Massachusetts General Laws
Chapter 151a - Unemployment Insurance
Section 6 - Service Not Included in ''employment''

Section 6. The term ''employment'' shall not include:
(a) service in agricultural labor, except as otherwise provided in subsection (b) of section 4A and section 8C, by an individual who is an alien admitted to the United States to perform agricultural labor pursuant to section 214(c) and 101(a)(15)(H) of the Immigration and Nationality Act;
[There are no subsections (b) or (c).]
(d) Service performed by an individual in the employ of his son, daughter or spouse, and service performed by a child under the age of eighteen in the employ of his father or mother;
(e) Service performed in the employ of the United States government or of an instrumentality of the United States which is wholly or partially owned by the United States, or exempt from the tax imposed by section 3301 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code of 1954 or any acts in addition thereto and amendments thereof, by virtue of any provision of law which specifically refers to such section (or the corresponding section of a prior law) in granting such exemption; provided that if this commonwealth should not be certified by the Secretary of Labor under section 3304 of said Internal Revenue Code, as amended, for any year, then the contributions, interest, penalties and fines required of any instrumentalities of the United States government under this chapter with respect to such year shall be deemed to have been erroneously collected within the meaning of section eighteen and said contributions shall be refunded from the clearing account of the unemployment compensation fund and the interest, penalties and fines shall be refunded from the interest, penalty or fine payments in the clearing account of the unemployment compensation fund or from the contingent fund;
(f) Except as otherwise provided in subsection (a) of section four A, service performed in the employ of a state, or political subdivision thereof, or any instrumentality, or any instrumentality of any one or more of the foregoing which is wholly owned by one or more states or political subdivisions; and any service performed in the employ of any instrumentality of one or more states or political subdivision to the extent that the instrumentality is, with respect to such service, immune under the constitution of the United States from the tax imposed by section 3301 of said Internal Revenue Code, or any acts in addition thereto and amendments thereof.
[There is no subsection (g).]
(h) Service not in the course of the employer's trade or business performed in any calendar quarter by an employee, unless the cash remuneration paid for such service is fifty dollars or more and such service is performed by an individual who is regularly employed by such employer to perform such service. For the purpose of this subsection, an individual shall be deemed to be regularly employed by an employer during a calendar quarter only if (A) on each of some twenty-four days during such quarter such individual performs for such employer for some portion of the day service not in the course of the employer's trade or business; or (B) such individual was regularly employed, as determined under clause (A), by such employer in the performance of such service during the preceding calendar quarter;
(i) Service performed by an individual as an employee or employee representative as defined in section one of the Federal Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act; and service with respect to which unemployment benefits are payable under an unemployment compensation system for maritime employees established by an act of Congress;
(j) Service performed in any calendar quarter in the employ of any organization exempt from income tax under section 501(a) of the Federal Internal Revenue Code, other than an organization described in section 401(a) of said Code, or exempt from income tax under section 521 of said Code, if the remuneration for such service is less than fifty dollars;
(k) Service performed in the employ of a school, college, or university, if such service is performed by a student who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes at such school, college, or university, or by the spouse of such a student, if such spouse is advised, at the time such spouse commences to perform such service, that the employment of such spouse to perform such service is provided under a program to provide financial assistance to such student by such school, college, or university, and such employment will not be covered by any program of unemployment insurance; or service performed by an individual who is enrolled at a nonprofit or public educational institution which normally maintains a regular faculty and curriculum and normally has a regularly organized body of students in attendance at the place where its educational activities are carried on as a student in a full-time program, taken for credit at such institution, which combines academic instruction with work experience, if such service is an integral part of such program, and such institution has so certified to the employer, except that this subsection shall not apply to service performed in a program established for or on behalf of an employer or group of employers.
(l) Service performed as a student nurse in the employ of a hospital or a nurses' training school by an individual who is enrolled and is regularly attending classes in a nurses' training school chartered or approved pursuant to law; and service performed as an interne in the employ of a hospital by an individual who has completed a four years' course in a medical school chartered or approved pursuant to state law;
(m) Service performed in the employ of a foreign government, including service as a consular or other officer or employee or a nondiplomatic representative; or, service performed in the employ of an instrumentality wholly owned by a foreign government and exempt under the provisions of chapters 21–25 inclusive of the Federal Internal Revenue Code or any acts in addition thereto and amendments thereof;
(n) Service performed by an individual as an insurance agent or as an insurance solicitor, if all such service is performed for remuneration solely by way of commission and such service is excluded from the term ''employment'' under the provisions of section 3306 of the Federal Internal Revenue Code or any acts in addition thereto and amendments thereof; provided, that service performed by any agent selling or servicing policies of industrial life insurance, as defined by section one of chapter one hundred and seventy-five, and employed by any life insurance company authorized to do business in this commonwealth, whether his remuneration for such service is by way of commission or otherwise, shall be deemed employment within the provisions of this chapter;
(o) Service performed by an individual under the age of eighteen in the delivery or distribution of newspapers or shopping news, not including delivery or distribution to any point for subsequent delivery or distribution.
(p) Services performed by an individual as a real estate broker or salesman if he is licensed by the state as a real estate broker or salesman, and if he is remunerated solely by way of commission; provided, however, that the term ''employment'' shall include service performed by a real estate broker or a salesman, if such service is performed for a governmental employer as defined in subsection (i) of section one.
(q) Service performed by an individual as a poll taker or opinion taker, if the rate of such individual's remuneration is determined by a person other than the person supervising him and if said individual is free to accept or decline any given assignment; provided, however, that term ''employment'' shall include service performed as a poll taker or opinion taker, if such service is performed for a governmental employer as defined in subsection (i) of section one.
(r) Service performed in the employ of a church or convention or association of churches, or an organization which is operated primarily for religious purposes and which is operated, supervised, controlled, or principally supported by a church or convention or association of churches;
(s) Service performed by a duly ordained, commissioned, or licensed minister of a church in the exercise of his ministry or by a member of a religious order in the exercise of duties required by such order;
(t) Service performed in a facility conducted for the purpose of carrying out a program of rehabilitation for individuals whose earning capacity is impaired by age or physical or mental deficiency or injury or providing remunerative work for individuals who because of their impaired physical or mental capacity cannot be readily absorbed in the competitive labor market by an individual receiving such rehabilitation or remunerative work;
(u) Service performed as part of an unemployment work-relief or work-training program assisted or financed in whole or in part by any federal agency or an agency of a state or political subdivision thereof or an Indian tribe, by an individual receiving such work relief or work training;
(v) Service performed in a custodial or penal institution by an inmate of said custodial or penal institution.
(w) Service performed by a patient in the employ of a hospital, whether public, nonprofit, or proprietary.
(x) service performed by a full-time student, as defined in section 3306(q) of said Internal Revenue Code of 1954, in the employ of an organized camp if such camp: (i) did not operate for more than seven months in the calendar year and did not operate for more than seven months in the preceding calendar year, or (ii), had average gross receipts for any six months in the preceding calendar year which were not more than thirty-three and one-third per cent of its average receipts for the other six months in the preceding year and if such full-time student performed services in the employ of such camp for less than thirteen calendar weeks in such calendar year.

