Frequently Asked Questions About Ui Benefits The Basics
What does the American Rescue Plan Act mean for me, an unemployed worker?
The pandemic benefits that Congress passed in December are set to expire on March 14. The recently passed American Rescue Plan Act , which was signed into law by President Biden, extends the following unemployment insurance benefits until September 6:
· Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation $300 a week on top of other UI benefits
· Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation for people who are both W-2 employees and self-employed, they can receive an additional $100 per week
· Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation after someone exhausts state UI benefits, PEUC extends the duration of benefits to 53 weeks
· Pandemic Unemployment Assistance benefits for self-employed people and other unemployed people deemed ineligible for state UI benefits, up to 79 weeks
· Short-Time Compensation or Work Sharing extends federal funding to states to make work-sharing available for employers to rehire employees who they have laid off and to help employers keep people employed who they may be thinking about laying off. Employers can supplement pay with STC payments as they slowly re-open with employees working fewer hours.
For unemployed workers who may need to pay taxes on their UI benefits, the ARPA exempts the first $10,200 of unemployment insurance benefits paid in 2020 for household incomes less than $150,000.
For additional details, see this post from our friends at The Century Foundation.
Federal Unemployment Benefits Have Ended
Federal unemployment benefit programs under the CARES Act ended on September 4, 2021. You will no longer be paid benefits on the following claim types for weeks of unemployment after September 4:
Note:Federal-State Extended Duration benefits are no longer payable for weeks of unemployment after September 11.
The federal government does not allow benefit payments to be made for weeks of unemployment after these programs end, even if you have a balance left on your claim. Any pending payments for weeks of unemployment before the expiration of benefits will be processed retroactively if you are found eligible and did not receive conditional payments. You will be notified about what to expect based on your claim type.
Note: View the following to learn more about benefits ending and other assistance programs still available:
If your program type is:
View federal unemployment benefits and their limited availability.
I Was Furloughed By My Employer But They Have Now Reopened And Asked Me To Return To My Job Can I Remain On Unemployment
No. As a general matter, individuals receiving regular unemployment compensation must act upon any referral to suitable employment and must accept any offer of suitable employment. Barring unusual circumstances, a request that a furloughed employee return to his or her job very likely constitutes an offer of suitable employment that the employee must accept.
While eligibility for PUA does not turn on whether an individual is actively seeking work, it does require that the individual be unemployed, partially employed, or unable or unavailable to work due to certain circumstances that are a direct result of COVID-19 or the COVID-19 public health emergency. In the situation outlined here, an employee who had been furloughed because his or her employer has closed the place of employment would potentially be eligible for PUA while the employer remained closed, assuming the closure was a direct result of the COVID-19 public health emergency and other qualifying conditions are satisfied. However, as soon as the business reopens and the employee is recalled for work, as in the example above, eligibility for PUA would cease unless the individual could identify some other qualifying circumstance outlined in the CARES Act.
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Tips For Filing For Unemployment Benefits
When youre filing for unemployment benefits, its important to read all the information you receive from the Division of Employment Security, know your responsibilities and provide accurate information. If you dont, you may have to pay back benefits you were not eligible to receive, or you may be committing fraud.
Follow these Tips for Filing for Unemployment Benefits to avoid errors and help ensure you receive proper benefit payments.
How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits
The best and fastest way to apply is online. You can apply by phone, but wait times can be very long. At this time, you cannot apply in person. The steps below will guide you through the process.
Get ready to apply
Before applying, gather information youll need. Visit the Have this information ready webpage or see page 1 of the Unemployed Worker Handbook.
Reasonable accommodation.Information on reasonable accommodation is available for unemployment benefits customers with disabilities.
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Lost Wage Assistance Program
What was the Lost Wages Assistance Program ?
On August 8, 2020, the President issued an executive memorandum authorizing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to expend up to $44 billion from its Disaster Relief Fund to provide supplemental benefits to Americans receiving unemployment benefits, creating the Lost Wages Assistance Program . The program provided eligible claimants with an additional $300 in benefits for each of the qualifying weeks. LWAP was only available for the weeks ending August 1, 2020 through September 5, 2020.
Who was eligible for the additional Lost Wages Assistance ?
The program was limited in scope and, due to federal restrictions, was available only to those persons who provided self-certification that they are unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work due to disruptions caused by COVID-19 and who received at least $100 from a qualifying underlying unemployment benefit program.
An individual was determined to have received at least $100 per week for purposes of being an eligible claimant if the individuals weekly benefit amount as provided on the monetary determination is at least $100 . In addition, the week in question must have been considered compensable.
When did the additional Lost Wages Assistance start, and how long did it last?
