[Updated for $300 FPUC payment in 2021] – The updates below are related to the original $300 LWA program which has now been paid out. See this article for the new $300 FPUC payment and state tracker, approved under the 2021 extensions.
You can also see this article for updates on extensions to 2021 unemployment benefits and also which states are ending the $300 unemployment payments early!
Despite payment of the $300 LWA weekly benefit across several states, many eligible claimants are still finding that they have yet to receive their funds or that they only received partial payments. This is despite funding for the Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) program having already run out and capped at 6 weeks for most states, well before the end of the original December expiry. Another point of frustration (and confusion) is that people in the same state are getting paid on different schedules based on the program they are currently receiving unemployment benefits under. Further it has been a challenge to get clear answers from their local state unemployment agencies and websites which were already swamped trying to make the payments under existing enhanced unemployment benefit programs (PUA, PEUC, EB)! So hopefully the information below will help answer some of your LWA queries on why your payments have stopped, delayed or not coming at all. Feel free to leave or review comments for any further questions.
Has my state exhausted benefits?
FEMA has confirmed that they have budgeted 6 weeks of funding ($1800 to $2400) for states that apply to all weeks of the program. Based on the tracker below, states that have already exhausted their funding were among the first to receive approvals from FEMA. Those states include: Arizona, Massachusetts, Missouri, Montana, New Hampshire, North Carolina, Texas, Iowa, Louisiana, Maine, Maryland, Pennsylvania and New Mexico.
Note some states like Florida have said they will only be paying 4 weeks of benefits (despite FEMA budget for 6 weeks) due to one of the program’s requirements which requires that at least a quarter of the program’s recipients receive an additional $100 in state jobless aid. Because Florida doesn’t have enough workers who earn at least $100 in state unemployment aid to qualify the FL DEO has said they won’t be applying for the remaining 2 weeks of LWA funding available.
Meeting the $100 minimum existing UI threshold
The LWA unemployment benefit requires claimants to be getting at least $100 of UI benefits (on a pre-tax basis) from existing state or federal unemployment programs. This minimum requirement is required for every single week the LWA program is in effect, which covers the weeks ending August 1st to September 5th. You will only get the extra $300 (or $400 in some select states) for the weeks you have certified and received over $100 in UI for existing programs.
COVID certification
States are requiring claimants to self-certify that they are eligible for the $300 extra payment because they were unemployed or partially unemployed due to disruptions caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. So make sure you complete this once you get notified by your state unemployment agency (or check your UI portal). If you are getting PUA unemployment, then this certification is already covered since that program required this certification in the first place.
Note – You will just need to certify once per LWA claim. There is no requirement for weekly LWA self-certifications. You should however continue to file your regular weekly claim certifications to receive your unemployment benefits along with any applicable LWA payments. You will need to call your state UI if you need to adjust your certification for past weeks (required to get LWA retroactive payments) if this cannot be done through your states UI portal.
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) vs Regular Unemployment Driving Payment Dates
All state UI agencies had to implement PUA (and PEUC) programs earlier this year as part of the CARES act stimulus bill, which was generally done via separate systems or applications relative to their traditional UI systems already in place. In an unintended twist, the use of different systems has also meant that the LWA payment schedule for PUA recipients could also be different to those on regular unemployment because PUA claimants were not on traditional UI systems. In fact in many states, because the PUA systems were designed more recently LWA was able to be provided to PUA claimants more quickly than legacy systems used to deliver traditional unemployment benefits. For example in Ohio, PUA claimants began receiving retroactive LWA payments the week of September 16, 2020. Those on regular UI won’t start getting payments till late September.
Retroactive Remaining LWA Back Payments May Arrive in Batches
Because FEMA only initially awarded three weeks of funding – covering the weeks of August 1st, 8th and August 15th – many states only paid those first payments (one at a time or in a $900 lump sum) in the first round of LWA disbursements. Subsequent weeks required FEMA approval so were paid based on that and when states got the funds. Given the last week of funding for this program in many states was the week ending September 5th (paid the following week), some states who started paying early (e.g Texas, Arizona and Maryland) have already made the full $1800 payment to some claimants.
As a reminder here are the weeks (week ending) for states which have received the full 6 weeks of FEMA funding
- August 1
- August 8
- August 15
- August 22
- August 29
- September 5
Bank Account or Debit Card Processing Delays
While the state tracker below shows the first payment date for LWA benefits, it may take several days to get these in your bank account or debit card. Like with traditional UI and PUA benefits, after a payment has been released, it typically appears in your bank account or on your debit card in 1-2 business days. If you find its been more than 5 days, then contact your local state UI office.
