How To Be On Unemployment

Certify For Benefits Every Two Weeks

You must provide the EDD with eligibility information every two weeks. This process is known as certifying for benefits. You can certify with UI Online, EDD Tele-Cert, or .

Report work and wages correctly while receiving benefit payments. Report any work you performed and wages you earned every two weeks you certify for benefits. Watch Reporting Wages and Earnings for more information.

Note: You must serve a one-week unpaid waiting period on your claim before you are paid UI benefits. The waiting period can only be served if you certify for benefits and meet all eligibility requirements for that week. Your first certification will usually include the one-week unpaid waiting period and one week of payment if you meet eligibility requirements for both weeks. The waiting period has no effect on the maximum benefit amount on a claim. Certify for benefits every two weeks to continue receiving benefit payments.

How Taxes On Unemployment Benefits Work

You should receive a Form 1099-G from your state or the payor of your unemployment benefits early in 2022 for unemployment income you received in 2021. The full amount of your benefits should appear in box 1 of the form. The IRS will receive a copy of your Form 1099-G as well, so it will know how much you received. You dont have to include the form when you file your return.

Unemployment benefits arent subject to Medicare or Social Security taxes, only to income tax. This may help reduce your overall tax burden in the year you claim them.

When youre ready to file your tax return for 2021, write the amount stated in box 1 of your Form 1099-G on line 7 of Schedule 1, Additional Income, and Adjustments to Income. You must file Schedule 1 with your Form 1040 or 1040-SR tax return. Line 7 is clearly labeled, Unemployment compensation. The total amount from the Additional Income section of Schedule 1 is then entered on line 8 of your tax return.

You must report your unemployment benefits on your tax return even if you dont receive a Form 1099-G. Go to your states website if you didn’t receive one and think you should havesome states may not mail out paper versions of the form. The form is usually available electronically, but you can also call your state unemployment office.

If you receive a Form 1099-G but did not collect unemployment benefits in 2021, report it to the paying authority as soon as possible.

Where Do I Submit My Claim For Unemployment Benefits

Minnesota unemployment applications are accepted Sunday through Friday, 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. You should apply for unemployment online as soon as you become unemployed or your work hours are reduced significantly. You must apply on the day of the week that corresponds with the last digit of your Social Security number:

• Last digit is 0, 1, or 2: Monday
• Last digit is 3, 4, or 5: Tuesday
• Last digit is 6, 7, 8, or 9: Wednesday

If you miss your assigned day, you can file on Thursday or Friday.

Minnesota offers limited phone support for unemployment claims filing. You can reach a customer service representative with questions about your application on Fridays between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. at the following numbers:

• TTY: 1-866-814-1252

Customer service lines are open Monday through Friday with limited hours for application assistance. Call between 8:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. on Friday for help filing a claim. Weekday customer service hours vary for questions about claims payments, passwords, and account access.

Online assistance can be accessed at //uimn.org/applicants/help-support

You can also receive assistance by visiting one of several Minnesota unemployment office locations.

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How To Get Unemployment

To begin the unemployment process, contact the unemployment insurance agency in your state of residence or past employment. If you lived and worked in different states, Sanborn says you can choose which state to draw benefits from, so its worth shopping around for where to file unemployment. Depending on the state, you can file a claim online, by phone, or in person.

To prevent delays, make sure the details you provide about your former job are accurate. And if your claim is denied, you have the right to appeal for unemployment eligibility.

Minnesota Unemployment Benefits And Eligibility

COVID-19 UPDATE:Because the coronavirus pandemic has left so many Americans jobless, the federal government has given states more flexibility in granting unemployment benefits. Youll need to apply for these benefits through your states unemployment insurance program, but if you have questions about whether youre eligible for benefits read our COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits and Insurance FAQ. Also, before submitting a claim in Minnesota, be sure to check out Minnesotas claimant handbook.

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Tip : Stay Positive To Keep Up Your Energy

If its taking you longer than anticipated to find work, the following tips can help you stay focused and upbeat.

Keep a regular daily routine. When you no longer have a job to report to every day, you can easily lose motivation. Treat your job search like a job, with a daily start and end time, with regular times for exercise and networking. Following a set schedule will help you be more efficient and productive.

