State not yet taking applications
Maine will begin accepting unemployment claims for self-employed people on Friday, May 1 at 8 a.m. If there is no further verification required the state says benefits should be received within a week. Those benefits are retroactive to the loss of income going back as early as March 15.
The federal government passed legislation to allow self-employed people receive unemployment benefits under the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which was signed into law in early April. The state had to retrofit its unemployment website to accept those applications.
If you are self-employed, or an independent contractor, freelancer, gig worker, farmer, or fishermen you can apply at this link on May 1: https://www.maine.gov/unemployment/
The following types of tax schedules will be needed:
Federal Tax Return –1040 (2018 or 2019)
Schedule C – sole proprietor
Schedule F — Farmers
Schedule J — Farmers and Fishermen,
Schedule SE- Self-employment
Schedule K-1- Partnerships and S-Corp
