Under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, sole-proprietors or self-employed workers impacted by COVID-19 may be eligible for the new expanded unemployment assistance benefits enabled by the Federal CARES Act. The steps below will help you prepare to apply for these benefits.
1. Find out what you’re eligible for.
Visit esd.wa.gov/unemployment and download the eligibility checker.
Option 1: Eligible for regular unemployment insurance (UI)? Apply as soon as possible!
Before you apply, download the application checklist, then gather all the info you’ll need for your application.
Option 2: Not eligible for regular UI? You may be eligible for expanded benefits under the federal CARES Act, the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
Wait to apply until April 18. Stay tuned for next steps about how to get ready and what you’ll need. You can still set up your account any time though – see the next step below.
2. Set up your Secure Access Washington (SAW) account.
If you’re planning to apply for regular or expanded benefits, you’ll need a SAW account.
As a business, you likely already have a SAW account, but you may need to connect it to Employment Security.
Watching this 9-minute video may save you time.
Especially if there’s a chance you may already have a SAW account (most businesses do). That can cause issues that are tricky to fix down the road. If you already have a SAW account and know your login information, you can skip forward to 4:48 to connect your SAW account to eServices.
3. Last but not least, that $600.
Everyone receiving a weekly UI benefit will get the additional $600 included in the federal CARES act.
- Full-time workers.
- Part-time workers.
- Those already on UI.
- Those who are eligible for expanded benefits under the CARES Act.
Questions? Need help applying?
If you would like help with the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, please contact us using the form at http://www.cie-nw.org/covid-19.
