Skip to main content

How to Apply for Unemployment Benefits If You Are Self Employed

The Georgia Department of Labor issued new guidelines for unemployment benefits for self-employed workers and gig workers yesterday.  This new process is for people who usually cannot collect unemployment benefits, because they do not pay into the Georgia and Federal unemployment insurance funds. The new guidance tells this group to most definitely file for unemployment benefits in Georgia as soon as possible.  Even if they are denied State benefits, the application will enter them into the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program for consideration.

The Federal PUA program will provide unemployment benefits to those who are not normally eligible.  Covered are self-employed individuals, gig workers, 1099 independent contractors, church employees, nonprofit employees, or those with limited work history.

To apply, go to the Georgia Department of Labor website.  You may have to provide financial documentation for 2019 in the application.

Thank you to Shannon Price for this article.  Be sure to read the full Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) article here

More information in the posts below.

Comments