Create a job search plan. Avoid getting overwhelmed by breaking big goals into small, manageable steps. Instead of trying to do everything at once, set priorities. If youre not having luck in your job search, take some time to rethink your goals.

What You Need To File For Unemployment Benefits

To expedite your claim, its best to have all the relevant information and documents at hand before you file. While requirements vary by state, you may need some or all of the following in order to apply:

• Your Social Security number.
• Your driver’s license, state ID, or motor vehicle ID card number.
• Your mailing address.
• Your telephone number.
• The full company names and addresses of all employers that you worked for in the last two years.
• The Employer Registration number or Federal Employer Identification Number of your most recent employer.
• If you were a federal employee, copies of forms SF8 and SF50 if you had federal employment within the last 18 months.
• If youre a service or ex-service member claiming benefits based on your military service, a copy of your most recent separation form DD 214.

The information contained in this article is not legal advice and is not a substitute for such advice. State and federal laws change frequently, and the information in this article may not reflect your own states laws or the most recent changes to the law.

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Look For Important Documents From The Edd

You will receive these documents in the mail within two weeks of submitting your unemployment application:

• Employment Development Department Customer Account Number Notification Your EDD Customer Account Number is required to register for UI Online. If you were automatically enrolled in UI Online or already have an existing UI Online account there is no need to re-register. Your EDDCAN may be used instead of your Social Security number when speaking with the EDD so it is important to keep for your records.
• Use this form to certify for continued benefits every two weeks. You can also certify through UI OnlineSM or EDD Tele-CertSM.

Worked In Washington State

COVID-19 update: Emergency rules have been adopted for workers and employers affected by COVID-19.

To determine if you are eligible for unemployment benefits we examine:

1. Whether you worked enough hours in your base year:

• You must have worked at least 680 hours in your base year.
• At least some wages must have been earned in Washington, unless you recently left the military and are currently located in Washington state.

2. The reason you’re unemployed or not working full time. We’ll consider whether you:

• Are on a leave of absence
• Are still working

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What Happens To The Amount Of Tax Money The Government Collects If Unemployment Is High

A period of high unemployment may reduce the amount of money the government collects in taxes. Of course, national taxation is a complex system that’s always subject to political and economic changes. For example, if a government doesn’t collect enough revenue from taxes, it could potentially increase taxes the next tax year to make up for those losses.

Eligibility For Unemployment Benefits

To be eligible for unemployment benefit payments, you must:

• Lose your job through no fault of your own OR quit for good cause related to the work or the employer.
• Make at least $2,250at least $1,500 during one of the calendar quarters, and at least $750 during the remainder of the base periodfrom an insured employer during your base period. .
• AND your total base period wages must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter wages.
• OR you must make at least 1.5 times the Taxable Wage Base during two of the four base period quarters.

Special Notes:

• Any information provided during the claims application process may be subject to verification through computer matching programs.
• If your hours were reduced, you may also be eligible for partial unemployment benefits.
• To remain eligible:
• You must report all wages earned each week, even if you wont be paid until later. This includes tips, commissions, bonuses, show-up time, military reserve pay, board, and lodging.
• You must be able and available for work each week. This means you have no illness, injury, or personal circumstances that would keep you from working full time.
• Refusing an offer of work may result in denial of unemployment benefits.

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Chat With A Live Agent

Claimants can conveniently chat online with a live agent to receive help with their unemployment insurance inquiries. To chat with a live agent, please select the blue âChat with usâ button at the bottom right of the homepage and then type “speak with an agent.” Agents are available Monday to Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m., Sunday from 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Claimants can also chat with Laborâs Virtual Assistant Dayne, which can provide immediate answers to common inquiries or direct claimants to relevant resources about filing a new claim, extending benefits, receiving benefit payments, and more. The Virtual Assistant is available 24/7. Since May 2020, the Virtual Assistant has handled more than 18.8 million messages and 3.1 million conversations, with an average of 10,400 conversations daily.

Establish & Change Payment Options

When you apply for benefits, TWC offers you one of two ways to get your benefit payments:

• Direct deposit, which is direct payment into your personal checking or savings account in a United States bank or credit union
• Debit card, which is issued by the TWC-contracted bank

TWC will deposit payments to the TWC debit card account unless you sign up for direct deposit.

If you signed up for direct deposit on a prior claim, TWC will use the checking or savings account information you previously provided.

