I am getting $655 a week in unemployment benefits!

[havaneselover]

My sister was disgusted that she received a stimulus check as she has not been financially impacted as of now. So she donated what she received. She was partially phased out but is by no means wealthy. I too thought the idea of sending me a stimulus check when I have not been impacted was ridiculous. I however, must be less principled than my sister. I kept mine but am using it to stimulate the economy by putting it toward home repairs, tree removal, and house painting. But there's always an option to pay it forward

 

[butterscotchcollins]

My sister was disgusted that she received a stimulus check as she has not been financially impacted as of now. So she donated what she received. She was partially phased out but is by no means wealthy. I too thought the idea of sending me a stimulus check when I have not been impacted was ridiculous. I however, must be less principled than my sister. I kept mine but am using it to stimulate the economy by putting it toward home repairs, tree removal, and house painting. But there's always an option to pay it forward

It's YOUR money that the government is giving back to you, no need to feel guilty. I didn't qualify for a stimulus even though I could use it, I've got a wedding to pay for

 

[havaneselover]

It's YOUR money that the government is giving back to you, no need to feel guilty. I didn't qualify for a stimulus even though I could use it, I've got a wedding to pay for

I get that. I don't feel guilty. I just think it was stupid. I don't see why money was sent to people who were not impacted. That's my $0.02.

 

[TwoMisfits]

I get that. I don't feel guilty. I just think it was stupid. I don't see why money was sent to people who were not impacted. That's my $0.02.

B/c it was cheaper and faster administratively...and getting the money to those who needed it was the priority...if they verified info, checked for fraud, etc, it probably would have made the program almost as expensive AND it would have taken months longer...

 

[SL6827]

call the irs and return it. Same with your $600 a week. Call unemployment and return it.

Did you return yours? I haven't gotten ours yet. So we should be punished because my husband makes a good salary? Why so? Are you that jealous?

 

[mi*vida*loca]

Did you return yours? I haven't gotten ours yet. So we should be punished because my husband makes a good salary? Why so? Are you that jealous?

It was sarcasm

 

[SL6827]

It was sarcasm

Ok, well I was wrong on that one. I was not able to detect that. I did have one other person in my family tell me just that, no joke.

 

[FreeTime]

She's not gaming the system at all - if she applied for UI, and her state approved her, then she is receiving something she is eligible for. It isn't some sneaky loophole being exploited. We don't get a choice whether or not to accept the extra $600 - it is automatic and included in the UI payments. Whether anyone on here thinks she DESERVES it is completely irrelevant (because after reading the more recent comments it appears to be an issue of perception whether it is deserved/needed, not whether it's within the rules).

My comment was not about the $600. It was about getting unemployment during a time she wouldn’t have normally been eligible for it as she said her job would have been seasonally ending. Taking unemployment during that time, when she normally wouldn’t be able to apply, is what I am referring to.

 

[FreeTime]

I think if my college kid didn't need the money and didn't actually rely on her income, then I might discourage her from applying but she pays her own college tuition. Tuition will come due for fall and she was laid off Mar 15 and most likely won't go back until June 15. Once she goes back, her work is opening with reduced hours and are saying they can only give everyone 10-15 hours. She is going to try to find another job too once stores open but it's unlikely she will earn enough to pay for her fall tuition. So, the UE would really help her.


I actually know several college kids in her same shoes....work to pay their own tuition, laid off and now struggling to get UE to approve them and pay. Some states have been really good about processing claims and others have been terrible.

I agree, if the college student needs it, they should apply. They just need to understand the risk of doing so. My kids pay their own tuition as well. Fortunately, they were able to pick up other jobs quickly and the one was able to work her student job online since she was doing admin work. And yes, some states are doing great and others are causing suffering to many families due to their delay. It is sad.

 

[AlohaNow]

One actually can give the stimulus money back to the federal government. Toward the very end of the 1040 instructions, every year, is a little section on 'making a gift to reduce debt held by the public'. You can mail a check to a PO box in Parkersburg, WV. It cracks me up every time I see it and I truly wonder if anyone ever sends anything. Just sayin'.

In the next 2-3 weeks I'm most likely joining the ranks of those who are making more collecting unemployment than they do when they work. Not quite sure how I feel about that, but as PPs have stated, the additional kicker is automatic.

 

[SL6827]

I have yet to get any stimulous money, but we just now have done our 2018 and 2019 taxes, so I will be waiting just a bit. One thing that has always got my goat is how we have never got the earned income credit. Never in 25 years. When we were first married, my husband made $7 an hour. We still didn't get it because I worked to probably making $6 an hour.

 

[SL6827]

One actually can give the stimulus money back to the federal government. Toward the very end of the 1040 instructions, every year, is a little section on 'making a gift to reduce debt held by the public'. You can mail a check to a PO box in Parkersburg, WV. It cracks me up every time I see it and I truly wonder if anyone ever sends anything. Just sayin'.

