Coronavirus: Self-employed, part-time, independent contractors can pre-register for unemployment benefits starting Friday

OHIO — Self-employed, part-time workers and independent contractors filing 1099 forms for taxes will be able to begin the process to apply for unemployment benefits Friday, the Ohio Department of Jobs and Family Services announced.

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The benefit amount will be similar to traditional unemployment benefits, plus an additional $600 per week through July 25, when the state is able to begin processing claims sometime in May.

“The pre-registration tool will allow individuals to get in line early and pre-register their account, so that as soon as the agency has the technical ability to process their claims in May, they can log in and complete their paperwork,” the department said.

Ohioans who are unemployed as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, but who don’t qualify for regular unemployment benefits can begin pre-registering for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), a new federal program that covers many more categories of workers.

“We are thrilled to provide this much-needed assistance to Ohioans unemployed as a result of the pandemic,” said ODJFS Director Kimberly Hall.

To pre-register for PUA benefits, Ohioans should visit unemployment.ohio.gov and click on “Get Started Now.”

The PUA benefits will be retroactive to the date people qualify, as early as Feb 2.

“The program will provide up to 39 weeks of benefits to many who historically have not qualified for unemployment benefits, such as self-employed workers, 1099 tax filers, part-time workers, and those who lack sufficient work history,” the state said. "Individuals who have exhausted all regular unemployment and any weekly extensions also may be eligible for the program. "

The state urged anyone with questions about the new program to call (833) 604-0774.

Today, the state also began paying out the additional $600 per week from the Federal CARES Act to the more than 400,000 unemployment claimants in the state.

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