Structure Massachusetts General Laws

Massachusetts General Laws

Part I - Administration of the Government

Title XXI - Labor and Industries

Chapter 151a - Unemployment Insurance

Section 1 - Definitions

Section 2 - Service Deemed ''employment''; Exclusions

Section 3 - Service Within and Without Commonwealth Included in ''employment''

Section 4a - Service Included in Employment; American Employer; State

Section 5 - Services Under Arrangements With Agencies of Other States and Federal Government Included in ''employment''

Section 6 - Service Not Included in ''employment''

Section 6a - Other Service Not Included in ''employment''

Section 8 - Employing Units Subject to Statute

Section 8a - Other Employing Units Subject to Statute

Section 8b - Domestic Service and Agricultural Labor; Employer

Section 8c - Crew Leaders; Definition; Employees of Crew Leaders

Section 9 - Individuals Employed by Unit in Several Places

Section 11 - Ceasing to Be Subject to Statute on Application

Section 12 - Determination Whether Employer Within Statute; Review; Double Costs; Reconsideration

Section 13 - Payment of Required Contribution; Secondary Adjustment Payments; Credited to Unemployment Compensation Fund

Section 14 - Contribution Rates in General; Contributions in General; Definitions; Notice of Payment of Benefit and Potential Charges; Review; Transfer of Business

Section 14a - Nonprofit Organizations and Governmental Employers

Section 14b - Liability for Payments; Credits; Adjustments

Section 14c - Contributions by Governmental Employers; Rated Governmental Employers

Section 14e - Economic Development Fund

Section 14f - Unemployment Trust Fund; Report Concerning Fund Average and Actual Balance

