Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is a temporary federal program that in general provides up to 79 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment.

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Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is a temporary federal program that in general provides up to 79 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are not eligible for other types of unemployment.
PUA provides unemployment benefits to individuals who are unable to work because of a COVID-19-related reason but are not eligible for regular or extended unemployment benefits. To be eligible, individuals must be able to work and be available for work in accordance with state law.
You can apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance online. The application is mobile-friendly and can be completed in under 30 minutes if you have the appropriate documentation.
Applicants will need to provide the following information:
Resources on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance are available in Spanish. A Spanish video tutorial also is available.
If DUA determines that you are not eligible to receive Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits, you will receive a disqualification electronically. You will be able to appeal the disqualification by:
If you are still unemployed while waiting for a hearing, you must continue to
request benefit payments each week. Even if your initial determination is reversed,
you will not receive benefit payments for the weeks when you did not request
benefits.
When the Hearings Department receives the appeal, it will be scheduled for a
hearing and you will be sent a notice of the date and time. Until DUA’s offices are
reopened to the public, hearings will generally be conducted by phone or virtually. Learn more about virtual hearings. In some cases, particularly for identity verification issues, they will be conducted in person.
Hearings are conducted by review examiners. After the hearing, the review
examiner will issue a written decision based on documents and information
presented at the hearing.
If you disagree with the review examiner’s decision, you have 30 calendar days after
the date of mailing of that decision to appeal to the Board of Review.
If the Board of Review accepts the case for review, it will make a decision using the
case material received from the Hearings Department, including the recorded
hearing. When the Board of Review issues a decision, it provides instructions about
how to appeal the decision to the District Court or the Boston Municipal Court. You
can also appeal to the District Court or the Boston Municipal Court if the Board of
Review declines to accept the case for review. You have 30 days from the mailing
date of the Board’s decision or denial of review to file a court appeal.
Learn more about the Board of Review. To learn
more about appealing to court, including whether to file your appeal in the District
Court or the Boston Municipal Court, see Massachusetts General Laws Chapter
151A, Section 42.
If you wish to be represented at any level of appeal, it is important that you arrange
representation as soon as possible. An authorized agent of your choice, such as an
attorney or advocate, may represent you at any level of agency appeal. Contact your
local bar association or a legal advocacy organization for assistance. DUA cannot
recommend or appoint a representative.
Yes. The CARES Act provides a program separate from regular unemployment benefits. The new program, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), extends eligibility to individuals who:
Individuals must provide “self-certification” that they are otherwise able and available to work, but are prevented from doing so by one of the following circumstances relating to COVID-19:
Individuals able to telework with pay and individuals receiving paid sick or other leave will not qualify for PUA. Individuals receiving paid sick leave or other paid leave benefits for less than their customary work week, however, may still be eligible for PUA.
It will be effective for weeks of unemployment beginning on or after 2/2/20 and ending 9/4/2021.
An individual can receive benefits for a maximum of 79 weeks. Also, there is no waiting week.
No. Individuals cannot have pending applications in both programs at the same time.
The amount of PUA benefits you will receive is based on your previous income reported. PUA benefits may not be more than the state's maximum weekly benefit rate for regular unemployment benefits, which is $855.00 in Massachusetts.
If you are working fewer hours due to COVID-19 and it has resulted in a loss in income, and you are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits, you may be eligible for PUA.
Self-employed individuals, independent contractors, or gig workers who have had to suspend their work because of COVID-19, or had a significant reduction in work, may be eligible for PUA. In cases where an individual has partial earnings, these earnings must be reported, and their weekly benefit amount may be reduced.
You may be eligible for PUA if your primary source of income is from work you do for your own business or on your own farm.
You may be eligible for PUA even if you have never worked before and
No. PUA benefits are not payable to individuals who are eligible for regular unemployment benefits.
If you answer “yes” to any of these questions, you should first file a claim for regular unemployment benefits to see if you are eligible before filing a claim for PUA benefits:
If you filed a claim for unemployment assistance in the past 52 weeks, did you return to work or stop collecting benefits before you claimed all the available benefits on that claim?
No, you should not apply for this benefit if you have a pending application for unemployment. If you have applied for and did not qualify or were denied for regular unemployment benefits, then you should apply for PUA if you are out of work due to COVID-19. If you are eligible for or receiving regular unemployment benefits, you may not apply and will not be eligible for this benefit.
Yes. As with any unemployment claim, you are required to provide accurate information or face penalties including denial of benefits and repayment of benefits. If you knowingly provide inaccurate information or fail to disclose required information, you could be subject to criminal prosecution.
Yes, all PUA benefits will be subject to Massachusetts and federal taxes.
Individuals may use a variety of documents to calculate their income, including W-2s, 1099s, tax returns, pay stubs, bank receipts and billing notices. Individuals should retain all documents establishing income for verification purposes.
If you earned more than $5,100 in calendar year 2019 from an employer (or employers) who took taxes out of your paycheck, you must first apply for regular unemployment.
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), which provides up to 53 weeks of unemployment insurance benefits to individuals who have exhausted their previous unemployment benefits is now available through the UI online system. Eligible claimants should reopen their claim through UI Online.
No. Federal guidelines provide that an individual is considered “self-employed” for purposes of PUA only where their primary reliance for income is on the performance of services in the individual’s own business, or on the individual’s own farm. Any individual that earned more than $5,100 in 2019 working for an employer who took taxes out of their paycheck is not eligible for PUA but may be eligible for regular unemployment benefits.
Claimants have the right to withdraw an appeal at any time prior to a decision being issued on the appeal, and claimants should decide what is best for them in the circumstances. For example, if you already have a hearing scheduled you may prefer to wait for the hearing and the decision. If no hearing is scheduled in your case yet and/or you feel that your appeal is unlikely to be successful, on the other hand, you might prefer to withdraw the appeal and then file a PUA application. Beyond that, DUA cannot advise claimants on this decision.
If you have a claim pending, and you have not yet received a decision regarding initial eligibility, you must wait to receive that decision.
No. You cannot withdraw an unemployment claim in order to file for PUA. You must wait until you have been denied unemployment benefits before you can apply for PUA. If your claim for regular unemployment is approved, you must exhaust all of those benefits, including extensions before you can apply for PUA.
No. If you earned more than $5,100 in calendar year 2019 from an employer (or employers) who took taxes out of your paycheck, you must first apply for regular unemployment.
You should re-apply for PUA benefits. As of April 27, 2020, the new system has been updated to allow those claimants in this situation to qualify for PUA benefits provided they are otherwise eligible.
You should re-apply for PUA benefits. As of April 27, 2020, the new system has been updated to allow those claimants in this situation to qualify for PUA benefits provided they are otherwise eligible.
You can reach our assistance call center at (877) 626-6800 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday and Saturday 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Multilingual call agents are available.
Additionally, if you have feedback on the use of the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance application, please feel free to complete our feedback form.
We've worked to translate our Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Guidebook into several different languages:
We've prepared various materials to provide information on Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.