Adweek: Freelance and Out of Work? Here’s How to Get Help Now

Budgets are being preemptively slashed. Entire businesses are closing shop, laying off not only employees but also cutting ties with contractors. 

Thousands of Americans have found themselves suddenly out of work over the past week, as cities across the nation shut down to quarantine residents amid rising pandemic levels. And according to treasury secretary Steven Mnuchin, the number of unemployed Americans is projected to grow to 20% of the country’s population. That’s 32 million people.

But even as the number of people applying for unemployment insurance benefits doubled practically overnight, countless more Americans are wondering what to do if they don’t appear to qualify for those benefits. The majority of Americans are employed in the service sector, according to Bureau of Labor stats, and a whopping 16 million people across all industries are self-employed.

So, what are freelancers and self-employed entrepreneurs supposed to do now? Emergency resources are out there and even though things are quickly changing each day, here’s a simple guide to get you started.

Join forces with other freelancers

The basics: There has never been a better time to sign up for groups and associations that lobby on behalf of freelancers or that simply aim to help you find more work.

Freelancers Union offers health and other insurance plans to its roughly half a million members, and independent marketing agency We Are Rosie offers insurance and 401k plans to its crop of creative freelancers.

In 2019, We Are Rosie also instituted a weekly pay structure. “The weekly pay seems extremely critical right now, and we are internally working to build more resources,” said CEO Stephanie Nadi Olson.

What’s new: Freelancers Union has been lobbying authorities to include self-employed workers in aid packages. Freelancers Union president Rafael Espinal told Adweek that the city’s new zero-interest small business loans “should extend to include self-employed workers, freelancers. That will ensure they have access to a low-risk line of credit and create cash flow.”

“We are also working around the clock to create a Freelancers Relief fundraising initiative, targeted to help members in dire need of financial assistance,” Espinal said. “We will try to get cash assistance to those in need of groceries and help with paying housing costs.”

How to get help: Apply for free membership in the Freelancers Union here. Apply to become one of We Are Rosie’s independent marketing experts here.

Unemployment Benefits

The basics: Traditionally, unemployment insurance only covered full-time employees—not freelancers, the self-employed, or most part-time workers. But as quarantine rules force businesses across sectors to shut down temporarily, the government is rapidly altering the way unemployment benefits are handled. While unemployment funds are distributed by the federal government, the states decide how to run their own programs. 

What’s new: Things are changing very quickly. On March 18, the Department of Labor announced it was issuing an additional $100 million in Dislocated Worker Grants to states; those funds do include self-employed freelance workers. Legislation currently in Congress would also make FEMA’s Disaster Unemployment Assistance available to independent and gig workers. 

Many states are adjusting the qualifications for unemployment as the dire circumstances become clear, according to Demetra Nightingale, an Urban Institute fellow and former chief evaluation officer at the U.S. Department of Labor. “Some states may be covering those in nonstandard employment,” she said. “It could include some freelancers, day laborers, people who are just working for themselves in a nonstandard way.”

How to get help:Find your state unemployment office here. The National Association of State Workforce Agencies is updating state-by-state unemployment insurance rule changes as well. “It’s going to be easier to get through online than it is by phone,” said Nightingale, noting that unemployment offices are slammed with requests.

Hot tip: Consider whether you may be a misclassified employee and not an independent contractor. According to a 2017 report from the National Employment Law Project, an increasing amount of workers are misclassified as contractors even though they work for companies that treat them like employees (i.e., setting work hours, assigning supervisors, etc.) It’s called payroll fraud, and if you’re a freelancer who has worked in an office or had to report to a manager recently, there’s a good chance you were the victim of it. There’s no better time to let the unemployment office—and the IRS—know.

Food Stamps and Welfare

The basics: Formerly known as food stamps, the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP) is issued in the form of a debit card that’s good for only buying groceries. If you have kids under the age of five or are pregnant, you can also qualify for the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants and Children (WIC), a short-term food access program that allows recipients to buy from a restricted list of foods. Families with kids under the age of 19 may also qualify for Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF). TANF can provide families with cash assistance, childcare assistance and other emergency resources.