemployment provisions – this time from March 14, 2021 until September 6, 2021. The law, which we refer to as CARES Act III, includes a type of benefits called pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA) for self-employed individuals including independent contractors and gig workers.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
CARES Act, Take 2: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Extended for Independent Contractors
By Richard Reibstein Esq. on
Earlier this evening, December 27, the President signed the next stimulus bill that Congress passed on December 21. The legislation extends unemployment assistance not only for employees but also for independent contractors and other self-employed individuals for 11 weeks. The bill (H.R. 133) includes the “Continued Assistance for Unemployed Workers Act of 2020,” which provides for an extension of the CARES Act unemployment provisions from December 31, 2020 until March 14, 2021, including the provisions that had created a new form of benefits for all self-employed individuals: pandemic unemployment assistance (PUA). As detailed in a prior blog post, the original CARES Act provided PUA benefits for up to $600 a week for as many as 39 weeks, retroactive to January 27, 2020. The new stimulus bill, CARES Act II, halves that amount and limits PUA to $300/week. Those eligible for PUA also will receive an additional $300/week through the end of the extension period, whereas CARES Act I had added $600/week in federal stimulus payments. Finally, the new stimulus bill provides independent contractors with paid sick and paid family leave benefits through March 14, 2021.…