Originally Posted by Sunchimes:
Not exactly taxes, but this seemed like the best forum for my question. I closed down my home daycare on Wednesday on the advice of my doctor. I am 66 and have one of the high risk health issues. I don't have a formal letter from him, but he messaged me through his portal and said I should close then, or at the latest when we got our first local case (which happened Friday.)
I know that on your blog you said we qualified if "You have been advised by a health care provider to self-quarantine due to concerns related to the virus". Is this separate from the closure due to having or being exposed to the virus?
Do I need a letter from him? Would the portal message serve. He's really too busy now to write letters. My parents aren't paying me because I closed before we got a shelter in place order here. I looked at the Texas workforce to apply online, but it asks my last employer etc and doesn't seem applicable to us.
I appreciate any guidance.
You are eligible for unemployment and you should file. You don't have to have the virus to be eligible. It's true that most states have an online application to file for unemployment but it's not set up to handle self employed people. It may take awhile for the states to catch up with the new law. You could try to see if you can mail in an application. Or, try to call them to explain what is going on. Or, contact your state representative and ask for help.