Unemployment Benefits By State 2022
Unemployment is defined as those who are jobless, have actively looked for a job within the last four weeks, and are available for work. The unemployment rate measures unemployment as the number of unemployed people as a percentage of a populations labor force. Unemployment is a key economic indicator and can be a sign of economic turmoil. If someone is not actively looking for work, they are not included in the unemployment rate. This means that individuals who retire, go back to school, or leave the workforce to raise. Family or take care of relatives is not counted in the unemployment rate.
As of January 2020, the unemployment rate is 6.7%, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. The natural rate of unemployment is between 3.5% and 4.5%. Unemployment rates vary significantly by state.
Holding Back Federal Aid
But he was also faulted, including for not being more aggressive with federal aid dollars from the American Rescue Plan Act that could have been used to further blunt required payroll-tax increases that New Jersey businesses have faced to replenish the states battered unemployment trust fund.
While federal recovery funds were not used to assist in the replenishment of that fund, as was done in most states, New Jersey still awaits the presentation of a comprehensive plan to use ARPA funds to help support pro-growth areas like workforce development, infrastructure and innovation, said Michele Siekerka, president and chief executive of the New Jersey Business & Industry Association.
She also pointed to the ongoing need to bring further support to small businesses, particularly in the hard-hit hospitality, retail, manufacturing and health care sectors.
We are disappointed that Gov. Murphy did not mention the scores of businesses still struggling and in desperate need of immediate help, said Tom Bracken, president and chief executive of the state Chamber of Commerce, in his response to the speech.
This is concerning to us because the investments the governor cited may bring benefits in the long term but our small businesses need help now, Bracken said.
Business correspondent Rhonda Schaffler and Health Care Writer Lilo H. Stainton contributed to this story.
About State Unemployment Tax
When you have employees, you must pay federal and state unemployment taxes. These taxes fund unemployment programs and pay out benefits to employees who lose their jobs through no fault of their own.
Generally, unemployment taxes are employer-only taxes, meaning you do not withhold the tax from employee wages. However, some states require that you withhold additional money from employee wages for state unemployment taxes .
State unemployment tax is a percentage of an employees wages. Each state sets a different range of tax rates. Your tax rate might be based on factors like your industry, how many former employees received unemployment benefits, and experience.
State unemployment taxes are referred to as SUTA tax or state unemployment insurance . Or, they may be referred to as reemployment taxes .
You pay SUTA tax to the state where the work is taking place. If your employees all work in the state your business is located in, you will pay SUTA tax to the state your business is located in. But if your employees work in different states, you will pay SUTA tax to each state an employee works in.
States also set wage bases for unemployment tax. This means you only contribute unemployment tax until the employee earns above a certain amount.
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Who Can Claim Unemployment Benefits In New York
Workers must meet three criteria to claim jobless aid in New York besides losing their job through no fault, be actively looking for a new job and being ready, willing and able to work. First you must have paid into the Unemployment Insurance through wages earned at jobs covered by the program during at least two quarters of the base period.
You must have been paid a minimum of $2,900 in one calendar quarter for claims that are filed in 2022. And your total wages received over the base period must be no less than 1.5 times your earnings in your high quarter.
An exception to this last requirement would be for those who had wages in excess of $11,088 in their high quarter. In that case, you must have been paid a combined total of half that amount, $5,544, or more during the other three quarters of your base period.
In need of a Benefit Verification Letter to show employers and/or government organizations that you are no longer receiving unemployment benefits?You can now request yours directly from Perkins all without ever having to speak to a Telephone Claims Center agent!
NYS Department of Labor May 12, 2022
What If Someone In My Family Is Sick
New Jersey workers can earn up to six weeks of paid time off to care for a sick family member. They can earn up to two-thirds of their paycheck, or up to a maximum of $667 a week. Starting July 1, 2020, workers will get 12 weeks of paid time off and will be able to earn up to 85% of their weekly wages up to $881 a week.
You can also use earned sick leave.
Ashley Balcerzak is a reporter in the New Jersey Statehouse. For unlimited access to her work covering New Jerseys legislature and political power structure, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
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What Qualifies As Misconduct
Whether you were terminated for misconduct will depend on the facts and circumstances. If you had unexcused absences or refused to comply with your employers lawful orders, you may be unable to collect unemployment compensation. If you are determined to have committed misconduct that caused your job loss, you will be unable to recover benefits for the week that you were discharged plus five additional weeks. If the misconduct was gross misconduct, you will be ineligible to recover benefits.
Extended Unemployment Benefits To End For 20k Nj Workers
About 20,000 unemployed New Jerseyans who have depended on extended payments from the state will lose their weekly benefits after next week.
