State offers one-time stimulus for self-employed

Starting at 1:30p.m. today, Wednesday, April 8, the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions (NMDWS) will be offering one time stimulus payment in the amount of $750 each to self-employed individuals affected by the COVID-19 outbreak.

The Self-Employed Stimulus Payment (SESP) will be available to the first 2,000 applicants that qualify. The opportunity is funded by $1.5 Million from the Rapid Response Layoff Aversion program under the directive of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act.

Self-employed individuals are able to apply after logging into www.jobs.state.nm.us and then clicking on the SESP link located on their My Workforce Connection page. Once we reach 2,000 qualified applications, this link will be removed and an alert banner will be posted informing individuals that we are no longer accepting applications. 

Things to note about SESP

• There are four parts to each application that a self-employed applicant must complete to have a successful application submission: 
  1. Provide required applicant request information
  2. Upload proof that they are self-employed (2019 Form 1040SE or 2018 Form 1040SE), a resident of New Mexico (driver’s license, copy of utility bill), and a U. S. citizen or authorized to work in the U.S. (I-9 acceptable documents please see attached)
  3. Certify by indicating “Yes” they agree to use the Self-Employed Stimulus Payment for the following activities only:
     • To cover the cost of purchasing remote access (for example: computers, printers, etc.) equipment and software to allow individuals to work remotely from home versus going without work;
     • To cover the costs of cleaning/sanitizing supplies and/or services that will allow an individual to maintain work-related activities as a result of exposure reduction though mitigation activities; 
     • To pay for liability insurance for workers who adapt their service delivery methods, including delivery and offsite work detail;
     • For training or professional development opportunities for individuals to avoid loss of work, or to increase quality of service;
     • For other creative approaches and strategies to reduce or eliminate the loss of work or likelihood of business closures.
  4. Provide banking information for direct deposit

To be eligible for SESP an applicant must be a self-employed worker, must not be currently collecting Unemployment Insurance benefits, and must be properly registered with Selective Service (if applicable).

As soon as NMDWS staff review and process a submitted application, the applicant will receive an email informing them if their application was approved or denied.