When it comes to unemployment, most people think there are only standard unemployment benefits available. Generally, people can benefit from Unemployment Insurance. However, there are other opportunities that people may not realize exist. In fact, another unemployment opportunity that people may be able to consider is Self-Employment Assistance. These benefits may be able to provide better support for your current situation.
What are the Standard Unemployment Benefits
Before diving into what it means to benefit from Self-Employment Assistance, you must have a clear understanding of standard unemployment benefits. Unemployment Insurance (UI) refers to the joint federal and state system that can help people who have lost their jobs. When someone loses their job, UI can temporarily replace a portion of their wages while they try to find their next spot of employment. The unemployment program will vary by state. However, the United States Department of Labor (DOL) oversees the programs.
Known as the basic UI program, it can generally provide up to 26 weeks of support to unemployed individuals. In a majority of states, the basic program will be able to replace roughly half of the unemployed worker’s previous wages on average. There are some federal requirements that states need to deal with but other than that, states are typically the ones to set their qualifying criteria, benefits, etc.
Who Qualifies for Unemployment Insurance?
Specific eligibility will vary depending on the state. However, individuals can expect to qualify if they:
- Lost their job due to no fault of their own
- Are able to work and are actively looking for employment
- Earned a minimum specific amount of money during a timeframe known as a “base period” before dealing with unemployment
How Much Can You Get?
Again, even though states will be the ones to make the decisions when it comes to the benefit of these programs, you can expect to receive benefits on a dollar amount for a specific number of weeks.
Understanding Self-Employment Assistance (SEA)
Now that you know about the basics when it comes to unemployment benefits, it’s time to learn about other opportunities. Self-Employment Assistance is a support opportunity that can give dislocated workers the chance for early re-employment. The goal of this support is to enable and encourage individuals dealing with unemployment to create their own employment by starting small businesses. Many people don’t realize just how much work goes into starting a business. However, it will take up a lot of your time. This is a voluntary program which means not all states will offer this opportunity. The states that do run this program will pay a weekly SEA allowance instead of the standard UI benefits. The allowance that individuals receive can go towards helping those dealing with unemployment while they work on becoming self-employed and establishing their businesses.
States that currently have active SEA programs include:
- Delaware
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Oregon
Who Qualifies for SEA?
Specific eligibility and benefits will vary by state. However, to receive these benefits, a person must first be able to qualify for the standard UI under their state law.
What are SEA Benefits?
The allowances that SEA will provide will be the same as the individual’s regular UI benefits every week. However, instead of having to look for a job that pays a wage or a salary, they can focus on working full-time towards starting their business! This includes activities like business counseling, technical assistance, entrepreneurial training, etc. Again, you will find that starting a business won’t be an overnight task. Especially if you want to use your self employment as your primary source of income! That is why you have the opportunity to focus on getting your business off the ground and don’t need to look for other means of employment.
How to File a Claim?
If you become unemployed then it is important to get in touch with your state’s UI agency immediately. They will help you with the application process and provide any information you may need. When you reach out to this agency, you can also ask if SEA is an option that your state offers. You may not realize it but it could be something to consider.
Additional Information
If you want more information about SEA you can check out the Self-Employment Assistance Center. This resource was made by the DOL and the Small Business Administration (SBA). It contains information, tools, and resources that people can benefit from all in one place. For example, on this website, you can learn about the SBA Toolkit. This toolkit features information that can help people who are starting their businesses. Information includes resources like:
- Small Business Development Centers
- Women’s Business Centers
- SCORE
- SBA Free Online Courses
Other Unemployment Benefits to Consider
Besides basic UI and SEA, there are other specialized unemployment support opportunities to consider. These opportunities include:
- Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees
- Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers
- Extended Unemployment Benefits
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance
- Trade Readjustment Unemployment Benefits
Overall
If you find yourself unemployed, there may be more support for you than you realize. Besides the standard UI that people are used to, there is also SEA. This type of unemployment support is designed to help individuals dealing with unemployment create their own employment by starting a small business. However, it’s important to remember this is a voluntary program–not every state will offer it. The only states that offer this opportunity are:
- Delaware
- Mississippi
- New Hampshire
- New York
- Oregon
Just like standard UI, the specific eligibility and available benefits will vary depending on the state. If you want to apply or learn more then you will want to get in touch with your state’s UI agency. Besides checking out your state agency, you can also learn more information by reviewing the Self-Employment Assistance Center which is an information resource available online. This is a great hub of information that can provide information to people in need.
Besides the standard UI and SEA, there are other unemployment opportunities that you may be able to consider:
- Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees
- Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers
- Extended Unemployment Benefits
- Disaster Unemployment Assistance
- Trade Readjustment Unemployment Benefits
Overall, there may be more support for your situation than you realize–you just need to know where to look!