High unemployment rates during the pandemic triggered a special program, called Extended Benefits, which provides up to 13 additional weeks of payments after workers exhaust their regular benefits of 26 weeks.
But an improving economy in the state means those benefits will end for approximately 20,000 New Jerseyans on April 9, the Labor Department said.
New Jersey triggered onto Extended Benefits in July 2020 as the states unemployment rate skyrocketed during the pandemic, it said. But over the past three months, the states average unemployment rate has fallen below the 6.5 percent threshold required to provide the added benefits.
So even if a workers unemployment account says there is a balance available on their claim, the payments will cease April 9, the Labor Department said.
The states ability to pay the additional benefit weeks is based on federal law.
Since the start of the pandemic, New Jersey has distributed $1.3 billion in Extended Benefits, the agency said.
New Jersey has now recovered 90 percent of the jobs lost in March and April 2020, according to the most recent report from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, it said. The states unemployment rate fell a half a percentage point in February, to 4.6 percent.
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Weeks Of Unemployment Insurance Available And Unemployment Rates
The remaining six states periodically update their maximum weeks of UI available based on changes in the states unemployment rate:
- Alabama currently provides up to 14 weeks of UI for new enrollees, with an additional five-week extension for those enrolled in a state-approved training program
- Georgia provides 14 weeks of UI, but in the COVID-19 emergency that has been increased to 26 weeks
- Florida currently provides up to 12 weeks for claims filed after January 1, 2022
- Idaho currently provides up to 20 weeks for new enrollees based on its November unemployment rate
- Kansas currently provides up to 16 weeks of UI and
- North Carolina currently provides up to 12 weeks for claims filed after January 1, 2022.
State laws in many states with a maximum of 26 weeks employ a sliding scale based on a workers earnings history to determine the maximum number of weeks for which an individual worker qualifies. Except in Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, New Hampshire, New York, West Virginia, and Puerto Rico, many UI recipients maximum is fewer than 26 weeks.
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Types Of Disability Policies
There are two types of disability policies.
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Short-term policies may pay for up to two years. Most last for a few months to a year.
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Long-term policies may pay benefits for a few years or until the disability ends.
Employers who offer coverage may provide short-term coverage, long-term coverage, or both.
If you plan to buy your own policy, shop around and ask:
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How is disability defined?
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Policy Basics: How Many Weeks Of Unemployment Compensation Are Available
Workers in most states are eligible for up to 26 weeks of benefits from the regular state-funded unemployment compensation program, although nine states provide fewer weeks, and two provide more. Extended Benefits are not triggered on in any state. Additional weeks of pandemic federal benefits ended in all states on September 6, 2021.
The federal-state unemployment insurance system helps many people who have lost their jobs by temporarily replacing part of their wages. Under certain circumstances, unemployed workers who exhaust their regular state-funded unemployment benefits before they can find work can receive additional weeks of benefits.
Under the CARES Act responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, all states received access to federal funding to provide additional weeks of Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Assistance benefits to people who exhausted their regular state benefits, and Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to many others who lost their jobs through no fault of their own but who were not normally eligible for UI in their state. These and other pandemic-related emergency UI programs ended nationwide the first weekend of September 2021, but many states stopped providing these federal benefits before that.
The map below shows the maximum number of weeks of benefits that are currently available in each state.
The two states providing more than the 26-week maximum are:
The states providing fewer than the standard 26-week maximum include:
The Weekly Amount That Workers In New York Can Receive In Unemployment Compensation Depends On How Much They Were Paid During Their Base Period
Those who lose their job through no fault of their own in New York and meet other requirements can expect at most $504 in weekly jobless financial assistance. However, the real amount will be determined by the state based on a workers base period with a minimum weekly amount set at $116.
In order to calculate an individuals unemployment compensation, officials at the New York Department of Labor will look at a basic base period or your alternate base period. The agency will not automatically consider the latter in the event that you have enough wages in your basic base period to assess if you would get a higher weekly amount. Heres a look.
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To 2023 Maximum Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefits And Weeks By State
Listed in the table below are the latest maximum weekly unemployment insurance benefit/compensation amounts by state. The Unemployment compensation program is designed to provide benefits to most individuals out of work or in between jobs, through no fault of their own.
Note, the table below contains the the maximum regular weekly state unemployment insurance compensation including adjustments for dependents where applicable. It does not include federally funded enhanced and supplementary benefit payments which have now expired.
In many states the number of dependents you have and your average maximum weekly wage will impact the unemployment benefits you are eligible to receive. Please check your respective states unemployment website referenced in the table below for state specific UI details, benefit eligibility and process to claim/file for benefits.
