What You Should Know About the $300 Unemployment Benefit

NOTE: This post was updated on September 10th, 2020 to include 7 additional states approved for aid since the original publish date of August 31st and additional details by state. 

Lost Wages Assistance Program

On August 8th, President Donald Trump signed an executive order to distribute an additional $300 per week in federal unemployment benefits through the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program. In order to get the $300, states must apply through FEMA. So far 47 states and Washington D.C. have been approved for the additional $300 and 6 have begun distributing it. Nebraska and Nevada have applied, but haven’t yet received federal approval. South Dakota declined the subsidy.

Who’s Eligible?

In order to be eligible for the $300 from the federal government, workers need to receive at least $100 in state unemployment benefits.  Eligible workers in qualifying states will receive back pay dating to the week ending August 1, when the enhanced $600 weekly unemployment benefit expired.

How much workers will actually receive and when depends on which state they live in. Kansas, Kentucky, Montana and West Virginia, Vermont are opting to give an additional $100 on top of the $300 from the federal government and the standard state unemployment payment.

How Long Will It Last?

It’s unclear exactly how long the additional benefit will last, but most estimates don’t expect it to last beyond September. On Thursday, an agency spokeswoman from the Federal Emergency Management Agency said states will get up to 6 weeks’ worth of Lost Wages Assistance funding. Initially, states will only get funding to offer the additional $300 for three weeks, covering the weeks ended Aug. 1 through 15. They must then apply weekly for additional funding. Some states have already been approved for additional weeks of funding while others have not. Funding is authorized through December 27, 2020, but payments will only be made while funding lasts. 

Details By State

Additional information by state including which states have been approved, which haven’t, when the first Lost Wages Assistance payment is expected, and how many weeks each state has been approved for.  

 

Image source: CNBC

 

Alabama

• Approved Aug. 21
• First payment: 9/3
• Approved for 5 weeks

 

Alaska

• Approved Aug. 23
• First payment: Expected late October
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Arizona

• Approved Aug. 15
• First payment: 8/17
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Arkansas

• Approved Aug. 25
• First payment expected: 2nd week of September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

California

• Approved Aug. 21
• First payment: 9/7
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Colorado

• Approved Aug. 16
• First payment: Expected mid September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Connecticut 

• Approved Aug. 24
• First payment: TBD
• Approved for 5 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, and 8/29)

 

Delaware (approved Sept. 2)

 

Florida

• Approved Aug. 29
• First payment: 9/8
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Georgia

• Approved Aug. 23
• First payment expected: Mid September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Hawaii (approved Aug. 29)

 

Idaho

• Approved Aug. 19
• First Payment: 9/5
• Approved for 4 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1/2020, 8/8/2020, 8/15/2020 and 8/22/2020). A 5th week, benefit week ending 8/29, is pending.

 

Illinois (approved Sept. 1)

 

Indiana (approved Aug. 21)

 

Iowa

• Approved Aug. 15
• First payment: 9/3
• Approved for 6 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29, and 9/5). FEMA and USDOL have informed Iowa that the “Lost Wages Assistance” program has ended so no payments will be made beyond this 6 week period.

 

Kansas

• Approved Sept. 7
• The program will provide eligible claimants with an additional $400 on top of their weekly unemployment benefits, $300 from federal disaster relief funds and $100 from federal Cares Act funds.
• First payment expected: Late September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Kentucky

• Approved Aug. 21
• Kentucky is using CARES Act funding to raise the funding level to $400. 
• First payment expected: Early September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Louisiana

• Approved Aug. 15
• First payment: 8/26
• Approved for 4 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22) and waiting for approval for a 5th week (benefit week ending 8/29)

 

Maryland (approved Aug. 19)

 

Massachusetts

• Approved Aug. 21
• First payment expected: 9/15
• Approved for 6 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29, and 9/5)

 

Michigan

• Approved Aug. 21
• First payment: 9/10 (expected receipt in 7-10 days)
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Minnesota

• Approved Aug. 29
• First payment: 9/4
• Approved for 5 weeks

 

Mississippi (approved Aug. 22)

 

Missouri

• Approved Aug. 16
• First payment: 8/26
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Montana

• Approved Aug. 18
• Montana’s LWA payment will be $400. Seventy-five percent of the new weekly payment ($300) will come from FEMA DRF distributions and the other $100 from Montana’s allocation of the Federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Funds
• First payment: 8/27
• Approved for 6 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29, and 9/5) No LWA payments will be made beyond this 6 week period.

 

New Hampshire

• Approved Aug. 24
• First payment: 9/10
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

New Jersey (approved Sept. 4)

 

New Mexico

• Approved Aug. 15
• First payment: Expected early September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

New York (approved Aug. 23)

 

North Carolina

• Approved Aug. 21
• First payment: 9/3
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

North Dakota (approved Aug. 31)

 

Ohio (approved August 26)

 

Oklahoma (approved Aug. 18)

 

Oregon (approved Aug. 28)

 

Pennsylvania

• Approved Aug. 2
• First payment: 9/10
• Approved for 5 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, and 8/29)

 

Rhode Island

• Approved Aug. 22
• First payment: Expected by September 12th
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending August 1, August 8, and August 15)

 

South Carolina

• Approved Sept. 1
• First payment expected: TBD
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending August 1, August 8, and August 15)

 

South Dakota (Did not apply)

 

Tennessee

• Approved Aug. 22
• First payment: 8/26
• Approved for 6 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29, and 9/5). No LWA payments will be made beyond this 6 week period.

 

Texas

• Approved Aug. 21
• First payment: 8/23
• Approved for 6 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29, and 9/5)

 

Utah (approved Aug. 16)

 

Vermont

• Approved Aug. 22
• First payment expected: 9/14
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending August 1, August 8 and August 15)

 

Virginia (approved August 26)

 

Washington

• Approved Aug. 24
• Payments start: 9/21
• Approved for 6 weeks (benefit weeks ending 8/1, 8/8, 8/15, 8/22, 8/29, and 9/5)

 

Washington, D.C. (approved Sept. 8)

 

Wisconsin (approved Sept. 1)

 

West Virginia

• Approved August 27
• West Virginia’s LWA payment will be $400. FEMA disaster relief funds will cover $300 of the new weekly payment and the other $100 will come from West Virginia’s allocation of the federal CARES Act Coronavirus Relief Fund.
• First payment expected: Mid September
• Approved for 3 weeks (benefit weeks ending Aug. 1, Aug. 8 and Aug. 15, 2020)

 

Wyoming (approved Aug. 28)