Overview

• Checks reflecting the higher rates will begin the week of Oct. 13, with existing claims adjusted automatically and no action required by recipients.
• More than half of claimants will see larger payments, with at least 27% receiving the new $869 maximum and about 28% getting increases below the cap.
• This is the first boost since 2019 following a yearslong freeze linked to the pandemic-era trust fund debt.
• With the debt repaid, employers will no longer get federal interest assessment surcharge bills, saving roughly $100 per employee in 2026 and $250 in 2027.
• The timing could aid unpaid federal employees in New York during the ongoing shutdown, which has affected an estimated 115,000 workers in the state.