Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) – Workforce Development

We began paying PUA extensions on March 30, 2021. Claimants should check their benefit payment history for payment:

Select "My UI Summary"

Under Payment Information, click "More Info"

See "Benefit Payment History" info to see all the payments

It may take financial institutions two business days or more to deposit payments once issued.

NOTE:

Quarter Change Notice: As of April 4, 2021, if you are receiving PUA or PEUC you may see an issue "Under Review" on your Determinations page. At the start of each calendar quarter, federal law requires DWD to check whether federal program recipients qualify for regular UI. This quarterly check requires manual review and can take a few weeks to complete. If this applies to you, please continue filing your initial and/or weekly claims as prompted in your portal.

On April 21, 2021, programming was completed so PUA claims requiring special processing can now be worked on. Processing these claims may take a few weeks.

For help using online services, or if you are unable to go online, call the PUA Hotline at (608) 318-7100. The hotline is available from 7:30 AM to 4:30 PM, Monday through Friday. This hotline is to help you complete your PUA application and provide general information related to the PUA program only. If you are calling for any reason other than PUA, your question will not be answered; call the Claimant Assistance Line instead.

Topics: PUA Overview | PUA Payments | How to Apply for PUA | PUA FAQs

PUA Overview

PUA is a temporary federal program that provides up to 79 weeks of unemployment benefits to individuals who are not eligible for regular Unemployment Insurance (UI) such as:

Individuals who are self-employed.
Certain independent contractors.
Individuals with limited recent work history.
Other workers not covered by Regular UI.

To be eligible for PUA, your reason for no longer working must fall within one of the COVID-19 Scenarios.

NOTE: The Secretary of Labor expanded PUA eligibility to include three new COVID-19 related reasons under which a person may qualify. Individuals previously determined not to have a COVID-19 qualifying reason that prevented them from receiving payment of PUA will be contacted by the department to determine if they now qualify under one of the three new reasons:

Individual was denied continued unemployment benefits because he/she refused to return to work or accept an offer of work at a worksite that was not in compliance with local, state, or national health and safety standards directly related to COVID-19. Such standards may include, but are not limited to, those related to face mask wearing, physical distancing measures, or access to personal protective equipment consistent with public health guidelines.
Individual provides services to an educational institution or educational service agency and is unemployed or partially unemployed because of volatility in the work schedule that is directly caused by the COVID-19 public health emergency. Such volatility may include, but is not limited to, changes in schedules and partial closures.
Individual is an employee and his/her hours have been reduced or he/she was laid off as a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency. Such an example may be, but is not limited to, a server at a restaurant who was laid off for eight weeks while the restaurant was closed for in-person dining but remained open for carry-out and delivery service.

Watch for portal messaging for the next step after uploading the mailed self-certification form.

What to do if you were out of work due to one of the three new COVID-qualifying reasons

Other PUA Publications:

You will not be able to file weekly claims for PUA until your eligibility has been determined. If you qualify, your determination will provide further directions on how to file your weekly claims. If you are eligible for weeks that have already passed, you will be able to file for those at that time as well.

PUA Payments

Payment Amount:
Did You Know? All unemployment benefits are taxable. PUA benefits are considered income for federal and state tax purposes. You may have federal (10%) and/or state (5%) taxes withheld from your PUA payments. Withhold federal and state taxes from your weekly benefit NOW, so you don't have to pay them later. You can opt to have taxes withheld at https://my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov.

Your 1099-G tax form is now available online at https://my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov.

Benefit Amount:
- 4% of the high quarter wages in the tax year preceding the claim; subject to PUA minimum and maximum.

Duration of PUA Benefits (up to 79 weeks):

PUA is payable for 79 weeks (minus any weeks of regular UI and Extended Benefits), 40 of which can only be paid 12/27/20 or later.

Pandemic Assistance Period: February 2, 2020 – September 4, 2021

Claims begin with the week the individual was first off of work or unavailable/unable due to the pandemic.

*Claims filed after December 27, 2020 may not start prior to week ending December 12, 2020 (week 50/20) unless the individual filed a regular UI claim on or before December 27, 2020 and was later disqualified from UI. Those individuals' PUA can be backdated to the week the UI claim was effective.

How to Apply for PUA or Reopen a PUA Claim

How to Apply for PUA

Reopening your PUA claim (i.e., filing a new PUA application)
- The first week PUA can be paid under The Continued Assistance Act of 2020 is the week ending January 2, 2021 (UI week 01/21).
- To reopen your claim, go to your claimant dashboard and click on "File Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Claim" (like the first time you applied for PUA). You will then be asked a series of questions to ensure you are filing the correct type of application.
Filing PUA weekly claims
You will not be able to file weekly claims for PUA until your eligibility has been determined. If you qualify, your determination will provide further directions on how to file your weekly claims. If you are eligible for weeks that have already passed, you will be able to file for those at that time as well.