Unemployment Claims

On March 19, 2020 an emergency change was made to the process of filing for unemployment. Under the new rules, employers must file for their full and part-time employees who lost hours due to a temporary partial or total company shutdown because of the COVID-19 emergency.

• Benefits will be released much faster.
• Recipients will receive an additional $600 per week.
• The additional $600 is retroactive to March 27th.
• The $600 a week will continue through the end of July.
• Employers can file online.
• Employers who refuse to file for employees will be required to reimburse the Georgia Dept of Labor for the full amount of benefits paid.

What employees need to know:

• They do not have to file, the employer is doing so.
• They can choose to have state or federal taxes withheld.
• They can opt for direct deposit or payment through a MasterCard debit card.
• Payment options can be updated at the GDOL website via the My UI portal.
• Payments are weekly.
• Employees are not required to search for other work, or to report to a career center.

The Cares Act also allows filing for self-employed and other workers who have lost income due to the virus. Instructions are still in development for this group and should be available at the Georgia Department of Labor website by April 10th.

Who should wait to file:

• Self-employed workers
• Gig workers
• 1099 independent contractors

Check the website after April 10th for instructions on your filing process.

For more information, visit this link.