This recently happened in New York (see update below table) where NY DOL confirmed they had released nearly $2 billion in LWA funds, but their payment processor – KeyBank – was unable to process payments that caused a 3 day delay in payments much to the angst of may NewYorkers whose UI portal showed payments had been made.
LWA less than what I expected
A common question is people seeing less than the $300 for a given week they got the payment. The main reason for this is that the $300 LWA payment is taxable. So if you were getting your existing UI taxed, then so will the LWA payment.
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Lost Wages Assistance (LWA) State Payment Date and Status
| State | LWA Status | Start Date | Max Weeks | Weekly Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Paid | Sep 6th | 6 | $300 |
| Alaska | Paid | Nov 6th (see estimate details) | 6 | $300 |
| Arizona | Paid | Aug 17th | 6 | $300 |
| Arkansas | Paid | Sep 12 (up to Oct 2nd) | 6 | $300 |
| California | Paid | Sep 7th (Phase 1) Sep 15th (Phase 2) | 6 | $300 |
| Colorado | Paid | From Sep 18th (in batches) | 6 | $300 |
| Connecticut | Paid | Sep 17th | 5 | $300 |
| Delaware | Paid | Sep 18th | 6 | $300 |
| District of Columbia | Paid | From Sep 28th (in batches) | 6 | $300 |
| Florida | Paid | Sep 8th | 4 | $300 |
| Georgia | Paid | Sep 12th | 6 | $300 |
| Hawaii | Paid | Sep 23rd (see schedule) | 6 | $300 |
| Idaho | Paid | Sep 12th | 6 | $300 |
| Illinois | Paid | Sep 8th | 6 | $300 |
| Indiana | Paid | Week of Sep 21st | 6 | $300 |
| Iowa | Paid | Sep 9th | 6 | $300 |
| Kansas | Paid | From Oct 6th (see schedule/details) | 6 | $300 |
| Kentucky | Paid | Sep 15th | 6 | $400 |
| Louisiana | Paid | Aug 27th | 6 | $300 |
| Maine | Paid | Sep 12th | 6 | $300 |
| Maryland | Paid | Sep 12th (schedule) | 6 | $300 |
| Massachusetts | Paid | Sep 7th | 6 | $300 |
| Michigan | Paid | Sep 10th | 6 | $300 |
| Minnesota | Paid | Sep 4th | 6 | $300 |
| Mississippi | Paid | Sep 10th | 6 | $300 |
| Missouri | Paid | Aug 23rd | 6 | $300 |
| Montana | Paid | Aug 30th | 6 | $400 |
| Nebraska | Paid | Sep 18th (First 3 weeks) From Sep 20th (remaining payments) | 6 | $300 |
| Nevada | Paying 5th and 6th weeks | From Oct 20th (First 3 weeks) From Nov 11 (Last 3 weeks) (see DETR updates) | 6 | $300 |
| New Hampshire | Paid | Sep 12th | 6 | $300 |
| New Jersey | Paid | From Oct 22nd (see more details) | 6 | $300 |
| New Mexico | Paid | Sep 10th | 6 | $300 |
| New York | Paid | Sep 14th | 6 | $300 |
| North Carolina | Paid | Sep 6th (4 weeks) Sep 16th (2 weeks) | 6 | $300 |
| North Dakota | Paid | Sep 17th | 6 | $300 |
| Ohio | Paid | From Sep 14th (on PUA) From Sep 20th (others) | 6 | $300 |
| Oklahoma | Paid | Sep 23rd | 6 | $300 |
| Oregon | Paid | October 2nd | 6 | $300 |
| Pennsylvania | Paid | Sep 17th (first 3 wk batch) Sep 24th (second 3wk batch) | 6 | $300 |
| Rhode Island | Paid | Sep 6th | 6 | $300 |
| South Carolina | Paid | Sep 25th (7 to 14 days processing) | 6 | $300 |
| South Dakota | No Payment | Did not enroll | 6 | - |
| Tennessee | Paid | Aug 30th | 6 | $300 |
| Texas | Paid | Aug 23rd | 6 | $300 |
| Utah | Paid | Sep 9th to Sep 23rd (paying in batches) | 6 | $300 |
| Vermont | Paid | Week of Sep 14th | 6 | $300 |
| Virginia | Paid | Oct 19th (see payout details) | 6 | $300 |
| Washington | Paid | Sep 22nd | 6 | $300 |
| West Virginia | Paid | Sep 16th | 6 | $400 |
| Wisconsin | Paid | From Oct 22nd | 6 | $300 |
| Wyoming | Paid | Sep 13th | 6 | $300 |
Payment Start date is when the state actually started processing LWA payments OR is the estimated date of the first payment processing based on available information. Note: Due to bank processing delays, it can take 2 to 4 days after the noted dates for benefits to hit your bank account or debit card. Please see links to more information in the table or your state UI website for specific payment status. If you find any mistakes or have updates, please leave a comment below and I will update table to help others.
