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Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) is an emergency program designed to increase unemployment benefits for millions of Americans affected by the 2020 novel coronavirus pandemic. FPUC was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, and the $2 trillion coronavirus emergency stimulus package signed into law on March 27, 2020. All benefits under FPUC expired on Sept. 6, 2021.
As the COVID-19 pandemic in March 2020 forced states and businesses to shut down, the U.S. braced itself months of high unemployment rates. Predicted long-term to be one of the harshest unemployment situations since the Great Depression, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported the unemployment rate at 6.7% at the end of 2020.
Millions of out-of-work Americans depended on unemployment insurance (UI) to help cover their housing costs, groceries, and other expenses. Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) was one of several new programs established by the CARES Act to help alleviate some of the economic pain caused by COVID-19.
Under FPUC, eligible people who collected certain unemployment insurance benefits, including regular unemployment compensation, received an extra $600 in federal benefits each week through July 31, 2020.
The Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program, which provided $300 to $400 in weekly compensation to eligible claimants, stopped accepting applications on Dec. 27, 2020.
FPUC was a flat amount given to people who received unemployment insurance, including those with a partial unemployment benefit check. The original amount of $600 was reduced to $300 per week after the program was extended in August 2020, as long as your state signed the agreement as of Dec. 26, 2020. But the benefit then expired on Sept. 6, 2021, after it was extended by the American Rescue Plan.
The deadline also applied to people who received benefits under the new Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program, which covered freelancers, independent contractors, and gig workers, and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program, which extended 24 additional weeks of UI to people who had exhausted their benefits.
Again, as of the week of Sept. 6, you can't collect these benefits. However, if you have questions or want to check the status of your unemployment benefits, check with your state's unemployment office. The U.S. Department of Labor lists the contact information for all fifty states' labor offices on its website.
In addition to the FPUC program, the CARES Act extended unemployment benefits through two other initiatives: the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program and the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program. Here is how they compared:
| Program | What it Does |
|---|---|
| Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) | Provided a federal benefit of $300 a week up to Sept. 6, 2021.* |
| Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) | Extended benefits to self-employed, freelancers, and independent contractors. |
| Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) | Extended $300 per week benefits for up to 53 weeks until Sept. 6, 2021.* |
*A number of states chose to end their enrollment in these programs early, and all programs ended Sept. 6, 2021. If you have questions, check with your state's unemployment office to determine the duration of your benefits.
Federal law allows considerable flexibility for states to amend their laws to provide unemployment insurance benefits in several COVID-19-related situations. States can, for example, pay benefits when:
Under federal law, an employee doesn't have to quit to receive benefits due to COVID-19.
FPUC was extended by the American Rescue Plan until September 6, 2021. It is no longer possible to apply for FPUC as of September 2021, and the information below is no longer valid if you are seeking unemployment.
To apply for Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, you must file a claim for regular benefits with the UI program in the state where you worked. Depending on the state, you can file a claim in person, online, or over the phone; most states recommend filing online. When you file a claim, you must provide your Social Security number, contact information, and details about your former employment. To find out the rules in your state, check with your state's unemployment insurance program.
Under the current FPUC program, states administered an extra $300 weekly payment to eligible people who receive regular unemployment benefits (including Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees and Unemployment Compensation for ex-service members), as well those collecting benefits from the following programs:
When states provide the extra payment, eligible people will receive retroactive payments. FPUC was extended by the American Rescue Plan to go until Sept. 6, 2021, however, a number of states chose to end their enrollment in the program early. Check with your state's unemployment office to determine the duration of your benefits.
Under the CARES Act, states that waived their usual one-week "waiting period" for benefits were to be fully reimbursed by the federal government for benefits paid that week, plus any associated administrative expenses.
Businesses that received loan forgiveness under the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP) have been pushing for an answer to whether they would lose loan forgiveness if laid-off employees refuse to return when offered their old jobs back. (The extra payments mean many are making more on unemployment than they did at work.)
The Treasury Department issued an FAQ saying this would not happen if they make a good-faith, written offer to rehire a laid-off employee (same hours, same wages) and have documented evidence of being turned down by the employee. But here's what that FAQ also said: "Employees and employers should be aware that employees who reject offers of re-employment may forfeit eligibility for continued unemployment compensation."
In other words, refuse to go back, and you could lose your unemployment insurance. An "interim final rule" on this issue is coming, as of early September, according to the Treasury Department, "These FAQs are in the process of being revised and do not yet reflect changes made by the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 enacted on March 11, 2021."