Section 14j.5 - Excise Paid on Employee Wages

Section 14k - Federal Loan Interest Fund

Section 14l - Work Force Training Contribution Paid by Employers

Section 14m - Benefits Paid to Employees of Indian Tribes

Section 14n - Assignment of Contribution Rates and Transfer of Accounts

Section 14o - Fraud Penalty Fund

Section 14p - Registration of Employers; Reporting of Employee Information

Section 14q - Collection of Unemployment Compensation Debt by Offset of Federal Tax Refund Payments Through Treasury Offset Program

Section 15 - Failure of Employer to Pay Required Amounts When Due; Recovery of Erroneous Payments; Assessments; Enforcement; Collection Pursuant to Treasury Offset Program

Section 15a - Collection of Payments; Levy Upon Depositary Accounts; Liability of Depositaries

Section 15b - Holder of Licenses to Sell Alcoholic Beverages; Failure to Pay Amount Owed; Suspension of License

Section 16 - Liens of Judgments and Overdue Contributions; Recording and Filing of Notice; Actions to Enforce Liens

Section 17 - Priority of Claims

Section 18 - Adjustment, Credit or Refund of Overpayments; Adjustment or Additional Payment for Insufficient Contributions; Interest

Section 19 - Final Payment to Foreign Corporations or Non-Residents; Certificate

Section 19a - Application for or Renewal of License to Conduct Profession or Business; Certification of Compliance With Contribution Laws; Renewal or Extension of Certain Contracts; False Certifications

Section 20 - Compromise With Employers; Statement of Commissioner Filed

Section 20a - Settlement for Amount Less Than Owed; Conditions; Agreements Subject to Attorney General Review; Reopening of Case

Section 21 - Deductions From Income Returnable for Taxation

Section 22 - Payment of Benefits in General

Section 23 - Payment of Benefits; Waiting Period

Section 24 - Eligibility for Benefits

Section 24a - Seasonal Employment

Section 25 - Disqualification for Benefits

Section 26 - Unemployment Benefits Received or Sought Under Laws of Another State or United States

Section 28 - Wages Not Included in Determination of Eligibility for Benefits

Section 28a - Employees of Commonwealth, Political Subdivisions, or Religious, Charitable, Educational, or Other Tax Exempt Organizations

Section 28b - Repayment of Unemployment Benefits Overpaid to Certain Officers, Partners, Owners or Other Interest Holders of Employing Unit

Section 29 - Weekly Benefit Rates; Partial Unemployment; Dependency Benefits for Children; Retirement Benefit Recipients

Section 29b - Child Support Obligations; Disclosure; Deductions

Section 29d - Worksharing Program; Application and Approval of Worksharing Plan; Benefits

Section 29e - Notification to Claimants; Tax Liability and Withholding

Section 29f - Uncollected Overissuance of Food Stamp Coupons; Disclosure; Deductions

Section 30 - Total Benefits for Year; Industrial or Vocational Retraining; Solvency Account Charge; Trade Readjustment Allowance; Employer's Lockout

Section 30a - Extended Benefits Program

Section 30b - Payment of Additional Benefits Upon Termination of Eligibility for Benefits Pursuant to Federal Supplemental Compensation Act

Section 31 - Benefits in a Subsequent Benefit Year

Section 35 - Waiver of Rights; Agreement to Pay Contributions or Payments in Lieu of Contributions; Deduction From Wages; Enforcement

Section 36 - Assigning, Encumbering or Releasing Benefits; Exemption From Claims of Creditors; Exception

Section 37 - Fees and Representation in Proceedings Under This Chapter; Solicitation of Business of Representing Claimant

Section 38 - Claims, Reports, Notices and Returns, in General; Notice of Claimant's Failure to Report for Work

Section 38a - Payment of Benefits Resulting From Failure of Employing Unit to Timely or Adequately Respond to Department Request for Information

Section 39 - Determination of Claim and Benefits; Procedures; Payment of Claims or Denials; Default in Payment of Contributions

Section 40 - Application for Review

Section 41 - Review by Board; Procedures; Findings of Fact; Decision; Judicial Review

Section 42 - Judicial Review; Procedures; Appeals; Rules

Section 42a - Commissioner Represented by Attorney General or Designated Attorney

Section 42b - Modification or Reversal of Decision; Recovery of Payments

Section 43 - Administering Oaths; Depositions; Certifications; Witnesses; Production of Evidence; Contempt; Self-Incrimination