In the next 2-3 weeks I'm most likely joining the ranks of those who are making more collecting unemployment than they do when they work. Not quite sure how I feel about that, but as PPs have stated, the additional kicker is automatic.

Take it an enjoy for the moment. Just like this virus, it too shall pass.

 

[SL6827]

Me and my husband have worked our tails off our entire marriage. I would go so far to say that he is a work-a-holic. Yes, there is such a thing. So I was a little taken back by some of the negative comments on here, even though there was only a few. To never really get any type of hand out in life and now to maybe reap a reward for a small period of time is nice. And to say we weren't affected by this virus thing, we don't know what the future holds. His company is now making material for the medical gowns instead of flooring. Why? There are no flooring orders. So to say that we will come out of this unaffected, unscathed, we don't know that yet. I would say the chances are extremely high we will get hit in some fashion.

 

[Timothywv385]

Anyone who's bitter about people "getting paid to do nothing" should start by taking it up with trust fund babies and rich people who have never worked an honest day in their life.

If you're on unemployment YOU have paid into the system and it is YOUR money that you're getting back. I pay my fair share of taxes and am 100% OK with them going to give people a little bit more (or even a LOT more) so that they can feed their families and keep a roof over their heads, or even *gasp* take a vacation to relax from all this crazy stress. I'm one of the only people still working on my team, under an extreme amount of stress to deliver the work of 6 other people, and I wouldn't trade that for the gut-wrenching uncertainty of if/when I'm still going to have a job in the next 2 months.

The idea that this will incentivize people to stay unemployed is patently ridiculous - unemployment benefits are a short-term solution, no one voluntarily wants a multi-year gap in their resume and then to be fighting with all the people who were permanently laid off for positions from the very few companies who are even hiring after this. If you have a stable job that you can go back to after furlough, you're going to. If you want to use this time to be selective about the next move you make for your career so that you can be making a better salary or working in a healthier environment or get better benefits, there's nothing wrong with that. But to say that most people who are getting a slight boost in their income right now are just going to suddenly get lazy and never go back to work is silly.

your employer paid into unemployment, you did not. Unemployment is an employer expense, NOT an employee expense.!!

\

 

[Timothywv385]

so should she call unemployment and say “please take back that $600 a week.” Isn’t it automatic?

She’s laid off. She applied for something she’s paid into. The government has decided to give an extra $600 a week. How do you return that ?

she’s doing nothing illegal or wrong.

She didn’t pay into it. Her employer did.

 

[punkin]

One of the reasons for the payments was to quickly get money out to people so they could keep spending, thereby preventing the economy from contracting quite as sharply. Count me among those who see no problem with OP getting the money. She followed the rules, did nothing wrong and now there is more money circulating in the economy, which is kinda the point.

 

[AlohaNow]

I think the flat out $600 is wrong, It should has been UP TO $ 600 to match the salary.

I agree 100% with this sentiment. When I heard that the amount was set at $600 in addition to (possibly) whatever the max is in anyone's state I thought that was a crazy high amount. But I also understand that the government needed the quickest fix possible so they just went with it. Making the max $600 a week everywhere would have been more cumbersome, as some states are still looking for people who know COBOL to reconfigure their ancient systems and keep up with demand. The idea was to get cash into the hands of the masses so that they could buy food and not be evicted, etc. It is a very generous amount, to say the least.

I don't really understand anyone saying that they wish they got the EIC. I did volunteer tax prep for a few seasons and believe me, EIC territory is not a place that anyone should want to be! Missing out on it by a few dollars must be incredibly frustrating, I can see the logic in that. Perhaps that is what OP meant. Is there abuse of the EIC by working under the table? Yes, of course, but I don't believe it is quite as rampant as some think. Anyway, the EIC is a whole 'nother thread!

 

[mi*vida*loca]

She didn’t pay into it. Her employer did.

I pay NJ unemployment tax every pay period. I have paid into unemployment my entire life.

 

[butterscotchcollins]

your employer paid into unemployment, you did not. Unemployment is an employer expense, NOT an employee expense.!!

And I make the money for my employer off my labor, they pay into it to protect me when I need it, so grab a lollipop, that might get the bitterness out of your mouth.

 

[tink89]

All I will say is if you qualify for UE you will get it. If you don't then you won't get it. OP obviously qualified. And the stimulus income limit was $150k I believe so it looks like OP is making less than that, so they got it.

other posters here seem either mad. jealous, or bitter all because someone you don't even know or know their situation got some help. Is it because other posters make more and got nothing or because you make less and OP still got something?

There have always been people who play the system and I think its wrong but right now I say if you are getting UE or another help then hope people are just smart about it and use it for what it is for.

I will also say that if you live in the Bay Area a six figure salary is pretty much low income.