What Do You Need To Collect Unemployment

Looking For A Suitable Job

Unless you have a good reason not to do so, you must generally do the following:

• apply for a suitable job that becomes vacant
• accept a suitable job offered to you
• take advantage of any opportunities to get a suitable job
• follow any instructions from the Canada Employment Insurance Commission to help you find a suitable job
• attend any interview the Canada Employment Insurance Commission asks you to attend to help you find a suitable job or to see if you need any job training
• attend and complete any course or training program the Commission asks you to attend and that you agreed to attend

You can lose your employment insurance benefits for a period of time if you dont respect these obligations.

You might have to submit reports to Service Canada showing that you are respecting your obligations.

It is a good idea to check with the people handling your employment insurance file to find out about any other specific obligations you may have.

How Do I File An Unemployment Claim In Illinois

To avoid any delays in receiving benefits, file a claim for unemployment benefits during the first week you become unemployed. You can file for benefits online through the IDES website or by visiting one of the Illinois unemployment office locations throughout the state.

Illinois unemployment insurance benefits are paid only to recipients who are actively seeking work. As part of this requirement, recipients must register with the Illinois Employment Service systems. To meet both of these Illinois unemployment qualifications, recipients can log into IllinoisJobLink.com and complete the registration process, create a resume and begin searching for work.

You will need several pieces of documentation and information to file for benefits:

Be aware that many people lose unemployment benefits for a week or more because they do not follow instructions closely, thus delaying the processing and payment of benefits they are entitled to. If you do not understand filing instructions, call IDES Claimant Services at 244-5631 or visit an IDES office to seek assistance you can determine your closest Illinois unemployment office here.

Newly unemployed?

Several online serviceslike FlexJobs, 360training, or MyPerfectResumecan help you find work-from-home jobs, build a better resume, or earn training certifications.

What Happens If I Lie Or Dont Respect The Rules

You can receive a warning or a penalty or lose your right to benefits for a period of time if you knowingly lie or dont fulfill your obligations .

If you dont follow the rules, the rules might be stricter the next time you apply for employment insurance benefits. For example, you might have to work more hours in your qualifying period if you lied while trying to collect employment insurance in the past.

You might have to pay back any employment insurance benefits that Employment and Social Development Canada decides you were not entitled to.

You can also be charged with a crime if you dont respect your obligations or you lie. If you are found guilty, you can be fined or imprisoned for up to six months.

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What Is Unemployment Insurance

Lets start by outlining the basics of the unemployment system. Unemployment insurance provides temporary cash payments to eligible workers on a weekly basis while they look for work. In most states, eligible workers can receive unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks a year. The benefit amount is a stipend based on a set percentage of the employees average annual pay.

To be eligible, an employee must:

• Be unemployed due to a factor out of their control .
• Meet state requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time, plus any additional state requirements. Find details about your states program here.

Unemployment benefit programs are managed at the state level, with federal oversight by the U.S. Department of Labor. That means states have their own programs, but they must all follow the same guidelines established by federal law.

States fund their unemployment insurance programs through taxes paid by businesses, known as Federal Unemployment Tax Act taxes and State Unemployment Tax Act taxes. In some states, employees also pay a state-level tax to contribute to unemployment funds they may one day use themselves.

What Happens When You Contest An Unemployment Claim

If a former employee has submitted an inaccurate claim:

Keep in mind that if the employee loses the determination, they may still be able to appeal the decision.

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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

Eligibility Requirements For Indiana Unemployment Benefits

The Indiana DWD determines eligibility for workers claiming unemployment benefits in the state. You must meet the following three eligibility requirements to collect unemployment benefits in Indiana:

• You must have earned at least a minimum amount in wages before you were unemployed.
• You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, as defined by Indiana law.
• You must be able and available to work, and you must be actively seeking employment.

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Can You Collect Unemployment If You Work Part

Many people think that holding a part-time job after they lose a full-time job will compromise their ability to collect unemployment benefits, but this isn’t necessarily the case. You might be eligible to receive unemployment benefits even if you’re currently working part-time. You might also be eligible if you’ve lost your part-time job.

Eligibility for partial unemployment depends on the state you work in and on your qualifying for unemployment compensation based on your employment history.

Determining Your Illinois Unemployment Amount

Your benefits are generally determined by the amount of wages you earn during your base period. This applies to both part-time work and full-time work. Your base period is based on the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the beginning of your benefit year.

Unemployed workers who do not have sufficient wages to qualify for benefits using the standard base period may be eligible to use an alternate base period.

To determine the exact amount of your Illinois unemployment compensation, go to the benefit table on the IDES website.

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Unemployment Benefits In Florida: A Step

You are eligible for unemployment compensation if you have been laid off from your job through no fault of your own. It is understandable that you probably have a lot of questions on how unemployment compensation works. Florida has specific rules about eligibility, benefit amounts, and earnings requirements. You may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you meet the states requirements and are actively looking for a new job.

Canceling Ui Before The First Payment

Workers who applied for unemployment insurance, but secured a job before the state processed their claim, should immediately cancel it failing to do so may not only require the claimant to repay benefit payments, but can also lead to fraud charges. In this instance, the claimant should contact their UI office by phone or email, depending on the processes of their state agency.

