The Covid rescue bill expands and improves unemployment benefits

Unemployed workers would receive an additional 11 weeks of unemployment benefits and a weekly improvement of $ 300 to pay, under a Covid aid agreement that Congress concluded on Sunday.

Some self-employed workers and concert workers would also receive an additional $ 100 a week, according to a document summarizing the legislation.

The 11-week timeline is less than the amount offered by a bipartisan package launched earlier this month. This bill would have paid extended and improved benefits for 16 weeks, until mid-April.

In all, the $ 900 billion compromise package, the result of frantic negotiations ahead of a rock of year-end benefits for millions of workers, offers $ 120 billion in additional unemployment benefits.

There are more than 20 million Americans who collect unemployment benefits, according to the Department of Labor.

The legislation would also extend two programs created by the CARES Act: Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, which pays benefits to the self-employed, competitors, the self-employed and part-time workers, generally ineligible for state unemployment insurance; and emergency compensation for emergency unemployment, which pays additional weeks of benefits to people who have exhausted their state benefits.

Some self-employed workers, concerts and other workers who have both wage income (ie W-2) and self-employed income (ie 1099) will also be eligible for another $ 100 per week.

Many such people receive low unemployment benefits due to the way their benefits have been calculated. States base their level of benefits only on wages reported on their annual W-2 tax forms, without taking into account income from self-employment, which could be much higher.

The bill also provides direct economic relief for individuals through $ 600 incentive checks for people earning up to $ 75,000 a year, $ 1,200 for couples earning up to $ 150,000 and an additional $ 600. USD for dependent children.