New York (NY) LWA payment update
As of September 18th, a lot of NY readers are posting comments that their first batch of LWA payments (which was due to be paid on Sep 15th according to the NY DOL) has not yet hit their bank accounts. The NY DOL has posted on twitter, “The first round of LWA payments has been released for those who were pre-qualified and those who certified by 5 pm on 9/15. After certifying, payments will be released in 1-2 business days if you are eligible”
NY DOL confirmed they have released ~$1.9 billion in LWA funds to 2.26 million NYers. But looks like an issue with their processor – KeyBank. Despite assurances their system could handle the load, KeyBank was unable to process payments overnight on 9/17.
KeyBank has said payments have been processed & will reach bank accounts by 4:30PM on Sep 18th at the latest. Which was the case for a lot of people, however per a recent tweet at 9pm on Sep 18th, it looks like payment delays will continue for many others and may take till Monday Sep 21st for people to see their LWA money! Disappointing news indeed.
I know. I’m in KY as well and I know plenty of people who got their first checks monday and tuesday and a few got their second ones today. I draw $132 per week in reg UI and my workplace was shut down by the government. So I know I should qualify but I haben’t received anything!! I’ve called every number and emailed everyone including the govenor starting monday the 14th and noone has got back to me. I’m just afraid if they don’t hurry and fix it that the funds are gonna be gone and I won’t get it. Bullcrap considering none of this is my fault. Please help
I’m in Michigan and and I received anything yet at all
Chris if you got an unemployment card that they mailed you try checking that because a lot of people’s went on their unemployment card
I’m in GA. NO second payment…..no explanation on DOL website…..I was able to speak to a DOL agent today who told me she and her colleagues received emails yesterday saying that they were “preparing” to make second round of payments. She was extremely vague when i asked about a date. She said no date was given in the email.
I was Getting Pua over $100 So How Come My payment Hasnt Been Recieved For Ga & I can’t even get in contact with the dol
Check under every tab in your acct. If you have exhausted your regular weeks and now are getting the extension; check under your previous claim for any correspondence or payment status. I was stalking my unemployment acct desperate for a sign of anything and I had an email 13 days old telling me to reply in order for my funds to be released and 2 hours after replying my 1st 3 weeks of LWA was in my acct
I just got of the phone with keybank after being on hold for 2hrs. They said the system is way overwhelmed and its gonna take threw the weekend to process all the payments. Its all just b.s.
Wow. Thanks for sharing…real bummer for those desperate for this payment before the weekend.
I live in New York and I have not gotten any of my retroactive payments. I am getting annoyed with all of this as well.
Chris in New York here, i have a possible solution to this madness… Not sure if the keybank that NY deals with is in another time zone but maybe so. Its very possible they could be 3hrs 2hrs 1hrs behind us. Who knows but its now 6:30 and still no bucks!
They should just give you the 6 weeks not just 3 weeks in nebraska now we don’t know if or when you’ll get the last 3 weeks??
New York still haven’t paid any the lwa its almost 6:30pm
It’s 6:24pm and still nothing. Wtf is going on
Im in Philadelphia, confused as must of you.
I found out that i had to log into the regular UC to fill out a form/confirm unemployment even tho i recieve PUA only. Hopefully i get mines soon. Good luck everyone. Be patient and stay strong
I live in nys my money was released yesterday on Thursday September 17th now it Friday an I never received my LWA on seen on Facebook it was a delay with keybank an that we will receive r money by 4:30pm today an it is now 5:39pm an still nothing we’re is my money
My payment went through on the 16th and now its late friday and still no money
I’m having this issue as well. Mine even says it was deposited into my account on the 18th.. still nothing. It’s usually in my account at 10pm wvery Wednesday night.
Still notta anyone in nys that gets it let us all know please
602 and nothing still in Albany N.Y.
Well its 5:18 and my account still zero. Wtf NYSDOL whats the real truth here?
Im in nys and it says on my ny.gov website its in my account BUT when i try taking money its showing a zero balance. I emailed nysdol and got a response saying friday at 430pm and im clueless to what that is suppose to mean. This all is just b.s. what we all in the world have to go through just to keep ourselves above water. I hope everyone gets their money soon….
