Start a Business on the Fed's Dime.

Do you want to start a business but you can't afford to stop looking for work and give up your unemployment benefits, then this little known US Federal Government program may be for you. The program is designed to encourage and enable unemployed workers to create their own jobs by starting their own small businesses. Under these programs, States can pay a self-employed allowance, instead of regular unemployment insurance benefits, to help unemployed workers while they are establishing businesses and becoming self-employed. Participants receive weekly allowances while they are getting their businesses off the ground.

Unfortunately the program is currently available only in the states of Delaware, Maine, Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Oregon and Pennsylvania.

In order to receive these benefits, an individual must first be eligible to receive regular unemployment insurance under State law. Individuals who have been permanently laid off from their previous jobs and are identified (through a State's profiling system) as likely to exhaust regular unemployment benefits are eligible to participate in the program.

Individuals may be eligible even if they are engaged full-time in self-employment activities - including entrepreneurial training, business counseling, and technical assistance.

Check this information page at the US Department of Labor web site. Also check the Unemployment Insurance Information resource page at DOL.

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