Congress Approves Extra Compensation for Mixed-Earners

Musicians have joined an industry-wide effort to advocate on behalf of the nearly 1 million mixed earners - many of them music creators - who were unintentionally left behind by the CARES Act, receiving artificially low unemployment benefits during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Many musicians work from project to project on a regular basis, often as both employees receiving W-2 wages and independent contractors receiving 1099 income for performances, royalties and other services. As a result, many music creators found themselves unable to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance after technically qualifying for traditional state aid.

To address this problem, Congress has added $100 per week for mixed-income earners in the latest federal aid package.

Designed with music creators in mind, the new Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC) benefit was created to provide additional financial assistance to these mixed-income workers. To learn more about the MEUC and check your eligibility, visit MixedEarners.org.