Call your bank to check. They may only process in batches. Has to go from key bank to your financial institution who then deposit into your account.
But the bank is key bank we using it’s the card DOL give my friends who got chime n Netspend have they money already it’s almost 6:30 n nothing nys is bugging
After 430pm and still nothing. Has anyone in ny received anything yet please let me know
Its 5:10pm and im in Albany ny
now and still haven’t received anything
I’m in NY and I haven’t received anything yet.
Let us know when and if you do please. Ty
No not yet but let me know if you do.ty
It’s after 4pm on Friday 9/18 and still nothing. WTF
I’m from Colorado and I know a lot of people were having trouble certifying because the system couldn’t handle the volume and they shut it down. Yesterday they had it back up and running and I was able to be certified with no problems. When can I expect payment not now that I’m certified?
No payment in New York yet but some of my people from New York got there’s
I live in Illinois and I did receive the first three weeks but I’m wondering when will Illinois receive the next three weeks because I noticed that some states actually have dates when to expect the next?
I live in a suburb of Chicago and I too, only received the first three weeks. I hope were going to get the last three weeks
I’m in New York I got the email and text saying that I was preapproved for the (LWA) money .I checked online and there are 3 payments of $300 and it says the release date was the 17th and today is the 18th and I dont have it on my unemployment debit card and it is now 2:00 pm sept.18th.
i did get mine on my card to
i did not get my 900 on may card yet put it say on my unemployment it the 17 here is the 18 now money no money
Have you received anything yet on your card
I live in Kentucky And I’ve only gotten a check deposited into my account for $400.00 and that was only for 1 week. And still haven’t received anything for the back payments. I get PUA $412.00 every 2 weeks so what’s going on? Do I need to do anything else to receive my other payments? I’m confused and don’t know what to do, I can’t get a hold of the UI office. And my family is struggling hard. Idk what else to do. PLEASE HELP ME
Ky has sent only 1 payment where is the rest of this. We need more than 400 to pay bills. This is getting ridiculous you cant speak with anyone on the phone you dont have any way of finding out what there plans are so what the hell
Nebraska paid out 3 weeks so far.I just got mine today.
Thanks for letting me know. Updated table. Looks like first round/approval for funding for 3 weeks was paid. Remaining should start flowing from next week
The week of July 26th to aug1st is on my last claim so I suspect since they made me get a new card for my ext. that they’re just gonna screw me out if that week
I’m in nebraska been on unemployment since April and all I got was $255 on Friday
I’m in georgia as and only got the first half when will the second half come also I didn’t receive my pua payment this week I usually get on Wednesday I got nothing
I only got the first half as well, on Monday morning, and it states they will be out by the end of the week but it’s Friday afternoon and nothing yet so I don’t know what’s going on? Anyone have any feedback?
Same here in Ga. I’m hoping they are running just a bit behind. Hopefully it updates this weekend. Under my regular UI it has shown Friday for the next deposit the following Monday but a few times it did not update until Sunday. I’m hoping this is the case with the tea 3 weeks.
I’m in Ga also, I got $900 last Monday, it showed pending/processing on Friday Sept 11th and got it Mon the 14th! Now it’s Friday again and nothing has shown for Ga! ♀️ Ga did say the end of the week! ♀️But I’m assuming it’s gona take more time!
me too still aint no updates I don’t know whats going on cause some people I know got they 900 and they weely pua I and wondering why I didn’t get my weekly pua but on Monday I did got my 900
Ny still hasnt received LWA as of 1230pm.
Correct- See article for latest update. Delays due to Keybank processing. Saying it will be paid later today (after 4:30 EST)
So the delay is coming from the keybank . Is this why I see my money posted online but hasnt gotten put on my unemployment key card?
Exactly. Keybank is processing all payments on behalf of NY DOL. they will send it to your bank/debit card. I would not be shocked if we see more delays…..
I live in pa i still haven’t gotten nothing. Im on pua
On my dashboard it says in progress plz help
Ny hasn’t still as of 3:00 pm
How frustrating, 3:50pm and no funds deposited for NYS. At least, that I know of
Do u kn wats going on with the payment
It’s Friday we’re are the funds
Article updated with info – NY DOL confirmed they have released ~$1.9 billion in LWA funds to 2.26 million NYers. But looks like an issue with their processor – KeyBank. Despite assurances their system could handle the load, KeyBank was unable to process payments overnight. KeyBank now says payments have been processed & will reach bank accounts by 4:30PM on Sep 18th at the latest.
Thank you for that update
Have not seen this update. Are u certain for NYC
See article for NY update and Keybank payment issue.