To select or change your payment option online or by phone:

• Log on to ui.texasworkforce.org and select Payment Option from the Quick Links menu.

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How Much Will My Unemployment Insurance Payments Be

After you apply, you will receive a Determination of Benefit Account document in the mail detailing your weekly Minnesota unemployment amount. You can expect to receive about 50% of your average weekly pay earned during your base period up to a maximum UIMN payment of $740.

Anyone filing a Minnesota unemployment claim who remains eligible for benefits can receive payments for up to 26 weeks. Depending on programs and funding available, you may receive a Minnesota unemployment extension of payments emergency state or federal funds.

What To Do If Your Claim Is Denied

After you file for unemployment, the state may accept your claim, and youll receive your benefits. But what if youre denied benefits or the state asks you to provide additional information? You can file an unemployment appeal and explain your situation in a hearing.

The state unemployment office will typically send you a letter that will list the date and time of your hearing. These hearings are generally conducted over the phone.

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If I Am Eligible For Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Do I Need To First Apply For Unemployment Insurance

States must have a process for determining that Pandemic Unemployment Assistance applicants are ineligible for regular unemployment benefits, which may not include filing a regular claim as a first step. States are not required to take and adjudicate a full claim for regular unemployment insurance benefits to meet this requirement. While states are not prohibited from taking a full claim, to facilitate expedited claims processing the U.S. Department of Labor has discouraged states from doing so. Individuals should apply using the states PUA application process and, in states that have not yet established that process, must wait until it is established.

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.

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You Were Fired For Misconduct

Theres a difference between getting fired and getting laid off. If youre fired for gross misconduct, then you likely wont qualify. Misconduct could include chronic lateness or absenteeism, carelessness or violence.

Some states only consider misconduct within the workplace. Others let employers fire employees for their behavior outside of work.

If theres bad blood between you and your employer, then you can argue your case at an unemployment hearing. If the judge decides against you, your last recourse is to appeal the decision and try again.

How To Collect Unemployment Longer

Sanborns best tip for the newly unemployed? Look for a part-time job. Any week that you make enough so you dont need unemployment is an extra week tacked on to the unemployment period you can collect, she says.

Unemployment rules for dealing with part-time work vary regionally. Some states will prorate your unemployment by a percentage , and others will let you earn a certain amount from part-time work as a supplement to your unemployment before they reduce your benefits. If there are weeks when you make too much to collect benefits, youve just earned yourself a safety net of an extra week.

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Tip : Eat Well To Keep Your Focus

Your diet may seem like the last thing you should concern yourself with when youre facing the stress of losing your job and trying to make ends meet. But what you put in your body can have a huge effect on your levels of energy and positivity.

Minimize sugar and refined carbs. You may crave sugary snacks or comfort foods such as pasta, white bread, potatoes, or French fries, but these high-carbohydrate foods quickly lead to a crash in mood and energy.

Reduce your intake of foods that can adversely affect your mood, such as caffeine and chemical preservatives or hormones.

Eat more Omega-3 fatty acids to give your mood a boost. The best sources are fatty fish , seaweed, flaxseed, and walnuts.

Avoid nicotine. Smoking when youre feeling stressed may seem calming, but nicotine is a powerful stimulant, leading to higher, not lower, levels of stress and anxiety.

Drink alcohol in moderation. Alcohol may temporarily reduce worry, but too much can cause even greater anxiety as it wears off.

Find Out If You Might Qualify For Unemployment Benefits In Your State

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for unemployment benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

• Are unemployed through no fault of your own. In most states, this means you have to have separated from your last job due to a lack of available work.
• Meet work and wage requirements. You must meet your states requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time referred to as a “base period.”
• Meet additional state requirements. Find details of your own states program by selecting your state below.

In March 2020, new federal law greatly expanded unemployment insurance. Many workers who were not previously covered are now eligible. You may now be eligible if any of the following are true:

• Your employer permanently or temporarily laid you off due to coronavirus measures
• Your employer reduced your work hours due to coronavirus measures
• You are self-employed and have lost income due to coronavirus measures
• Youre quarantined and cant work due to coronavirus
• Youre unable to work due to a risk of exposure to coronavirus
• You cant work because youre caring for a family member due to coronavirus

The March 2021 American Rescue Plan adds extra weeks to unemployment benefit payments:

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