Government: Unemployment Benefits Available
[Updated] The Minister of Finance Curtis Dickinson has “authorised unemployment benefit payments to individuals whose ability to earn an income has been directly impacted by the recent measures the government has taken to reduce the spread of COVID-19.”
A spokesperson said, “These benefit payments pertain to verified full-time employees of bars and nightclubs who have had to close due to current COVID-19 restrictions. The total benefit for these persons will be $1,000 for the two week period that these restrictions are in place.
Screenshot of the Unemployment Benefits website
“The Bermuda Government will make payments to impacted individuals no later than next Wednesday, 16 December, if their applications are submitted and complete by next Monday, 14 December.
“To expedite the process, the government will take a two-pronged approach:
- communicate directly with establishments that have impacted employees
- enabling affected individuals to log in to an online application
“Establishments that have been directly impacted can email - company@uba.gov.bm [VIP Update: Govt subsequently said the correct email is company.uba@gov.bm] - to receive further instructions on how to apply on behalf of their employees.
“An online application for individuals will go live starting this evening at 5:00 PM, where they can apply by entering required information including:
- Full name
- Social insurance number
- Mailing address
- Contact details [telephone number & email]
- Bank statement [without balances] to ensure payment to the correct bank account
- Employer name and contact information
“For individuals whose applications are received and in order by close of business Monday, 14 December, payments will be made no later than Wednesday, 16 December. The government will work diligently with impacted individuals and their employers beyond the 16th to ensure that everyone that is entitled is compensated.
“The landing page for individuals is: https://uba.gov.bm
“Quarantined individuals who have been directed into mandatory quarantine by the Ministry of Health, and are unable to earn their ordinary compensation while under quarantine, starting this evening at 5:00 PM, an online application will go live where they can apply by entering required information including:
- Full name
- Social insurance number
- Mailing address
- Contact details [telephone number & email]
- Bank statement [without balances] to ensure payment to the correct bank account
- Employer name and contact information
- Official communication from the Ministry of Health or medical professional
“Individuals who are quarantined will be paid on a biweekly basis starting 18 December. The benefit payout will be calculated at 60% of an individual’s remuneration with a maximum of $500 per week.”
Update: We received unofficial information that the email address may actually be company.uba@gov.bm. We tried to confirm the one provided above and got an error message and have also reached out to Government to confirm the email address and are awaiting a reply, however if you have had any issues with email, you may want to try also using the company.uba@gov.bm address.
Update: The Government has now officially confirmed that the email address is, in fact, company.uba@gov.bm. They said: “Please note the following correction. The correct email is: company.uba@gov.bm. The webpage for individuals is: https://uba.gov.bm. The Bermuda Government will make payments to impacted individuals no later than Thursday, 17 December, if their applications are submitted and complete by Monday, 14 December.”
Animation shows the amount/date of new cases announced so far this month in a calendar format. On December 1st there were 39 active cases, as of today there are 149.
As the island and world deals with the Covid-19 pandemic, we are doing our best to provide timely and accurate information, and you can find more information on the links below.
- All: Our coverage of the Covid-19 pandemic here
- Official: The Bermuda Government website here
- World Stats: Live graph of all cases worldwide here
- Bermuda Stats: Chart of the Bermuda stats here
- Timeline: Visual look at the timeline here
- Comprehensive: Our BermudaCovid.com website here
As i understand and appreciate what Government is doing to help people in these times but what about the ones like me who have been unemployed since march n still no work and about to be evicted n living on the streets that went to financial assistance n was turn down for the supplementary unemployment benefits ??
This has been completely ignored, when the first unemployment benefits excluded people who, for instance, were among those employed at several businesses that closed in the months before COVID or just happened to lose a job prior to lockdowns got nothing.
The email company@uba.gov.bm does not work – it has just bounced back to me. Any other suggestions?
Per second update above, the address is company.uba@gov.bm
yes, something has been done for unemployment but I don’t know if it is enough