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Continued Assistance Act

Unemployment Extension Details

Announcements

  • IMPORTANT: The final payable week for PUA and PEUC is week ending Saturday, September 4, 2021. The final benefit will be processed on Sunday, September 12, 2021. 
  • The Continued Assistance Act (CAA) has expired. Benefits have been extended through the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). Learn more.
  • At the end of January, DES will mail 1099-G tax forms to claimants who received unemployment benefits in 2020. Learn more about Income Tax Information for Unemployment Benefits.

On December 27, 2020, the President signed into law the Continued Assistance Act of 2020 (CAA), which allows for the extension of federal unemployment programs including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC). These provisions will bring continued unemployment benefits to Arizona claimants.

How the CAA extends the CARES Act — Infographic.

As a reminder, the changes contained in the Continued Assistance Act are:

Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC)

  • Will provide 11 weeks of an additional $300 weekly benefit to eligible claimants.
  • To receive FPUC, a claimant must receive benefits from an underlying unemployment program such as regular UI, PUA, PEUC, or EB.
  • FPUC will be available for weeks of unemployment beginning with the week ending January 2, 2021 through the week ending March 13, 2021.
  • See below for answers to frequently asked FPUC questions.

Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA)

  • Will provide additional weeks of benefits, to a maximum of 50 weeks. The extension weeks will be payable beginning with the benefit week ending January 2, 2021.
  • Weekly certifications will continue to be required.
  • Individuals can file an initial application for PUA until March 13, 2021. 
  • Claimants who are receiving PUA as of March 13, 2021 and who have remaining benefits may continue to receive PUA through week ending April 10, 2021, or until their benefits are exhausted, whichever comes first.
  • All claimants who receive a PUA payment on or after December 27, 2020, must submit documentation substantiating their prior employment or self-employment, or planned employment or self-employment during the most recent tax year that ended prior to the date they filed their initial PUA application. Learn more about PUA employment verification.

Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC)

  • Will provide 11 additional weeks of benefits, to a maximum of 24 weeks. The additional 11 weeks will be payable beginning with the benefit week ending January 2, 2021.
  • Weekly certifications will continue to be required.
  • Individuals can file an initial application for PEUC until March 13, 2021. 
  • Claimants who are receiving PEUC as of March 13, 2021 and who have remaining benefits may continue to receive PEUC through week ending April 10, 2021,  or until their benefits are exhausted, whichever comes first.

Extended Benefits (EB)

  • Will remain active until conditions for the EB period “trigger off.” The EB period is contingent on a combination of federal and state economic indicators. The duration of EB could be less than 13 weeks for some claimants if the EB period ends while they are receiving benefits.
  • Weekly certifications will continue to be required.

Continued Assistance Act of 2020 FAQs

When is the new round of FPUC payments available?

FPUC payments will begin with the benefit week ending January 2, 2021 and will continue through the benefit week ending March 13, 2021. The first payments will be issued the week of January 3, 2021 when weekly certifications are filed for the benefit week ending January 2, 2021.

Who can receive FPUC?

FPUC is payable to individuals who are otherwise entitled under state or federal law to receive any of the following UC benefits:

  • Regular Unemployment Insurance
  • Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees
  • Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers
  • Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation 
  • Pandemic Unemployment Assistance 
  • Extended Benefits 
  • Shared Work 
  • Trade Readjustment Allowances 

If an individual is eligible to receive at least one dollar of underlying benefits for a claimed
week, the claimant will also receive the full $300 FPUC payment for that week. Individuals will receive FPUC payments concurrently with their weekly benefit payments for the underlying program

Did we miss any weeks of payments between the time the bill passed and when it was signed into law?

No. The legislation passed by Congress provided for FPUC payments to begin for weeks of unemployment beginning after December 26, 2020. The supplemental $300 of Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) will begin with the benefit week ending January 9, 2021 and will continue through the benefit week ending March 13, 2021.

When will DES be able to issue the weekly $300 FPUC payments?

We began to make FPUC payments on the first possible day, January 3, 2021, when claimants begin filing their weekly certifications for the week ending January 2, 2021, and we continue to issue FPUC payments as additional weekly certifications are filed.

When will the FPUC payments end?

Based on current legislation, the $300 FPUC payments will end on March 13, 2021.

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