Thank you the info is much appreciated you have a nice day
they said that they were releasing its September 14th that was Monday 15th 16th 17th 18th it should have been in your account within two or three days now I think New York is what they’re doing is holding it up because now they got six weeks so now they can give it all at one time either that or they waiting for the interest this week all I know is that the people that pay taxes are the ones that are waiting for their money and that isn’t right
Wtf it says my lwa payment was released yesterday and I haven’t received it why is this
I’ve only received half of the 6 weeks
In Georgia
I’ve only received the first 3 weeks also from Georgia it’s late Friday night and no sign of the second half that was coming the end of this week !
Same here can’t get a answer but someone told me the 19th?
Why is Arkansas not paying retro weeks? Are they going to continue to just pay weekly?
Did you get your 2nd payment yet? im so confused i keep reading all the articles my 270 went into pending last week on thrus and was available on saturday, so i thought that it would be the same way this week but nothing. nothing is even showing pending. and i couldnt fill out my weekly claim because they had the system down til like 558 and it kicked me out at 6. i saw where were only getting 3 weeks but i just wanna know when ill get the other 2 payments. im on pua
NEWYORK here did not get my 300.00 even though they released it yesterday on the 17th where is it
Do you have any information regarding the payouts for Georgia? I did receive the first three payments last week would like to know when the last three payments are coming through for Georgia
Thank you!
Georgia says they ran out of funds for the second set of payments don’t know if they’ll get the money and when they’ll pay it out for the second set.
Hello, where did you see that?
That’s not true. They were funded for 6 weeks. There was an outage today from 9 am to 1 pm which probably is causing a delay. If you don’t have a valid source or link please don’t post false information. We all need this money desperately & last thing we want to hear is there is not funding!
It is 11:15 a.m on the 18th of September in NY and I havent received any extra money beyond my normal unemployment. Where or when is it coming?
NYS has already started paying out LWA on the 14th, I received an email stating I was pre-approved, it is now the 19th. Has anyone in NYS received their funds?
I still haven’t received my money yet it’s Saturday 5:09. Pm wtf did u get it’s yet
Unemployment account said released 3 weeks $300 for NYS on 9/17 , but still not seeing it on bank account as of 9/18 morning
in ny it is already 10:30am and haven’t receive any payment in my unemployment debit card and DOL said that begin making payment by Sept. 14 which some people saying that would be in my debit card by today, Sept. 18 and nothing happened it yet. Why and when I shall be receiving it? Since I haven’t get any updates text or email from DOL NY.
Ny shows they released payment yesterday but I only received my regular unemoloyment today by direct deposit still no 300 for last 3 weeks even though it shows they sent payment
Colorado is the same way. I figured they would come up with something to delay paying and they did. Oh the virtual assistant got overworked. Give me a break.
I pre qualified for the 300 and still have not seen a dime. NY said by Friday, but thats today and still nothing..
It’s ridiculous that published reports said that NYS would begin payments on 9/14, payments were released on 9/17.
Now in the article above the mention that these payments are not like traditional UI and PU Benefits, they may take several days to post to your account.
This is B******t.
I live in the state of Illinois. They said they started paying the LWA payments on September 8th. They also state that the PUA payments would start on the September 13th. I typically receive my PUA payment on every Wednesday. I certify on Sunday, the following Wednesday I get the payment. I certified on the 13th, and I should have received the LWA payment along with my PUA payment (per Illinois unemployment dashboard) on September 16th. It’s now the 18th and I have received no LWA payment at all. Just by regular PUA. When will I receive my LWA payment? I’m in dire need of it. Thank you for your time in consideration.
I live in the Chicago, IL area and I have only received the first three weeks. There is no mention of the last three weeks at all.
New York still hasn’t been desposit LWA
Was email by ÑYDOl. that is was preapproval for the LWa 300 for 2 9 and 16 have not. yet tecrive anything in my acct
It is añready the 18th. Why have i not seen anything in my account?
New York has not been paid yet and it’s already about to be 5a.m. And it says they released it yesterday
I hear that. It’s noon and nothing yet. It said released yesterday and apparently no one has gotten it yet today.
Nebraska has started paying my husband has received half of the 6 weeks payment today
Me too I’m In Georgia- I’ve only received half
Thanks for letting me know. Updated table. Looks like first round/approval for funding for 3 weeks was paid. Remaining should start flowing from next week
Why is Va holding the payments it’s not right did you have to get a text to get it?
Virigina is bull s**t thry can release the funds they holding it like its there to profit off it
Do you have to get a text message to get it? and we were approved August 26 and all these other states after us already getting paid !!!