People collecting unemployment for the first time stumbled twice It s a common problem, Nadine Hawver, a tax preparer in western Massachusetts, assured me (cue nervous laughter here). She went on to explain the root of the issue: Unemployment doesn t meet all of our normal income, so most people are hesitant to have any [money withheld] because they need every penny to meet their obligations.
Phew. This answer had me breathing easier from the get-go; despite my flawed logic, I m not the only one facing this present predicament.
Hawver went on to acknowledge another very simple truth: I think the hardest thing [in 2020] was many people were collecting unemployment for the very first time
Hannah Van Sickle is a freelance writer who lives and works in the Berkshire Hills of western Massachusetts. After more than ten years teaching English in both public and private schools, she enjoys the wide-open flexibility that working project-by-project offers. When she is not writing, Hannah shares her passion for the craft with high school seniors embarking on the college application essay. She is a regular contributor to Berkshire Magazine and The Berkshire Edge; further stories of her journey parenting daughters can be found at Modern Loss and Refinery 29. Stories From Hannah Van Sickle