$100 Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation in California: what's the deadline to claim it?
You have little over a month to apply for MEUC, the programme which provides weekly support for those with both employed and self-employed income.
In December 2020, after months of logjam in Congress, President Donald Trump passed a $900 billion covid-19 relief bill which provided a raft of unemployment benefits programmes. It extended the $300 additional unemployment benefits, but also introduced a new $100 weekly payment known as the Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC).
The MEUC was introduced to provide support for gig workers, freelancers, and other self-employed individuals who would otherwise be short-changed by the traditional unemployment benefits. The mixed earner’s support is designed to help people who receive part of their income through traditional employment, but are also self-employed. For example, a bartender who also sells home-made items online.
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A 2014 Treasury report found that 45% of self-employed workers, and 6% of all workers, qualify as mixed earners and that figure will only have risen. The MEUC is only available until 6 September but the payments are retroactive so you can claim a maximum of 36 weeks of support, dating back to 27 December 2020.
Who is eligible for the MEUC?
The supplemental $100 weekly payment is currently available in California but some states have chosen to opt out of the support. To be eligible for the payments you must have qualified for both regular unemployment and self-employment benefits in the year prior to the claim.
This means you must:
- Be eligible for unemployment benefits from a Regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) claim; Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC); or Federal-State Extended Duration (FED-ED) extension
- Be eligible to receive at least $1 in unemployment benefits for each week that you wish to claim the MEUC payment
- Have a net income from self-employment of at least $5,000 in the calendar year before the start date of your claim
How to apply for the MEUC
The time period to apply for the MEUC in California is from 30 June – 6 September 2021. If you are potentially eligible a message will have been sent to your UI Online inbox or through the mail asking for some basic information. You must complete this and return the application.
Once your application has been processed you will receive a notice in the mail informing you of your eligibility. If you are successful the California Employment Development Department will automatically begin adding $100 to your weekly unemployment payments. Bear in mind that you must continue to submit your weekly certifications.