Unemployment Insurance Recipiency During the Covid-19 Pandemic

B-Tier
Journal: National Tax Journal
Year: 2023
Volume: 76
Issue: 2
Pages: 367 - 391

Score contribution per author:

2.011 = (α=2.01 / 1 authors) × 1.0x B-tier

α: calibrated so average coauthorship-adjusted count equals average raw count

Abstract

I estimate the share of eligible individuals who received unemployment insurance (UI) benefits during the first year of the COVID-19 pandemic. I use individual data on reported recipiency from the Current Population Survey Annual Social and Economic Supplement (CPS-ASEC) survey to validate a UI eligibility algorithm that I then apply to the monthly CPS data. Combined with administrative data on actual payments and adjustments for fraud, I estimate that 88 percent of eligible individuals received UI benefits. When I calculate recipiency by program, I find 98 percent of individuals who were eligible for standard UI received benefits, whereas only 76 percent of individuals who were eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance received benefits.

Technical Details

RePEc Handle
repec:ucp:nattax:doi:10.1086/724589
Journal Field
Public
Author Count
1
Added to Database
2026-01-25