The CARES Act provides unemployment compensation to individuals not covered under regular Massachusetts unemployment law, such as those who are self-employed or paid by 1099s, those who have recently exhausted their weeks of unemployment benefits, and those who do not have sufficient earnings over the last year to qualify for state unemployment.

The CARES Act also extends the number of available weeks of benefits for all claimants, and supplements all claimants’ weekly benefit amount by $600.

The Department of Unemployment Assistance is awaiting federal guidance regarding the CARES Act’s application requirements, business rules, eligibility requirements, exceptions, and technical requirements. Until that guidance is issued, benefits under the CARES Act are not yet available in Massachusetts and claimants may not apply for such benefits through UI Online at this time.