Title: Start your business without risking your benefits > Self-Employment Assistance in five states, SSDI and SSI work rules everywhere: we find what applies in your state, plan the money and guide you to your first customers. Source: https://pontia.xyz/us/ Checked: 25 September 2026 🇺🇸 For people on unemployment in the US # Start your business without risking your benefits. Self-Employment Assistance in five states, SSDI and SSI work rules everywhere: we find what applies in your state, plan the money and guide you to your first customers. [Sign up free](https://pontia.xyz/us/start/)[See how it works](#schemes) Always free - No card needed - No trial that runs out - No hidden charges - **5 states**pay unemployment while you build (SEA) - **$50,000**SBA Microloan - **9 months**SSDI trial work period Schemes ## Official schemes in the US - Keep an incomeJob search required ### Unemployment insurance while you look for work Your state pays unemployment insurance while you look for work. You search for work every week and report any earnings. In most states, starting to run a business ends your eligibility, so use this time to plan, and ask about Self-Employment Assistance if your state has it. [What is this, and what do I have to do? →](https://pontia.xyz/us/guide/ui-searching/) - Weekly work search is required; how many contacts depends on your state - Report all earnings every week when you certify - In most states self-employment means you are not unemployed: Pennsylvania counts the “first positive step”, such as advertising or buying equipment - Fraud adds a penalty of at least 15% on top of repaying the overpayment [Official site](https://www.careeronestop.org/LocalHelp/UnemploymentBenefits/find-unemployment-benefits.aspx)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Keep an income ### SSDI trial work period (self-employed) Keep your full SSDI while you test a business for 9 trial months within a rolling 5 years. For the self-employed, a trial month is net earnings over $1,210 or more than 80 hours in the business (2026). - 9 trial months within a rolling 60-month window - Then 36 months when SSDI is paid for any month below substantial gainful activity ($1,690 in 2026) - SSA judges self-employment on the value of your work, not profit alone - Report your work and earnings to SSA [Official site](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/20/404.1592)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Advice & support ### PASS: Plan to Achieve Self-Support (SSI) Set money aside for a business under an SSA-approved plan and SSI doesn’t count it, so your SSI can go up (to a federal maximum of $994 a month in 2026). A business goal needs a full business plan. - Written plan approved by SSA (form SSA-545) and a separate account - Start-up costs can cover the first 18 months of the business, or longer if needed - No fixed time limit; reviewed at least once a year - Business property doesn’t count towards SSI’s $2,000 resource limit [Official site](https://secure.ssa.gov/poms.nsf/lnx/0500870001)Checked Sep 25, 2026 See all 13 options - Advice & support ### Ticket to Work Free, voluntary support for people aged 18 to 64 on SSDI or SSI to work, including self-employment, through Employment Networks or state Vocational Rehabilitation. - Help Line: 1-866-968-7842 - You make “timely progress” under your plan - Services come from Employment Networks or VR [Official site](https://choosework.ssa.gov/about/how-it-works)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - GrantCheck first ### State Vocational Rehabilitation: self-employment If you have a disability and self-employment is your goal, your state VR agency can fund business planning, equipment and start-up costs. Caps and rules vary by state. - Federal rules count self-employment as an employment outcome - Market analysis and business plan help, then purchases under your Individualized Plan for Employment - Caps, matching and waitlists vary by state - Veterans with a service-connected disability: the VA VR&E Self-Employment track [Official site](https://www.law.cornell.edu/cfr/text/34/361.48)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Loan ### SBA Microloan Loans of up to $50,000 (about $13,000 on average) through nonprofit lenders, repaid within 7 years, often with business training. - Up to $50,000; about $13,000 on average - Up to 7 years to repay; the lender sets the rate within SBA caps - Not for existing debt or real estate - SBA gives no start-up grants: treat “free government grant” offers as a scam signal [Official site](https://www.sba.gov/loans/microloans)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Advice & support ### SBDC, SCORE and Women’s Business Centers Free business advice and mentoring near you: Small Business Development Centers, SCORE volunteer mentors, Women’s Business Centers and Veterans Business Outreach Centers. - Free or low-cost, before you start and after - SCORE mentors by email, phone or video - Veterans and military spouses: Boots to Business [Official site](https://www.sba.gov/local-assistance)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Advice & support ### SNAP and Medicaid work rules when self-employed Hours on your business count towards the new SNAP and Medicaid work requirements, so log them. Medicaid expansion adults need 80 hours or $580 a month of net income, from 1 January 2027 at the latest. - SNAP adults without young children: 80 hours a month, now up to age 64 - Medicaid expansion adults aged 19–64: 80 hours or $580 net a month (earlier in some states, e.g. Nebraska from May 2026) - CMS counts starting or running a business as work - Property essential to your self-employment doesn’t count towards SNAP resources [Official site](https://www.govinfo.gov/content/pkg/FR-2026-06-03/html/2026-11094.htm)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved ### Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), New York Keep your weekly unemployment benefit while you start a business full time, with no work search and business income not deducted. You need 13+ weeks of benefits left, a profiling score of 50 or more, and written acceptance before you start. [What is this, and what do I have to do? →](https://pontia.xyz/us/guide/sea-ny/) - Weekly amount = your unemployment benefit ($140 to $869 in 2026) - Up to 26 weeks of unemployment and SEAP combined in your benefit year - At least 20 hours of entrepreneurial training and 2 meetings with a business counselor - Once per lifetime; the law is due to end on 7 December 2027 unless renewed [Official site](https://dol.ny.gov/SEAP)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved ### Self-Employment Assistance, Oregon Keep your weekly unemployment benefit and what your new business earns, with no work search, if you’re a dislocated worker unlikely to return to your old job. [What is this, and what do I have to do? →](https://pontia.xyz/us/guide/sea-or/) - Weekly amount = your unemployment benefit ($211 to $902 in 2026) - Within 45 days of acceptance: business ID, EIN and business plan - Doesn’t extend your claim: it ends when your benefits run out - Call 503-947-1800 to start; cannabis businesses are excluded [Official site](https://unemployment.oregon.gov/self-employment)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved ### Self-Employment Assistance Program, Mississippi Keep your weekly unemployment benefit while you work full time on a new business, with training and no work search. Self-employment earnings are reported but not deducted. [What is this, and what do I have to do? →](https://pontia.xyz/us/guide/sea-ms/) - Weekly amount = your unemployment benefit ($30 to $235 in 2026) - Up to 26 weeks, ending when your benefits run out - 40+ hours a week on the business and training - Apply online or email msseap@mdes.ms.gov [Official site](https://mdes.ms.gov/i-need-a-job/job-searching-resources/self-employment-assistance-program/)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved ### Pathway to Work (self-employment), New Hampshire Keep your weekly unemployment benefit while you work full time on a new business, with training and SBDC counseling, no work search, and business income not deducted. Apply early: within 60 days of your first claim. [What is this, and what do I have to do? →](https://pontia.xyz/us/guide/sea-nh/) - Apply within 60 days of your first claim, with at least 18 weeks of benefits left - Weekly amount = your unemployment benefit (up to $427 in 2026); counts against your 26 weeks - Start with the mandatory orientation at a local NHWorks office, bringing form NHES 0401 - Places are capped at 2.5% of claimants [Official site](https://www.nhes.nh.gov/individuals/pathway-work)Checked Sep 25, 2026 - Keep an incomeJob search until approved ### Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), Washington Train full time with an approved SEAP provider while on unemployment, with work search waived for up to 52 weeks. Unlike other states, your net self-employment earnings are reported and can reduce your benefit. [What is this, and what do I have to do? →](https://pontia.xyz/us/guide/seap-wa/) - Work search, availability and job-refusal rules waived for up to 52 weeks - Net self-employment earnings are reported; 40+ hours a week in the business counts as not unemployed - Profile score above 30.6 (2026 applicants) or eligible for Commissioner-Approved Training - Keep searching for work until approved (3 to 5 weeks) [Official site](https://esd.wa.gov/jobs-and-training/job-training-support/self-employment-assistance-program-seap)Checked Sep 25, 2026 Summaries are simplified. Always check the official source before you apply. [Start a business on unemployment: your stateSee what your state allows, and what Self-Employment Assistance adds up to.](https://pontia.xyz/us/self-employment-assistance-calculator/) ## Your state Unemployment and other support are run by each state. - [Alabama](https://pontia.xyz/us/alabama/) - [Alaska](https://pontia.xyz/us/alaska/) - [Arizona](https://pontia.xyz/us/arizona/) - [Arkansas](https://pontia.xyz/us/arkansas/) - [California](https://pontia.xyz/us/california/) - [Colorado](https://pontia.xyz/us/colorado/) - [Connecticut](https://pontia.xyz/us/connecticut/) - [Delaware](https://pontia.xyz/us/delaware/) - [District of Columbia](https://pontia.xyz/us/district-of-columbia/) - [Florida](https://pontia.xyz/us/florida/) - [Georgia](https://pontia.xyz/us/georgia/) - [Hawaii](https://pontia.xyz/us/hawaii/) - [Idaho](https://pontia.xyz/us/idaho/) - [Illinois](https://pontia.xyz/us/illinois/) - [Indiana](https://pontia.xyz/us/indiana/) - [Iowa](https://pontia.xyz/us/iowa/) - [Kansas](https://pontia.xyz/us/kansas/) - [Kentucky](https://pontia.xyz/us/kentucky/) - [Louisiana](https://pontia.xyz/us/louisiana/) - [Maine](https://pontia.xyz/us/maine/) - [Maryland](https://pontia.xyz/us/maryland/) - [Massachusetts](https://pontia.xyz/us/massachusetts/) - [Michigan](https://pontia.xyz/us/michigan/) - [Minnesota](https://pontia.xyz/us/minnesota/) - [MississippiSEA](https://pontia.xyz/us/mississippi/) - [Missouri](https://pontia.xyz/us/missouri/) - [Montana](https://pontia.xyz/us/montana/) - [Nebraska](https://pontia.xyz/us/nebraska/) - [Nevada](https://pontia.xyz/us/nevada/) - [New HampshireSEA](https://pontia.xyz/us/new-hampshire/) - [New Jersey](https://pontia.xyz/us/new-jersey/) - [New Mexico](https://pontia.xyz/us/new-mexico/) - [New YorkSEA](https://pontia.xyz/us/new-york/) - [North Carolina](https://pontia.xyz/us/north-carolina/) - [North Dakota](https://pontia.xyz/us/north-dakota/) - [Ohio](https://pontia.xyz/us/ohio/) - [Oklahoma](https://pontia.xyz/us/oklahoma/) - [OregonSEA](https://pontia.xyz/us/oregon/) - [Pennsylvania](https://pontia.xyz/us/pennsylvania/) - [Rhode Island](https://pontia.xyz/us/rhode-island/) - [South Carolina](https://pontia.xyz/us/south-carolina/) - [South Dakota](https://pontia.xyz/us/south-dakota/) - [Tennessee](https://pontia.xyz/us/tennessee/) - [Texas](https://pontia.xyz/us/texas/) - [Utah](https://pontia.xyz/us/utah/) - [Vermont](https://pontia.xyz/us/vermont/) - [Virginia](https://pontia.xyz/us/virginia/) - [WashingtonSEA](https://pontia.xyz/us/washington/) - [West Virginia](https://pontia.xyz/us/west-virginia/) - [Wisconsin](https://pontia.xyz/us/wisconsin/) - [Wyoming](https://pontia.xyz/us/wyoming/) [Looking for work as well?Your unemployment work search log, done in minutesMake the job search easy](https://pontia.xyz/us/unemployment-work-search-log/) Your plan, step by step ## We hold your hand from idea to first customer Eight stages, in order. 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