Title 42 — The Public Health and WelfareRelease 119-73
§502 Payments to States; computation of amounts
Title 42 › Chapter CHAPTER 7— - SOCIAL SECURITY › Subchapter SUBCHAPTER III— - GRANTS TO STATES FOR UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION ADMINISTRATION › § 502
Summary
The Labor Secretary must tell the Treasury Secretary how much to pay each State that runs an approved unemployment program. The amount must cover what the Secretary thinks is needed to run the program well during the fiscal year, and must include 100 percent of reasonable costs tied to building and running the immigration status verification system. The Secretary bases this on the State’s population, an estimate of how many people the law covers and the cost to run it, and any other relevant factors. The Secretary cannot certify more than the amount Congress has appropriated for that year. When the Treasury gets that certification, it must pay the certified amount from the appropriated funds through the Treasury’s Fiscal Service and send it to the State agency that runs the program before the Government Accountability Office audits or settles it. The cost of mailing a statement under section 6050B(b) of the Internal Revenue Code that includes information about the earned income credit (section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code) counts as a proper administration cost unless adding that information raises the postage required.
Full Legal Text
Title 42, §502
The Public Health and Welfare — Source: USLM XML via OLRC
(a)The Secretary of Labor shall from time to time certify to the Secretary of the Treasury for payment to each State which has an unemployment compensation law approved by the Secretary of Labor under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act, such amounts as the Secretary of Labor determines to be necessary for the proper and efficient administration of such law during the fiscal year for which such payment is to be made, including 100 percent of so much of the reasonable expenditures of the State as are attributable to the costs of the implementation and operation of the immigration status verification system described in section 1320b–7(d) of this title. The Secretary of Labor’s determination shall be based on (1) the population of the State; (2) an estimate of the number of persons covered by the State law and of the cost of proper and efficient administration of such law; and (3) such other factors as the Secretary of Labor finds relevant. The Secretary of Labor shall not certify for payment under this section in any fiscal year a total amount in excess of the amount appropriated therefor for such fiscal year.
(b)Out of the sums appropriated therefor, the Secretary of the Treasury shall, upon receiving a certification under subsection (a), pay, through the Fiscal Service of the Department of the Treasury and prior to audit or settlement by the Government Accountability Office, to the State agency charged with the administration of such law the amount so certified.
(c)No portion of the cost of mailing a statement under section 6050B(b) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 (relating to unemployment compensation) shall be treated as not being a cost for the proper and efficient administration of the State unemployment compensation law by reason of including with such statement information about the earned income credit provided by section 32 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. The preceding sentence shall not apply if the inclusion of such information increases the postage required to mail such statement.
Legislative History
Notes & Related Subsidiaries
Editorial Notes
References in Text
The Federal Unemployment Tax Act, referred to in subsec. (a), comprised subchapter C (§§ 1600 to 1611) of chapter 9 of the Internal Revenue Code of 1939. Chapter 9 of the 1939 Code was repealed (subject to certain exceptions) by section 7851(a)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, Title 26. The Internal Revenue Code of 1954 was redesignated the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 by Pub. L. 99–514, § 2, Oct. 22, 1986, 100 Stat. 2095. The Federal Unemployment Tax Act also comprises chapter 23 (§ 3301 et seq.) of the Internal Revenue Code of 1986. For table of comparisons of the 1939 Code to the 1986 Code, see Table I preceding section 1 of Title 26, Internal Revenue Code. See also section 7852(b) of Title 26 for provision that references in any other law to a provision of the 1939 Code, unless expressly incompatible with the intent thereof, shall be deemed a reference to the corresponding provision of the 1986 Code.
Amendments
2004—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 108–271 substituted “Government Accountability Office” for “General Accounting Office”. 1992—Subsec. (c). Pub. L. 102–318 added subsec. (c). 1986—Subsec. (a). Pub. L. 99–603 inserted at end of first sentence “, including 100 percent of so much of the reasonable expenditures of the State as are attributable to the costs of the implementation and operation of the immigration status verification system described in section 1320b–7(d) of this title”. 1984—Subsec. (b). Pub. L. 98–369 substituted “the Fiscal Service of the Department of the Treasury” for “the Division of Disbursement of the Treasury Department”. 1939—Subsec. (a). Act Aug. 10, 1939, substituted “Federal Unemployment Tax Act” for “section 1101–1110 of this title,” and inserted “efficient” before “administration”.