Are the LWA benefits taxable?
Yes. These benefits are subject to state and federal taxes.
Your Benefits Might Be Tax
The news isnt all bad when it comes to taxes and unemployment benefits. Some states, including California and New Jersey, do not tax unemployment benefits at the state level. However, many states do levy taxes on unemployment, so youll have to check with your state taxing authority to determine your status.
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Reapply For The Federal Extension If Necessary
While the additional 13 weeks of unemployment benefits being provided under the CARES Act will kick in automatically in some states, other states require that you apply separately for the extension. Youll need to read the notices your state sends you to determine if you need to complete an additional application, or your payments could end up being interrupted.
Filing A Weekly Claim
To maintain Unemployment Insurance benefits, you are required to file weekly claims confirming that you continue to meet the requirements to receive Unemployment Insurance.
You must file a claim every week you are unemployed, or underemployed.
The benefit week starts on a Sunday and ends on Saturday.
Learn about Arizonas work search requirements on the work search web page.
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How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits In Florida
- If you have been separated from work, you can file your initial claim during your first week of total or partial unemployment.
- You can file your first claim in one of the two ways: by calling the TeleClaim Center or visiting a One-Stop Career Center close to you. Unluckily, you cannot file an initial claim online at this time.
- Have your entire information ready before filing your claim.
- If you have received severance pay upon your separation from work, you may still be eligible for unemployment benefits, so it is still important to call to file your initial claim during your first week of total or partial unemployment.
- If eligible for unemployment benefits, you can expect to receive your first payment in 3-4 weeks if there are no issues with your claim.
- In general, it takes approximately 3 weeks to process a claim however, you will still need to claim benefits every week.
Your Work Search Responsibilities
To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you must seek work with at least three potential employers each week and maintain a detailed and verifiable record of your work search. If you cannot prove you looked for work, you may be considered overpaid and required to repay benefits.
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How To Get Cobra
Group health plans must give covered employees and their families a notice explaining their COBRA rights. Plans must have rules for how COBRA coverage is offered, how beneficiaries may choose to get it and when they can stop coverage. For more COBRA information, see COBRA Premium Subsidy. The page links to information about COBRA including:
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About The Peuc Extension
Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation provided up to 53 additional weeks of payments if youve used all of your available unemployment benefits.
- The first 13 weeks were available from March 29, 2020 to September 4, 2021. In UI Online, your claim type displays as PEUC.
- After collecting the first 13 weeks, an additional 11 weeks were available beginning on or after December 27, 2020 to September 4, 2021. Your claim type displays as Extension Tier 2 in UI Online.
- After collecting the first 24 weeks, an additional 29 weeks were available beginning on or after March 14, 2021 to September 4, 2021. Your claim type displays as Extension Tier 2 in UI Online.
To have qualified for a PEUC extension, your regular UI claim must have started on July 8, 2018, or after.
If you ran out of benefits within your benefit year
- If you ran out of benefits within your benefit year, we automatically filed your PEUC extension on your regular unemployment claim.
- If you were collecting on a FED-ED extension, you continued to collect it until it was exhausted. We filed the additional weeks of the PEUC extension after you used all FED-ED benefits.
If your benefit year ended
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Learn About The Childrens Health Insurance Program
If your income is too high for Medicaid, your child may still qualify for the Childrens Health Insurance Program . It covers medical and dental care for uninsured children and teens up to age 19.
Is my child eligible for CHIP?
CHIP qualifications are different in every state. In most cases, they depend on income.
How do I apply for CHIP benefits?
You have two ways to apply for CHIP:
-
Fill out an application through the Health Insurance Marketplace.
What else do I need to know about CHIP?
-
You can apply for and enroll in Medicaid or CHIP anytime during the year.
Have Your Information Ready To File
Even if you havent been laid off or had a dramatic reduction in your hours, now is the time to make sure you have copies of your most recent pay stubs, Evermore says. Make sure those are easily accessible because if the employer shuts down, it may be more difficult to get copies.
When filling out your application for unemployment benefits in the state where you worked, the employment agency will need to verify your income. If the employer is no longer in business, youre going to need your own records, Evermore says.
Its also important to document any communications from your manager or employer about your work situation. That can mean anything from emails from your boss about reducing your hours to taking photos of closed notices hung in store windows.
Many states have a waiting period, usually about a week, that you have to undergo before you can receive your unemployment benefits. However, states like Kentucky, New York, Pennsylvania, Virginia and Wisconsin are waiving mandatory waiting periods so workers can get benefits faster. With that in mind, its best to file as soon as you have news that your job status has changed.
