Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation application invites coming June 30

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The Employment Development Department will begin inviting potentially eligible Californians to apply for the federal Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation, or MEUC, program starting June 30.

The federal program pays an extra $100 per week in supplemental unemployment benefits to those who earned both regular wages and more than $5,000 in self-employment wages.

The MEUC program, created by Congress during the pandemic, is a supplemental payment for eligible claimants. It is intended to further support workers with multiple income streams including self-employment.

Starting June 30, EDD will begin sending text messages and emails with a personalized application link to the claimants who may qualify for the supplemental benefit. Paper applications will be mailed to those who are not online. Claimants will have until September 6, 2021 to apply.

MEUC payments are retroactive to Dec. 27, 2020, and eligible claimants can receive up to a total of 36 weeks of payments.

These benefits are payable for any weeks in which an individual was unemployed and met requirements — even if they have since gone back to work.

To be eligible for benefits under the MEUC program, an individual must meet all MEUC requirements under federal law.

To receive MEUC benefits, a claimant must:

— Be eligible for benefits on a regular Unemployment Insurance claim, Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation or Federal-State Extended Duration extension. People collecting Pandemic Unemployment Assistance or Training Extension benefits are not eligible for the MEUC program.

— Be eligible to receive at least $1 in unemployment benefits for each week between December 27, 2020 and September 5, 2021 the individual wishes to collect MEUC benefits.

— Apply for the MEUC program and provide documents proving net income (after all taxes and deductions) from self-employment of at least $5,000. The personalized application links being sent to claimants will include information about how to upload documents to prove net income.

Additional information about this program is available on the Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation section of the EDD website.