CARES Act
- Provides eligible employees an extra $600 per week in unemployment benefits
- Enables an additional 13 weeks of continued $600 weekly payments for individuals who remain unemployed after exhausting their state unemployment benefits.
- This means eligible workers will be able to receive unemployment benefits for up to 39 weeks rather than the 26-week cap under most state programs.
- Provides funding for short-time (reduced) worker earnings
Expands Unemployment Eligibility To People In The Following Situations:
- An LLC stands for a Limited Liability Company.
- Someone who has been diagnosed with COVID–19 or is experiencing symptoms of COVID-19 and seeking a medical diagnosis;
- a member of the individual’s household has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
- A person providing care for a family member or a member of the individual’s household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
- A person who is care for a child or other person in the household for which the individual has primary caregiving responsibility and who cannot attend school or another facility that is closed
- the individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of a quarantine imposed as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency;
- the individual is unable to reach the place of employment because the individual has been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to COVID-19;
- the individual was scheduled to commence employment and does not have a job or is unable to reach the job as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency;
- the individual has become the breadwinner or major supporter for a household because the head of the household has died as a direct result of COVID-19;
- the individual has to quit his or her job as a direct result of COVID-19;
- the individual’s place of employment is closed as a direct result of the COVID-19
Expands Eligibility To Historically Ineligible Persons:
- Self-employed
- Independent contractors (gig workers)
- Those with limited work history
THINGS TO KNOW
- Generally, these claims will not affect your SUI tax rates
- Some states require employers to make pre-emptive claims on behalf of the employee
- Partial pay, or taking PTO can make your employee ineligible
- The base period for claims and calculations is “4 out of the last 5 quarters”
- Claims will roll back to you, even if a successor employer made the separation
BEST PRACTICES
- Identify affected employees: Note last day worked in particular
- Proactively submit claims: Even partial claims
- In most cases, fully fund employee payroll by Sunday: Claim calculations default to Monday
- Mail is disrupted – make use of state e-response or SIDES options