Who qualifies Under the CARES Act, Pandemic Unemployment Assistance provides aid to workers who don't traditionally qualify, including the self-employed, freelancers, gig workers, and parents who were forced out of work due to child-care needs, for up to 39 weeks. With the latest stimulus package, these workers, whose benefits were scheduled to end Dec. 26, will continue to be eligible for another 11 weeks, until March 14, 2021. The bill also adds another 11 weeks of benefits for those receiving Pandemic Unemployment Emergency Compensation, for a total of 24 extra weeks of coverage, on top of what each state provides, to people experiencing long-term joblessness. Together, more than 14 million workers are drawing from one of the two CARES unemployment programs, out of the 20.6 million Americans receiving jobless aid as of the end of November.