Michigan Workers To Repay Overpaid Pandemic Unemployment Funds

The COVID-19 pandemic was an unprecedented time for the entire world as none of us have every experienced a plague as such, especially one that forced us all into our homes as the entire world was shut down. Anyone who didn't work in an essential field was forced to either work from home or find a way to earn income for themselves.

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Most people turned to the government for help who had initiated the PUP or Pandemic Unemployment Payments to help residents get by during these difficult times. In Michigan, many of those individuals were eligible to receive $720.00 a week for their unemployment benefits, which helped keep many residents afloat while their lives were in the limbo.

As you can imagine, this time was crazy and there were millions of claims being processed in a short amount of time, this would lead to some people being wrongfully denied and others being overpaid. Michigan residents received notice a couple of years ago that some of them were overpaid and they would need to return the excess funds.

Did You Receive Unemployment Benefits During The Pandemic?

For a while, those payments were paused during a class action lawsuit brought against the unemployment agency. Now that the lawsuit has been handled in court, the payments will resume as the government looks to recoup over $2.7 Billion from overpaid Michigan workers. Fox 2 Detroit via MSN reports:

Around 350,000 workers with claims in collections dating back to March 2020 will be required to return benefits. According to the state, the majority of people affected by the collections pause filed claims in 2020 and 2021, during the height of the Covid pandemic. A pause in collections will be lifted Friday, and the first payments will be due Sept. 29. Those who owe money will receive a notification Tuesday in their Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM) accounts, followed by a Form 1088 collection notice that will specify the amount owed.

There are hardship waivers that are available for those who may not be able to make payments, but the Unemployment Insurance Agency will be the deciding factor on who qualifies for those waivers and who doesn't. Payments can be made online, by check. or by money order.