Don’t Forget To Complete Weekly Eligibility Certification Online
Governor Roy Cooper announced that the first payments for the unemployment claims related to coronavirus will begin going out this week.
On Saturday, Cooper directed the N.C. Division of Employment Security to begin implementing the unemployment insurance provisions of the federal CARES Act. The division expects to receive guidance from the federal government later this week about how to implement the changes.
Workers applying for benefits must complete weekly certifications in order to receive unemployment insurance payments. The certification is a series of yes-or-no questions that help determine a persons eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits each week. If an unemployment recipient does not complete a weekly certification, he or she will not receive a payment that week. The certification must be completed through the individuals online account at des.nc.gov.
Eligibility Requirements For North Carolina Unemployment Benefits
In North Carolina, the Division of Employment Security handles unemployment benefits and determines eligibility on a case-by-case basis. Applicants must meet the following three eligibility requirements in order to collect unemployment benefits in North Carolina:
- Your past earnings must meet certain minimum thresholds.
- You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, as defined by North Carolina law.
- You must be able and available to work, and you must be actively seeking employment.
Do I Have To Show I Am Looking For A Job
As of June 6, 2021, North Carolina requires any person who receives unemployment to be seeking employment.
The absolute first step in making sure you receive your unemployment benefits is to go to www.ncworks.gov and create an account.
Next, there are a few things you can do to start meeting your work search requirements. You can:
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Guide To Unemployment Benefits In North Carolina
North Carolina unemployment insurance benefits are administered by the North Carolina Department of Commerce Division of Employment Security . Most employers in the state pay state and federal taxes on wages you earn, and a portion of those taxes are used to fund unemployment insurance payments. Individual employees do not pay anything toward unemployment insurance.
In addition to providing temporary wage replacement income for workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and who qualify for benefits, the DES also administers NCWorks, a job-training and employment service for unemployed North Carolina workers.
What You Need To File For Unemployment Benefits
Heres what you need to file for unemployment benefits in your state:
Note that your state may require additional information.
However, the list below is generally what you will need to apply for benefits.
To file for Unemployment benefits, you need to provide personal information including:
- Social Security number
Furthermore, you also need information about your employment history from the last 15 months, including:
- Names of all employers, plus addresses and phone numbers
- Reasons for leaving those jobs
- Work start and end dates
- Recall date
Also, you may need additional information in certain situations:
- If you are not a U.S. citizen your Alien Registration number
- If you have children their birth dates and Social Security numbers
- For those who are members of a union your union name and local number
- If you were in the military your DD-214 Member 4 form. If you dont have it, you can request your DD-214 online.
- For those who worked for the federal government your SF8 form
Scroll down below for information on how to file for Unemployment benefits in your state
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Important Information About Applying For Pua
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is a federal pandemic assistance program that is separate from state unemployment insurance benefits. People are not automatically eligible for PUA when they exhaust state unemployment benefits and extensions.
DES must review claims individually to determine whether a person is eligible for PUA. When claim volumes are high, it may take several weeks for the claimant to receive a determination of benefits.
Ongoing eligibility for PUA is evaluated on a week-by-week basis, and claimants must be out work due to a COVID-19 related reason under the CARES Act each week to keep receiving benefits.
For example, a person may have been found eligible for PUA after certifying that they were unable to work because they were diagnosed with COVID-19. If, weeks later, that person no longer has COVID-19, that would not be a valid reason for continuing to receive PUA benefits.
It is important that claimants provide accurate and complete information when applying for benefits. Claimants who are found to have received benefits fraudulently are required to repay the Division of Employment Security and could be subject to criminal prosecution pursuant to state and federal laws.
Learn How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits In North Carolina
Find North Carolina Unemployment Application Information
The North Carolina unemployment EDD application is the first step to receiving unemployment insurance benefit payments. NC unemployment registration is available for unemployed workers who meet state requirements. To file for unemployment in NC, unemployed claims applicants must be monetarily eligible, out of work due to no fault of their own and actively seeking new employment opportunities. Qualified residents can file for an unemployment claim in NC with the Division of Employment Security .
