Businessweek
Relief Funds in Limbo for Freelancers and Self-Employed
Work is drying up, thanks to the pandemic, and the self-employed need help immediately, but benefits haven’t been a sure thing.
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If you’re one of the millions of people in the U.S. who work for themselves, and you’re not getting enough work because of the pandemic, relief money is available. At least, it’s supposed to be.
Unemployment benefits were extended to you (whether you call yourself self-employed, freelancer, sole proprietor, independent contractor, or gig worker) as part of the $2.2 trillion coronavirus relief package. Here’s a thorough explainer about how Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) are supposed to work.