Michigan to Begin Paying Gig Workers Unemployment Benefits (1)

Michigan gig workers and the self-employed could start receiving unemployment benefits April 20, according to an announcement that could make Michigan one of the first states to provide long-anticipated benefits to independent contractors out of work due to the coronavirus pandemic.

Michigan’s announcement Friday comes at a time when state officials nationwide are assuring independent contractors such as Uber and Lyft drivers sidelined by Covid-19 that they may be eligible for unemployment compensation, but only after computer systems are reprogrammed in accordance with the stimulus law and federal guidance.

“As soon as we heard this was a possibility we started ...