State unemployment benefit information is constantly changing so if you notice any discrepancies please leave a comment and I will update the table as appropriate.
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Maximum Weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts by State
Covered in this Article:
How To Calculate Federal Unemployment Tax Act
To compute the FUTA tax on a workers annual wages, do the following:
Add up all taxable wages paid to an employee in a calendar year. For example, you pay Employee Jane $7,000 in December 2021 and another $8,500 in January 2022. Add these two amounts together for a total of $15,500.
If during that same period you paid Employee John only $5,000 of wages subject to FUTA taxes, then your total is still $15,500. Multiply the amount by 0.07. In this case, your answer would be $120.00 .
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How Do I Apply For New Jersey Unemployment Insurance Benefits
You can apply for unemployment benefits in New Jersey online via the Division of Unemployments benefits portal. Alternatively, you can complete your application over the phone at one of the following numbers:
- North New Jersey: 201-601-4100
- Out-of-state claims: 888-795-6672
Ex-maritime employees can only claim New Jersey unemployment benefits over the phone.
During your application, youll need to provide information about your identity and earnings. This will allow assessors to determine your eligibility. Ensure you have the following information ready:
- Social Security or Alien Registration number
- New Jersey drivers license or state ID number
- 18-month employment record, including your employers contact details, employment dates and your reasons for leaving each job
- Details of any income, such as a pension or separation pay
- Union hiring hall contact details
- SF-8 or SF-50 form
- DD-214 form
You will then receive a Notice to Claimant of Benefit Determination letter if your request is granted, explaining how much you will receive and how it was worked out. Unsuccessful applicants will receive a Notice of Invalid Claim. You may also receive a letter explaining how to make weekly benefits claims and the dates of any appointments youre expected to attend.
You may be asked to supply further information if the Division of Unemployment Insurance cannot decide your case based on what youve provided. You should reply to any requests as quickly as possible to avoid payment delays.
Eligibility For New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Benefits For Individual That Voluntarily Quit Resigned Or Left Work Due To Good Cause Attributable To The Work
The courts have established legal standards that are to be applied in determining whether an individual is eligible for benefits where they left a job due to good cause attributable to the work such as in situations in which the employee was being harassed, subject to a hostile work environment or other situations in which the employee had good cause to leave the job. o further the remedial and beneficial purposes, of the New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Law, the courts have recognized that the is to be construed liberally in favor of allowance of benefits. Yardville Supply Co. v. Board of Review, supra, 114 N.J. 371, 374 see also Provident Institution for Sav. V. Division of Employment Sec., 32 N.J. 585, 590 . The purpose of the is to provide some income for the worker earning nothing, because he is out of work through no fault or act of his own.Battaglia v. Bd. of Review, 14 N.J.Super. 24, 27 see also Yardville Supply Co. v. Bd. of Review, 114 N.J. 371, 375 .
The Act protects not only workers who are involuntarily unemployedthose who are laid-off or terminated from their jobs by their employersbut also those who voluntarily quit their jobs for good cause attributable to their work. See Zubrycky v. ASA Apple, Inc., 381 N.J.Super. 162, 168, ).
It may be important to seek the advice of a New Jersey Unemployment Compensation attorney or lawyer with respect to determining whether your qualify for New Jersey Unemployment Compensation benefits.
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New Hire Reporting Requirements
All employers in the states of New Jersey and Pennsylvania are required to report basic information about employees who are newly hired, rehired, and returning to work after separation of employment or leave of absence, temporary employees, and contracted entities. Employers must report this information within 20 days at www.njcsesp.com. Failure to report a new employee could result in a fine up to $25 per violation.
Basic employee information which must be provided:
Employees name Employees social security number Employees date of hire and birth Employers name and address and Employers federal identification number.
For further information contact us or call the State of New Jersey at 1-877-654-4737 .
Ready To Start Gather The Following Information:
- Social Security Number
- Your NJ drivers license or NJ non-driver identification number
- Pension information
- Amount and duration of any separation pay you may be receiving
- Recall date
- Union hiring hall information, including local number and address
- Military Form DD-214
- Form SF-8 or SF-50
- Your bank account number and routing number
IMPORTANT: If you applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance after December 27, 2020, you had to submit documentation demonstrating that you were working or about to commence employment/self-employment before the pandemic, such as a paystub, W-2, or 1099. You would have received an email requesting this information after you applied. Learn more here.
You may also need to provide additional information to verify your identity, such as a drivers license or passport. Learn more here.
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