Fly Fishing Guides/Outfitters seek Loans/Unemployment Benefits Amidst Coronavirus: What the New Federal Aid Bill Means.

Self-employed guides and outfitters in Montana can now file for unemployment benefits under the federal aid package aimed at coronavirus relief.

Last week, Congress passed a $2 trillion spending bill aimed at providing economic relief amid the coronavirus pandemic. The federal aid package, signed by President Trump, allows for self- employed, gig workers and freelancers to file for unemployment benefits. This life-line comes amidst a directive from the State of Montana to close all non-essential businesses, including guiding and outfitting.

Guides and outfitters have been reaching out to their accountants for advice on how to survive what is beginning to look like a lost season. Though the peak of guide season is still several months away, and things could turn around, current predictions from health experts suggest otherwise, and it may well be overly optimistic to believe that much, if any, guiding will occur in Montana this season. This weeks developments have sent self-employed guides and outfitters searching for answers

“My accountant told me that I absolutely do qualify for the new expanded unemployment benefits. However, the state website is not updated and trying to navigate this process over the phone has been somewhat challenging,” said one Montana outfitter. As of this writing, state officials are still working on building the federal changes to unemployment benefits into Montana’s unemployment website, montanaworks.gov, which is seeing unprecedented numbers of visitors filing unemployment insurance claims. In addition to unemployment benefits, some self-employed guides/outfitters are seeking loans via the Small Business Administration (SBA) to cover bills and expenses until they can get back to work.

“The first thing I did this week was apply for a SBA loan and unemployment benefits. We ALL wish that we were working right now, but we can’t. There are resources out there and you need to be proactive. I’m confident that we will all get through this and life on the river will return to normal at some point,” said one Montana self-employed outfitter. For information on COVID emergency funding options through the SBA, click here https://www.sba.gov/funding-programs/loans/coronavirus-relief-options.

Most recently, the Montana Guide Relief Fund has been established as an informational resource, here’s the link. https://www.guiderelieffund.com/