If those payments can’t be stopped in time, claimants should continue trying to contact the agency and not spend any money they receive. Whatever funds they received should be returned as soon as possible. According to Unemployment Claims Info, their state agency will give the claimant direction on how to repay the benefits.

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What Happens If You Quit Or Get Fired

We will schedule a phone interview to discuss your claim and circumstances. If you quit, you must prove good cause for quitting. If you are fired, your employer must prove there was misconduct. Either party can disagree with the decision and file an appeal.

If you do not receive a call at your scheduled appointment time, we may have canceled your appointment because we confirmed your eligibility or resolved the issue before your interview. If your appointment has been canceled, it will no longer show in UI Online. Check UI Online for your current payment status.

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:

• 3 Ways the American Rescue Plan Helps People Who Lost Jobs Afford Health Coverage]

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How To File For Unemployment

The process of filing for unemployment varies from state to state. Some have a waiting period, meaning you need to have been unemployed for a specific duration before youre allowed to file an unemployment application. This could be anywhere from one to two weeks.

Different states also have different limits on the total amount you can receive in benefits, as well as different formulas for how those benefits are calculated. If you received paid vacation time or severance pay when you left employment, this could also impact how soon you can start receiving benefits.

Nonetheless, your best bet is to start the process as soon as you can since it could potentially be a long-drawn-out process. To file for unemployment, the first step would be to get in touch with the unemployment insurance agency in your past employment or state of residence.

If you worked in multiple states, choose the specific one where youll draw your benefits from. Its a good idea to shop around and choose a state that works in your favor.

The next step is to file your application. Depending on the state in question, this can be done in person, phone, or online.

Make sure that all the details you provide in your unemployment application are correct. It doesnt hurt to double-check the information you fill in, like the dates you were in employment, your respective wages at the time, the company address, and so on.

Do I Qualify For Regular Benefits From Employment Insurance

You must meet the following conditions to qualify for regular employment insurance benefits:

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What To Know When You File For Unemployment

Exact details vary by state. Some states require waiting periods, in which you need to be unemployed for a certain amount of time before you can collect benefits. Often, this is a week, so the second week you claim is the first week youll get paid for. The maximum benefit you can receive will also vary by state, and so will the formula for how those benefits are calculated. Keep in mind that severance pay or vacation time at the end of your job can delay when you begin receiving benefits.

Regardless, Sanborn says that newly laid-off people should file as soon as possible. Dont wait until you think you qualify, she says. It can be such a hassle and such a long, drawn-out process that the sooner you start, the better.

Can I Qualify For Employment Insurance Benefits Even Though I Left My Job

You can only qualify for employment insurance benefits if you can show that, given your situation, leaving your job was the only reasonable option available. There are situations in which leaving a job is the only reasonable option. Here are some examples:

• being sexually harassed at work
• dangerous working conditions
• an employer who puts a lot of pressure on an employee to quit
• an employee having to move to another city with a spouse because the spouse found work there

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How Long Does Employment Insurance Last

You can get benefits for each week of unemployment during your benefit period, up to a maximum number of weeks, beyond which you cannot receive employment insurance benefits.

The maximum number of weeks is usually between 14 and 45 weeks. It depends on how many hours you worked in insurable employment during your qualifying period and the rate of unemployment in your region. The more you worked in insurable employment during your qualifying period, or the higher the unemployment rates in your region, the longer you are likely to receive benefits.

Do You Meet The Minimum Earnings Requirement

Virtually all states look at your recent work history and earnings during a one-year base period to determine your eligibility for unemployment. In Florida, as in most states, the base period is the earliest four of the five complete calendar quarters before you filed your claim for benefits. For example, if you filed your claim in October of 2021, the base period would be from June 1, 2020, through May 31, 2021.

During the base period, your work history and earnings must meet all three of these requirements:

• You must have been paid wages in at least two of the four calendar quarters that make up the base period.
• Your earnings during the entire base period must be at least one-and-a-half times your wages in the highest paid quarter of the base period. For example, if you earned $5,000 during your highest paid quarter, your total earnings for the base period year must be at least $7,500.
• You must have earned at least $3,400 during the entire base period.

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What To Say & What Not To Say

When finalizing your unemployment application, one of the fundamental questions you see will be something like the following: Explain in your own words why you left your last job. The question does not leave much room for long-winded explanations. Take any evidence that you have and keep your responses non-committal and straightforward.

Unless you were dismissed from your job because you clearly violated the companys policy, applicants must remember to avoid using the word fired while filling out any forms or answering any interview questions at the unemployment office. While many individuals use the words fired and laid off interchangeably, in the legal unemployment field fired is usually taken to mean that you did something wrong and were dismissed because of your inappropriate conduct.

If you lost your position because business was quite slow, that is actually considered a lay-off. Laid off is a somewhat vague term, but it is less prone to raise questions about the legality of your application when processing your unemployment claim.

Furthermore, if your employer discharged you, you should note whether you were: Discharged without any misbehavior or Quit for valid cause personal reason. You should leave out any qualifying details, such as, I was the only woman in my department, and my supervisor hated me, so naturally I was the first to be laid off.