Jasmine,

On Friday, the President signed into law the coronavirus relief package. Within this package is aid for people who earn with Uber, like you.

For the first time, independent contractors will be eligible for unemployment insurance. As you heard from Dara in an email last week, he advocated to the White House and Congress for this to be included in the coronavirus relief package. This means you will soon be able to apply for financial support for lost earnings due to the coronavirus.

We know these are difficult times. And we hope this news brings some relief for you and your family.

Because this legislation was only just signed into law two days ago, it will likely take several weeks before state agencies begin to process unemployment insurance claims. After that, it will likely take more time to get this assistance in the hands of those who need it.

We are committed to making it as easy as possible for you to access these benefits. We promise to be back in touch with specific resources that can help you understand the legislation and learn about how to take advantage of the relief package. For more information now, you can visit the Department of Labor’s Unemployment Benefits Finder, as well as the Stride | Uber Independent Worker's Guide to COVID-19.

In the meantime, here are a few key points from the aid package that could help you:

• Independent workers like you are eligible for up to 39 weeks of expanded unemployment insurance. This financial assistance is available for coronavirus-related causes of unemployment, and it applies from January 27-December 31, 2020.
  
  
• Every individual receiving unemployment insurance due to COVID-19 will also be eligible to receive $600 per week through July 31, 2020.
  
  
• If you made less than $75,000 last year, you’ll likely be eligible to receive a one-time $1,200 tax rebate check from the federal government. Officials expect this check to arrive within the next 3-4 weeks.
  
  
• The government has been authorized to make new types of small business loans available to the self-employed, including independent workers without full-time jobs. These loans may be used to cover expenses such as auto loan payments.
  
  

Thank you, again, for the work you’re doing to keep our communities moving. Please stay well and we’ll be in touch soon.