Section 44 - Accounts for Employers; Records for Employees; Disposition of Papers; Summaries; Reproductions

Section 45 - Records and Reports of Employing Units; Verification

Section 46 - Confidential Information; Admissibility as Evidence; Exceptions to Disclosure Restrictions

Section 47 - False Statements or Misrepresentations; Punishment; Evidence; Restitution

Section 47a - Utterance or Delivery of Insufficient Funds Check With Intent to Defraud; Punishment

Section 48 - Unemployment Compensation Fund; Establishment; Composition; Benefits Payable From Pooled Money

Section 49 - Vested Rights

Section 50 - Treasurer of Unemployment Compensation Fund; Clearing Account; Fund Account; Deposit With United States Secretary of the Treasury

Section 51 - Requisition From Trust Fund; Transfer to Commissioner

Section 52 - Benefit Account

Section 53 - Unclaimed Balance in Benefit Account

Section 53a - Unemployment Trust Fund; Money Credited to Commonwealth's Account; Use; Records

Section 54 - Depositaries; Insurance Charge; Commingling Funds

Section 55 - Bond of Commissioner; Premiums Paid From Administrative Account

Section 56 - Trust Fund; Administration Upon Cessation of Unemployment Compensation Fund or Federal Separate Book Account; Investments

Section 57 - Requisitions From State Trust Fund; Investment Board; Deposits; Investments; Assistance

Section 58 - Employment Security Administration Account; Monies Received; Disposition

Section 58a - Contingent Fund; Establishment; Composition; Expenditures; Transfer

Section 59 - Liability on State Treasurer's Bond

Section 60 - Federal Moneys Allotted to Commonwealth Paid Into Accounts

Section 61 - Special Employment Service Accounts; Agreements Relative to Employment Offices; Acceptance of Moneys, Services or Quarters

Section 62 - State Advisory Council; Duties, Powers and Reports

Section 62a - In-Person, Telephone and Walk-in Assistance by the Division for Individuals Applying for Unemployment Compensation; Orientation; Notice; Initiation of Claim

Section 63 - Publication and Free Distribution of Statutes, Reports, Regulations and Relevant Material

Section 64 - Reports and Information for Federal, Commonwealth and Political Subdivision Agencies; Confidential Information; Federal Regulations Governing Expenditures

Section 64a - List of Employers Qualified for Exemption Under Sec. 5i of Chapter 59; Confidentiality

Section 65 - Records Available to Federal Railroad Retirement Board; Cooperation With Federal Agencies; Agreements Relative to Employment Offices; Acceptance of Moneys, Services or Quarters

Section 66 - Reciprocal Arrangements With Other States and Federal Government; Reimbursements; Investigations; Exchange of Information, Services and Facilities; Benefits Based on Combined Coverages

Section 66a - Arrangements for Utilizing Facilities and Services of Commonwealth and Foreign Countries

Section 67 - Estimate of Liability of Employer Failing to Make Report or Return; Collection

Section 68 - Payment of Benefits Due a Deceased or Mentally Incapacitated Person

Section 69 - Recovery or Deduction of Erroneous Payments; Cancellation; Liability of Disbursing Officer; Penalty for Misrepresentation of Material Fact or Failure to Disclose Material Fact

Section 69a - Charging Off Uncollectible Amounts

Section 69b - Set-Off Against Refunds; Notice; Review

Section 69c - Reduction of Back Pay Award Due to Receipt of Unemployment Benefits; Notice to Commissioner; Reimbursement of Unemployment Compensation Fund

Section 69d - Final Decision

Section 70 - Extent of Application of Rulings

Section 71 - Reconsideration of Determinations; Limitations; Notice; Appeals

Section 71a - Definitions Applicable to Secs. 71b to 71g

Section 71b - Closing of Facility; Report; Certification; Notice; Hearing; Appeal

Section 71c - Partial Closing of Facility; Identification; Regulations; Eligibility for Reemployment Assistance Benefits

Section 71d - Reemployment Assistance Program

Section 71e - Reemployment Assistance Fund; Health Insurance Benefits Fund

Section 71f - Eligibility for Reemployment Assistance Benefits

Section 71g - Eligibility for Health Insurance Benefits

Section 71h - Plant Closing Employers; Bills for Reemployment Assistance Benefits

Section 72 - Jurisdiction of Action to Enforce Statute; Entry Fee in Actions and Proceedings

Section 73 - Severability

Section 74 - Title of Statute; Construction; Purpose