Unemployment Benefits Extended for Independent Contractors
August 25, 2020
Real estate agents and other independent contractors who are wholly or partially unemployed due to COVID-19 may be eligible for extended, additional unemployment benefits in Alabama. The Alabama Department of Labor (ADOL) announced recently that Alabama’s application for extended unemployment under the federal Lost Wages Assistance Program (LWAP) was approved by FEMA.
The LWAP was created after the $600 weekly unemployment benefit expired on July 31. Under the LWAP, anyone who is eligible for $100 or more in state unemployment or under federal programs like the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is automatically eligible for a $300 weekly federal supplement. Weekly claims will still need to be filed, but no additional applications will be required. ADOL stated that payments should go out within the next two weeks.
For more information on the LWAP, click here. For information on the PUA, click here.