House Covid Relief Bill Extends and Increases Unemployment Benefits

These programs include assistance in the event of an unemployment pandemic for the self-employed, stationed workers and other workers who are not eligible for state-level assistance; and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Benefit, which pays additional weeks of public benefits to the long-term unemployed.

The bill would offer PUA beneficiaries a maximum of 74 weeks of benefits, up from 50. PEUC beneficiaries would receive up to 48 weeks instead of 24.

Benefit recipients would also receive an additional $ 400 per week until August 29.

State unemployment benefits replaced about 38% of pre-layoff wages, on average, in the third quarter of last year, according to the Labor Department. An additional $ 400 per week would bring this salary replacement to 86%.

The bill would also offer an additional $ 100 per week to some self-employed workers. Workers are eligible if they earn at least $ 5,000 in net self-employment income and are not receiving benefits under the Unemployment Pandemic Assistance Program.