• Home
  • Latest
  • Fortune 500
  • Finance
  • Tech
  • Leadership
  • Lifestyle
  • Rankings
  • Multimedia
Financeunemployment

When will the $300 enhanced weekly unemployment benefits get issued?

By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
By
Lance Lambert
Lance Lambert
Former Real Estate Editor
Down Arrow Button Icon
August 21, 2020, 10:41 AM ET

Our mission to help you navigate the new normal is fueled by subscribers. To enjoy unlimited access to our journalism, subscribe today.

Thirteen states received approval this week to send out $300 per week in federal funds on top of their regular unemployment benefits. These enhanced benefits, created under a memorandum signed by President Trump, replace the $600 enhanced benefit that expired the week ended July 25.

Unemployed Americans have gone three benefit-check cycles without enhanced benefits, and around one in three has already cut household spending as a result, according to a Fortune–SurveyMonkey poll conducted between Aug. 17 and 18.

When should people expect these enhanced checks to actually hit their bank accounts? In the 13 states that have received federal approval, it should be this week or next. That’s the case for unemployed Arizonans, who received the $300 supplement payment on Monday for the week ended Aug. 15, on top of their state benefits. And Arizona state officials say the federal payment for the weeks ended Aug. 1 and Aug. 8 should come this week or next.

The $44 billion allocated by Trump for the enhanced unemployment benefit is expected to last five weeks, through the week ending Aug. 29, according to a report by the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget. Trump pulled the $44 billion from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) budget, and every day the agency announces the new states approved for the $300 weekly benefit. Fortune is tracking the list of approved states here.

But not every state will get the benefit. Among the states that won’t is South Dakota, which became the first state to turn down the offer, citing a strong economic rebound and no need for the additional aid. The June unemployment rate in South Dakota was 7.2%, compared with an 11.1% national jobless rate. FEMA has yet to announce the status of the remaining 38 states.

The White House has already made it clear the benefit will be paid retroactively to the week ended Aug. 1. And the $300 a week in enhanced benefits will go only to jobless Americans who are already receiving at least $100 in state benefits. That is a smaller pool of recipients than the one for the first round of enhanced checks, which wasn’t limited in this manner.

There still remains the possibility the memorandum could face a legal challenge, given that Trump bypassed Congress to pull the funding from FEMA to pay for the enhanced benefit.

More coronavirus coverage from Fortune:

  • WHO chief warns the world: Don’t fall prey to COVID “vaccine nationalism”
  • What makes the latest coronavirus testing process, developed by Yale, so promising
  • Commentary: Why empowering frontline workers is a key element to a safe reopening
  • Urinals and toilets may spread COVID-19, adding fuel to the mask debate
  • Depression symptoms among the employed in the U.K. have more than doubled since the start of the pandemic

About the Author
By Lance LambertFormer Real Estate Editor
Twitter icon

Lance Lambert is a former Fortune editor who contributes to the Fortune Analytics newsletter.

See full bioRight Arrow Button Icon

Latest in Finance

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025

Most Popular

Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Finance
Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipiscing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam
By Fortune Editors
October 20, 2025
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • Future 50
  • World’s Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
Sections
  • Finance
  • Leadership
  • Success
  • Tech
  • Asia
  • Europe
  • Environment
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Health
  • Retail
  • Lifestyle
  • Politics
  • Newsletters
  • Magazine
  • Features
  • Commentary
  • Mpw
  • CEO Initiative
  • Conferences
  • Personal Finance
  • Education
Customer Support
  • Frequently Asked Questions
  • Customer Service Portal
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms Of Use
  • Single Issues For Purchase
  • International Print
Commercial Services
  • Advertising
  • Fortune Brand Studio
  • Fortune Analytics
  • Fortune Conferences
  • Business Development
About Us
  • About Us
  • Editorial Calendar
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Diversity And Inclusion
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

whitmer
PoliticsAutos
Trump claims all the U.S. automakers are ‘doing great.’ Gretchen Whitmer says ‘this will only get worse without a serious shift’
By Isabella Volmert and The Associated PressJanuary 15, 2026
7 hours ago
RetailRetail
Chubbies cofounder Kyle Hency is back—his new startup Good Day just raised $7 million in seed funding
By Allie GarfinkleJanuary 15, 2026
8 hours ago
Personal FinanceLoans
Best personal loans for excellent credit 2026: Low APRs and strong borrowing power
By Joseph HostetlerJanuary 15, 2026
10 hours ago
newsom
Personal FinanceTaxes
Gavin Newsom literally started his career with funding from a billionaire, but he was also raised by a single mother with 3 jobs
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 15, 2026
11 hours ago
newsom
Personal FinanceTaxes
Gavin Newsom’s anti-Zohran moment: the California billionaire tax that splits the Democratic Party down the middle
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 15, 2026
11 hours ago
Big TechTech
Oracle struggles to attract workers to Nashville ‘world HQ’—even with a 2-million-square-foot office and Larry Ellison’s favorite restaurant
By Marco Quiroz-GutierrezJanuary 15, 2026
12 hours ago

Most Popular

placeholder alt text
Personal Finance
Peter Thiel makes his biggest donation in years to help defeat California’s billionaire wealth tax
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Europe
Americans have been quietly plundering Greenland for over 100 years, since a Navy officer chipped fragments off the Cape York iron meteorite
By Paul Bierman and The ConversationJanuary 14, 2026
1 day ago
placeholder alt text
Health
The head of marketing at Slate posted on LinkedIn requesting cleaning services as a benefit at her company. The next day, HR answered her call
By Sydney LakeJanuary 15, 2026
23 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Success
Despite a $45 million net worth, Big Bang Theory star still works tough, 16-hour days—he repeats one mantra when overwhelmed
By Orianna Rosa RoyleJanuary 15, 2026
22 hours ago
placeholder alt text
Economy
California's wealth tax doesn't fix the real problem: Cash-poor billionaires who borrow money, tax-free, to live on
By Nick LichtenbergJanuary 14, 2026
2 days ago
placeholder alt text
Politics
One year after Bill Gates surprised with the choice to close his foundation by 2045, he's cutting staff jobs
By Stephanie Beasley and The Associated PressJanuary 14, 2026
1 day ago

© 2025 Fortune Media IP Limited. All Rights Reserved. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy | CA Notice at Collection and Privacy Notice | Do Not Sell/Share My Personal Information
FORTUNE is a trademark of Fortune Media IP Limited, registered in the U.S. and other countries. FORTUNE may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice.