COVID-19 and Unemployment

COVID-19 and Unemployment

If you have lost your job, you may qualify for temporary assistance.

To apply you will need to provide your Social Security Number, Birth Date, Home Address, and phone number. You will also need information about your employment history from the last 15 months:

  • Names of employers, addresses and phone numbers
  • Reasons for leaving those jobs
  • Work start and end dates
  • Recall date (if you were laid off but have a set date to return to work)

In certain situations, you may need additional information:

  • Alien Registration if you are not a U.S. citizen
  • Your children’s birth dates and social security numbers, if applicable
  • If in a union, your union name and local number
  • If you were in the military – your DD-214 Member 4 form.
  • Your SF8 form if you worked for the federal government

If you want to receive payments by direct deposit, you will need your bank name, account number, and routing number. Otherwise, you will be sent a debit card.

The fastest way to file a claim is to apply for Massachusetts unemployment benefits online. www.mass.gov/dua

  1. Under “Department of Unemployment Assistance”
  2. Click “Apply for Unemployment Benefits”
  3. Then Click “Apply for unemployment benefits online” (located in a blue box)
  4. Read the warning statement, click on the box that you have read and understand the information above, if you do. Enter your social security number in both fields and then click “next”.
  5. Start the Unemployment Benefits Application.

Additional Programs

The FPUC (Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation) provides an additional $600 per week to individuals who are collecting regular Unemployment Compensation (UC), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Extended Benefits (EB), Trade Readjustment Act (TRA), and Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DA).

The $600 will be added to all eligible weeks of benefits retroactive to March 29, 2020 and continuing until July 31, 2020. FPUC monetary disbursements will begin immediately in Massachusetts for those who are currently collecting benefits on regular UC claims. Those receiving PEUC, PUA, and EB will receive the additional $600 payments retroactive to March 29, 2020 as soon as their claims are processed and determined eligible.

Eligible claimants who are already receiving UI do not need to do anything for the additional $600 to be added to their weekly benefit amount.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) for Self-Employed and Independent Contractors

PUA will provide up to 39 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are not working as a result of COVID-19 and are self-employed, independent contractors, gig economy workers, and others who otherwise would not qualify for regular UC or EB under state or federal law or PEUC.

These individuals will not be able to claim benefits directly through the UI Online System in Massachusetts, as of this time. The Department of Unemployment Assistance has engaged a vendor to build a new platform to disburse PUA benefits. The platform is expected to begin accepting PUA claims on or around April 30, 2020. Eligible claimants under PUA will be retroactively compensated with this benefit beginning February 2, 2020, or the first week a claimant was unable to work as a result of COVID-19, whichever date is later. The last week this benefit is payable is the week ending December 26, 2020.

At this time, eligible claimants should continue to check for updates on the new platform at mass.gov/unemployment/covid-19.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) for those who have exhausted their previous UE Benefits

The PEUC program provides up to 13 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits to individuals who have exhausted their previous unemployment benefits. The first week a claimant can be compensated on this benefit is the week beginning March 29, 2020, and the last payable week is the week ending December 26, 2020. The Department of Unemployment Assistance is awaiting additional federal guidance on how to implement and administer this program and the extended weeks of PEUC benefits are not yet available.

At this time, eligible claimants should continue to check for updates at mass.gov/unemployment/covid-19.