Unemployment claims applicants may be wondering, How can I sign up for unemployment in North Carolina? DES of NC provides unemployment claim applicants multiple ways to apply for unemployment services. In addition to an eligibility criterion for unemployed applicants, there are other obligations that claimants must adhere to while collecting compensation payments. Find out more about where to sign up for unemployment in NC in the topics below:
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How to file for an unemployment claim in North Carolina
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Where to register for unemployment benefits in North Carolina
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What to do after North Carolina unemployment registration
Find North Carolina Unemployment Resources
How to Apply
Find Out How to Appeal Denied Benefits
What is wrongful termination?
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Preparing To File Your North Carolina Unemployment Application
In order to file for North Carolina unemployment assistance, all applicants will need to gather the necessary documents.
In order to verify your North Carolina unemployment claim, the documents submit must match the North Carolina database. If you fail to fill out your North Carolina unemployment application correctly you can be denied benefits.
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To fill out the North Carolina unemployment application you should have the below documents ready.
- Identification ( Can be a driver’s license, Government issued ID, Social Security Card, birth certificate or Passport.
- Employer contact information.
- The dates that you worked for that employer and how much you earned in wages during that period.
- Bank information. ( Can be a voided check or a deposit slip.
North Carolina residents who use the online system should plan on the process taking roughly 45 minutes to complete all forms. Legal North Carolina immigrants can file for unemployment benefits if all eligibility requirements are met.
File After Initial Application For Unemployment Insurance Benefits
Claimants should not wait to file weekly certifications until they hear from DES that they are eligible for benefits. They must file a weekly certification within 14 days after each week of unemployment to receive unemployment insurance payments. A claimant should allow up to 48 hours for payments to be fully processed. DES provides payments by direct deposit or a debit card issued by Bank of America.
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How To File Your Weekly Certification For Unemployment In North Carolina
A claimant in North Carolina must file their weekly certification online. The option to file by phone is no longer available. An applicant having trouble with the online system should contact the North Carolina Division of Employment Security Customer Call Center at 888-737-0259. The claimant must submit a weekly certification after each week for which they want to receive benefits. The certification is a set of questions that verifies whether the individual was able, available and looking for work in the prior week.
Apply For Unemployment Insurance Benefits Immediately
According to the U.S. Department of Labor, it can take about 23 weeks from the day you applied to receive your first unemployment payment.
Therefore, if you are eligible to receive unemployment insurance, the sooner you file your claim the sooner youll receive your benefits.
Also, the sooner you file, the less likely you are to tap into your savings or use a credit card to cover essential expenses.
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Find Out What To Do After North Carolina Unemployment Registration
Unemployment claimants are required to seek new suitable work actively. Qualified unemployment applicants must keep a written record of work search efforts. DES may request this record at any time, including years after you file for unemployment benefits for an audit. This written record must include how and when you contacted a potential employer, the employers name and address or website. Qualified claimants must contact at least five employers a week about job opportunities.
Unemployed claimants must continue to certify for benefit payments weekly. Even unemployment claim applicants waiting on a determination of eligibility should apply for unemployment payments. The first week is an unpaid waiting period that claimants need to certify for to be eligible for future paid weeks.
After you file for an unemployment claim in North Carolina, DES will require an in-person employability assessment interview. This interview at a local Division of Workforce Solutions office is mandatory. Failure to participate will result in denial of unemployment insurance benefits.
Are Weekly Claim Certifications Required In North Carolina
Yes. To continue to receive benefits each week, you must certify your claim. You can do this online at the DES website or file by telephone by calling 888-372-3453.
You must follow these NC Unemployment guidelines:
- For North Carolina unemployment eligibility, the earliest you can file a weekly certification is on each Sunday. The questions you will need to answer will cover the prior seven-day period of Sunday through Saturday.
- You must file your North Carolina weekly claims within 14 days from the week ending date that you are claiming. For DES purposes, the week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday.
- If you do not file within that 14 day period, you will not be able to claim benefits for that week. You will be required to reopen your claim and serve another unpaid waiting week.
- If you use the telephone to file your claim and the last number of your Social Security number is an odd number, you will need to call in and file your claim on Monday for each week. If your Social Security number ends in an even number, you will need to call in on Tuesday. If you miss either of these days, you can also call in on Wednesday through Sunday.
- The hours to file your claim by both computer and by telephone are 8 am to midnight.
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What Are Common Disqualifications For Unemployment Benefits
There are a few things that would make you ineligible for unemployment benefits.
In North Carolina, quitting your job or being fired from your job would be disqualifications.
For Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, you must be unemployed due to the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic. You must be able and available to work. However you do not need to be seeking work and filing job applications, which are typically required. These requirements were waived by North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper’s Executive Order Number 118.
S To Create An Online Account
IMPORTANT: USE A VALID EMAIL ADDRESS WHEN YOU CREATE YOUR ACCOUNT.
1. Click on Create an Online Account on the DES homepage, des.nc.gov.
2. Enter your Social Security Number twice.
3. Select Next. On the User Account Creation page:
- Create a User Name .
- Enter a valid email address twice.
- Create a PIN number .
- Enter your contact phone number.
- Create a Password .
4.Select Create Account.
5.You can now Sign In at des.nc.gov. Use the User Name and Password you entered when creating your Online Account in Step 3.
Creating an Online Account for Claimants
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Do I Need To Complete A Weekly Certification Every Week To Receive Benefits
Yes. A Weekly Certification is a series of yes/no questions that helps determine your eligibility for benefits each week. If you do not complete a Weekly Certification, you will not be considered for payment for that week. Weekly certifications must be filed online. If you dont have access to a computer, you can contact our customer call center by calling 1-888-737-0259.
Do I Have To Look For A Job To Get North Carolina Unemployment Benefits
One of the requirements for collecting benefits is that recipients must conduct an active and ongoing job search each week. Claimants must contact at least five potential employers during the week. Failure to make at least five contacts in a week could result in your benefits being denied or delayed for that week.
The DES has the right to check your work search records for up to five years after you claim benefits, so not only should you keep an accurate log of your work search records every week you are claiming benefits, you will need to keep those records for that five year period. If you have questions about how to maintain these records, you can visit one of several North Carolina unemployment office locations.
Most job hunters are able to find new work before their benefits run out. In some cases, such as high North Carolina unemployment rates, you may contact the unemployment department to inquire about filing an extension.
You will need to keep a detailed record of your work search activities, providing the following information:
- Employers name.
- Job position you inquired about or applied for.
- Contact information for the employer, including URL address of their website, an email address, telephone number and/or their physical address.
- The date you applied for the job or made contact with the employer.
- Confirmation information that may include the name and job title of the employer you contacted or an email or confirmation number.
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How Are Weekly Benefits Determined In North Carolina
When you file a claim, DES will send you a Wage Transcript and Monetary Determination letter. This shows all employers you worked for and what your wages were for your base period. This does not guarantee you will be paid North Carolina unemployment benefits but outlines how much you could be paid and for how many weeks if you meet all North Carolina unemployment requirements.
How much you will be paid is determined by the amount of wages earned in your Base Period. As part of your initial North Carolina unemployment application process, you will need to determine what your total gross wages were during your Base Period, as well as how much you received during each calendar quarter. Your Period is the first four of the past five completed calendar quarters prior to the date you applied for benefits.
To qualify for benefits, you must have qualifying wages which are defined as six times the average insured weekly wages in at least two quarters of either the Base Period or an alternate Base Period. To file North Carolina unemployment, you must have at least $780 in wage in one of the last two quarters to establish a Weekly Benefit Amount.
The Weekly Benefit Amount is calculated by adding the wages paid to you in the last two completed quarters of your Base Period and dividing that number by 52.
If that amount is less than $15, you are not eligible for benefits. The maximum North Carolina amount also known as a Weekly Benefit Amount you can receive is $350.
I Feel Unsafe Returning To Work Because I Am 65 Or Older And/or Have A Medical Condition That Makes Me At Higher Risk For Severe Illness If I Contract Covid
If you are 65 or older and/or you have a medical condition that puts you at a high risk for severe illness if you are infected with COVID-19, and your employer is not able to offer you a safe workplace or your job does not allow for a reasonable accommodation such as teleworking, you may have good cause for not returning to work and be eligible to receive benefits.
A note from a Doctor of Medicine or Osteopathy who is authorized to practice medicine by the state will be considered as proof of a high-risk medical condition.
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How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits In North Carolina
In order to apply for North Carolina unemployment, residents must meet specific requirements. If you lose your job it is recommended that you apply for North Carolinaunemployment benefits within a week in order to maximize what you can be paid. Benefits will not begin until your North Carolina unemployment application is received and processed. The approval process can take at least one week.
To learn where you can apply for North Carolina unemployment and what happens after you submit your application, read below.
- Preparing the required documents.
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