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

Trendingnow

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish

1

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens

2

Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year

3

The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
Financeunemployment

Everything the stimulus bill does for jobless Americans, including an extra $300 weekly in unemployment into September

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
March 15, 2021, 11:55 AM ET

The lapse in pandemic unemployment benefits was averted last week when President Joe Biden signed the $1.9 trillion economic aid package.

The version that initially passed the Democratic controlled House in February would have upped weekly enhanced unemployment benefits from $300 to $400 and extended it through late August. But the version that Senate Democrats passed, and that ultimately landed on Biden’s desk, kept the benefit at $300. That final version, which was signed into law, extended the benefit a bit longer, going into early September.

To clear up any confusion, Fortune put together a guide to what benefits unemployed Americans are entitled to through the latest stimulus package.

What’s the current status of weekly unemployment benefits?

The bill signed into law last week extended enhanced $300 weekly unemployment benefits through the week of Sept. 6. Without legislation, the benefits would have expired the week of March 14.

The $300 weekly payments will automatically be paid to jobless Americans who are on state unemployment rolls or covered by federal pandemic unemployment benefits, including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance—which includes jobless part-timers, self-employed workers, freelancers, and independent contractors.

Enhanced weekly benefits are paid on top of state unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. For instance, a worker in New York who gets the maximum UI state benefit of $504 per week would receive a total of $804 per week.

What about tax forgiveness?

The relief package includes a provision that grants federal tax forgiveness for up to $10,200 in unemployment benefits paid in 2020. That means individuals won’t have to pay federal taxes on $10,200 of the unemployment benefits they received last year. The tax waiver is for households that earn less than $150,000 in adjusted gross income. This forgiveness only applies to federal taxes—not state.

Eligible taxpayers who already submitted their 2020 returns might have to file an amended tax return in order to claim the waiver. However, we’ll have to wait for IRS guidance before that is certain.

While jobless Americans are getting federal tax forgiveness for 2020 benefits, there are no guarantees for benefits paid this year. If they can afford it, Harvey Bezozi, a certified public accountant in Florida, says jobless Americans should have federal taxes withheld from their unemployment payments.

“The way things seem to be going with eradication of the coronavirus and strengthening of the economy, it’s a safer bet for unemployed workers in 2021 to elect to have at least 10% withheld from the unemployment benefits they receive. Most likely, with the help of the standard deduction ($12,550 for single filers and $25,100 for married joint filers), ‎no additional taxes will be due, and a refund will be issued for most or all of the taxes withheld,” Bezozi tells Fortune.

PUA and PUEC are extended

The $1.9 trillion package extends Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) benefits from March 14 to Sept. 6.

PUA expands who is eligible for unemployment benefits to include people like business owners, part-timers, and freelancers.

PEUC grants additional weeks of jobless benefit coverage once recipients exhaust their state benefits. The relief package ups PEUC to a total of 53 weeks of extra unemployment coverage. 

More must-read finance coverage from Fortune:

  • Bitcoin? Food? Debt? How most Americans actually plan to spend their stimulus checks
  • Companies face calls to bring “dark money” political spending into the light
  • Your stimulus check could disappear before you ever see it, thanks to debt collectors
  • After its IPO, Coupang eyes South Korea domination
  • Everything the new stimulus package includes for college students, from emergency aid to tax-free loan forgiveness
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
Fortune Secondary Logo
Rankings
  • 100 Best Companies
  • Fortune 500
  • Global 500
  • Fortune 500 Europe
  • Most Powerful Women
  • World's Most Admired Companies
  • See All Rankings
  • Lists Calendar
Sections
  • Finance
  • Fortune Crypto
  • Features
  • Leadership
  • Health
  • Commentary
  • Success
  • Retail
  • Mpw
  • Tech
  • Lifestyle
  • CEO Initiative
  • Asia
  • Politics
  • Conferences
  • Europe
  • Newsletters
  • Personal Finance
  • Environment
  • Magazine
  • 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
  • Group Subscriptions
About Us
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • About Us
  • Press Center
  • Work At Fortune
  • Terms And Conditions
  • Site Map
  • Facebook icon
  • Twitter icon
  • LinkedIn icon
  • Instagram icon
  • Pinterest icon

Latest in Finance

donald trump
EconomyImmigration
Immigration restrictions don’t boost native workers. They cut economic mobility for generations, study finds
By Jake AngeloMay 29, 2026
47 seconds ago
dimon
SuccessGen Z
Jamie Dimon tells Gen Z to ‘learn how to think, learn how to earn respect’ as he describes ‘great meeting’ with Zohran Mamdani
By Nick LichtenbergMay 29, 2026
36 minutes ago
The AI arms race in cybersecurity has started. Most companies aren’t ready
Cryptocyber
The AI arms race in cybersecurity has started. Most companies aren’t ready
By Philip MartinMay 29, 2026
49 minutes ago
Kalshi adds perpetual futures for U.S. traders following thumbs-up from key regulator
CryptoBitcoin
Kalshi adds perpetual futures for U.S. traders following thumbs-up from key regulator
By Jack KubinecMay 29, 2026
53 minutes ago
Meet the Black women on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list shaping business leadership
MPWMost Powerful Women
Meet the Black women on Fortune’s Most Powerful Women list shaping business leadership
By Cheyann HarrisMay 29, 2026
2 hours ago
dewine
North AmericaData centers
Ohio calls time on data-center tax break after cost balloons to $1.5 billion, 11x the initial estimate
By Marc Levy and The Associated PressMay 29, 2026
3 hours ago

Most Popular

As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
Magazine
As CEO of the $96 billion Sam’s Club, Latriece Watkins is testing her mettle at the warehouse retailer that produced CEOs for Walmart, Target, and Walgreens
By Emma HinchliffeMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
Success
Jeff Bezos wants the bottom half of earners to pay zero income tax—he says nurses making just $75K should save $12K a year
By Preston ForeMay 21, 2026
8 days ago
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
Environment
The river that supplies 40 million Americans is down to 23% — and about to make a $25 million bet on one fish
By Dorany Pineda, Brittany Peterson and The Associated PressMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
Banking
Jamie Dimon said the American Dream was slipping away. JPMorgan just put $40 million on the table to fix it
By Nick LichtenbergMay 27, 2026
2 days ago
Current price of oil as of May 28, 2026
Personal Finance
Current price of oil as of May 28, 2026
By Joseph HostetlerMay 28, 2026
1 day ago
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
Success
As AI slashes white-collar jobs, Salesforce CEO Marc Benioff says almost no one is being hired—except in sales
By Emma BurleighMay 28, 2026
1 day ago

© 2026 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.