Statutory Notes and Related Subsidiaries
Effective Date
of 1992 Amendment Pub. L. 102–318, title III, § 302(b),
July 3, 1992, 106 Stat. 297, provided that: “The amendment made by subsection (a) [amending this section] shall take effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [
July 3, 1992].”
Effective Date
of 1986 Amendment Pub. L. 99–603, title I, § 121(c)(2), Nov. 6, 1986, 100 Stat. 3391, provided that: “The
Amendments
made by subsection (b) [enacting section 1437r of this title, amending this section and section 303, 603, 1203, 1353, and 1396b of this title, section 2025 of Title 7, Agriculture, and section 1096 of Title 20, Education, and amending provisions set out as a Puerto Rico, Guam, and Virgin Islands note under section 1383 of this title] take effect on October 1, 1987.”
Effective Date
of 1984 AmendmentAmendment by Pub. L. 98–369 effective
July 18, 1984, but not to be construed as changing or affecting any right, liability, status, or interpretation which existed (under the provisions of law involved) before that date, see section 2664(b) of Pub. L. 98–369, set out as a note under section 401 of this title. Report on Method of Allocating Administrative Funds Among States Pub. L. 102–164, title III, § 304, Nov. 15, 1991, 105 Stat. 1061, as amended by Pub. L. 102–318, title V, § 533,
July 3, 1992, 106 Stat. 317, provided that: “(a) In General.—The Secretary of Labor shall submit to the Congress, before
December 31, 1994, a comprehensive report setting forth a proposal for revising the method of allocating grants among the States under section 302 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 502]. “(b) Specific Requirements.—The report required by subsection (a) shall include an analysis of—“(1) the use of unemployment insurance workload levels as the primary factor in allocating grants among the States under section 302 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 502], “(2) ways to ensure that each State receive not less than a minimum grant amount for each fiscal year, “(3) the use of nationally available objective data to determine the unemployment compensation administrative costs of each State, with consideration of legitimate cost differences among the States, “(4) ways to simplify the method of allocating such grants among the States, “(5) ways to eliminate the disincentives to productivity and efficiency which exist in the current method of allocating such grants among the States, “(6) ways to promote innovation and cost-effective practices in the method of allocating such grants among the States, and “(7) the effect of the proposal set forth in such report on the grant amounts allocated to each State. “(c) Congressional Review Period.—The Secretary of Labor may not revise the method in effect on the date of the enactment of this Act [Nov. 15, 1991] for allocating grants among the States under section 302 of the Social Security Act [42 U.S.C. 502], until after the expiration of the 12-month period beginning on the date on which the report required by subsection (a) is submitted to the Congress.”
Executive Documents
Transfer of Functions
For
Transfer of Functions
of other officers, employees, and agencies of Department of Labor, with certain exceptions, to Secretary of Labor, with power to delegate, see Reorg. Plan No. 6 of 1950, §§ 1, 2, eff. May 24, 1950, 15 F.R. 3174, 64 Stat. 1263, set out in the Appendix to Title 5, Government Organization and Employees. Functions of Federal Security Administrator with respect to unemployment compensation transferred to Secretary of Labor by Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1949, set out in the Appendix to Title 5. section 1 of Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1949, also provided that functions transferred by this section shall be performed by Secretary of Labor, or subject to his direction and control, by such officers, agencies, and employees of Department of Labor as he shall designate. “Administrator” substituted for “Board” by section 4 of Reorg. Plan No. 2 of 1946, set out in the Appendix to Title 5.
Reference
Citations & Metadata
Citation
42 U.S.C. § 502
Title 42 — The Public Health and Welfare
Last Updated
Apr 6, 2026
Release point: 119-73