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MANCHESTER, NH — The checks are in the mail, or being automatically deposited in bank accounts, for unemployed New Hampshire workers and business owners, and for many it will be a big amount – bigger than that one-time $1,200 check they’ll be receiving with President Trump’s name on it.
And the money will keep on coming, for a total of 39 weeks.
Unemployed workers – as well as independent contractors and other business owners – were supposed to receive an extra federal $600-per-week benefit starting in the week ending April 4, courtesy of the federal CARES Act.
But New Hampshire Employment Security‘s computer system, overwhelmed by unprecedented demand as well as vastly expanded eligibility, simply could not handle sending out that extra amount.
On Friday evening, however, it was able to update the system so the payments were processed Saturday and should reach most recipients by Wednesday, according to Deputy Commissioner Richard Lavers.
That means those who filed back in the first week with expanded benefits – roughly 100,000 – will get two payments – two weeks catch-up, $1,200, plus another $600 payment for last week, which will be added to their regular weekly amount.
In other words, they should receive their weekly amount from the state – 60 percent of income – ranging from a minimum of $168 to a maximum of $427 per week, plus the added $600 weekly payment.
In addition, some business owners might get regular benefits, since federal rules now allow them to collect the minimum even though they didn’t make enough money the previous quarters to qualify. The state’s March 17 emergency order, which allows self-employed individuals to collect regular benefits, only applied to owners of more profitable businesses.
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