In addition to documentation verifying your income and work status, youll also typically need to have the following details on hand:
- Social Security number
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How To Apply For Ui Benefits In Florida
You will need the following documents to apply for unemployment benefits in Florida:
If any of the listed criteria applies to you, you need to have the following additional information available:
- Not a U.S. Citizen: Alien Registration Number or other work authorization form.
- Military employee: A copy of your DD-214 Member 4. If you do not have a Member 4, a copy of your Member 2-7 may be used.
- Federal employee: SF-8 or SF-50.
- Union member: Union name, hall number, and phone number
Once you obtain the required documents, you may then proceed to file for unemployment benefits in Florida. In the state of Florida, unemployment benefits must be applied through the online application process.
Note If you file any claim without reporting employers correctly, you may experience delays. If you do not list the correct information, your benefits may get delayed while the missing employment information is obtained.
Tips For Applying For Pua
1. DES recommends you upload all necessary documents with your application before you click Submit. However, you can submit your application even if documents, such as tax returns, are not yet available.
If you do not have your documents when you start your application, you can save your work and come back to it when you are ready to submit all of your information. Failure to provide documentation could result in an individual being provided the minimum weekly benefit amount for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance.
Examples of documents to show past employment and income:
- 2019 Tax Returns
Examples of documents to show COVID-19 as the reason for loss of work:
- Documentation from medical professionals related to diagnosis or isolation instructions
- Notices from school or childcare providers
- Notices from county or state government regarding business closures or stay at home orders
- Documentation that a job offer or need for your services was cancelled or delayed because of COVID-19
2. If youre a 1099 employee, list the name and address displayed on your 1099 when completing the last employer section on your application.
On the Employment History page, select Add North Carolina Employer.
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$600 Payments Begin Today Marylanders Eligible For Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Benefits Can Apply Next Friday April 24
Launching a New One-Stop Application to Allow All Eligible Marylanders to File All Types of Claims Entirely Online
BALTIMORE â The Maryland Department of Labor today provided important updates about the implementation of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act . Eligible Marylanders will begin seeing their additional $600 per week payment today. Next Friday, April 24, the department will be launching a new one-stop unemployment insurance application to allow all newly eligible Marylanders to file all types of claims entirely online. This includes those who are eligible for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program, such as those who are self employed, and individuals who were previously required to file by phone.
âSince the beginning of the pandemic, over 300,000 individuals have applied for unemployment insurance benefits and are facing economic hardships. These Marylanders are family, friends, neighbors, and business owners in our communities. We know how important it is to get them the benefits they need and deserve,â said Labor Secretary Tiffany P. Robinson. âWith $600 weekly payments beginning today and a new one-stop application launching next Friday that will allow all newly eligible Marylanders to file all types of claims entirely online, financial relief is on its way.â
For more information about unemployment insurance in Maryland during COVID-19, please visit MDunemployment.com.
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I Am An Independent Contractor Am I Eligible For Unemployment Benefits Under The Cares Act
You may be eligible for unemployment benefits, depending on your personal circumstances and how your state chooses to implement the CARES Act. States are permitted to provide Pandemic Unemployment Assistance to individuals who are self-employed, seeking part-time employment, or who otherwise would not qualify for regular unemployment compensation. To qualify for PUA benefits, you must not be eligible for regular unemployment benefits and be unemployed, partially unemployed, or unable or unavailable to work because of certain health or economic consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The PUA program provides up to 39 weeks of benefits, which are available retroactively starting with weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 27, 2020, and ending on or before December 31, 2020. The amount of benefits paid out will vary by state and are calculated based on the weekly benefit amounts provided under a states unemployment insurance laws. Under the CARES Act, the WBA may be supplemented by the additional unemployment assistance provided under the Act.
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Guidelines For Qualifying For Unemployment Benefits
How can you tell if you’re eligible to receive unemployment? Each state sets guidelines that determine whether an individual will be eligible for unemployment benefits, and how much compensation they will receive.
There are eligibility requirements to qualify for unemployment benefits, including having worked a certain number of weeks for a certain number of hours each week. Those guidelines also determine how many weeks of benefits an unemployed worker can collect.
You’ll find detailed information regarding eligibility criteria on your state unemployment website. In most states, you will need to have worked for a certain period of time, met minimum earnings requirements, and have lost your job through no fault of your own. If your claim is denied or contested by your employer, you can appeal the denial.
But even if youve been terminated for cause, dont assume youre out of luck. You may be able to collect, depending on the circumstances, and whether or not the termination was justified. Its worth it to learn about your rightsincluding your right to appeal a denial of your unemployment claimsbefore you give up on the idea of filing for benefits.
Check with your state unemployment department for information on qualifying for and collecting unemployment compensation in your location.
