What Do You Need To Get Unemployment

What You Need To Do

Your JSA payments will be stopped if you do not keep to your agreement to look for work and cannot give a good reason.

Check if youre eligible for Universal Credit. If you are, you could get Universal Credit at the same time or instead of new style JSA.

New York 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. If you have questions about whether youre eligible for unemployment benefits read our COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits and Insurance FAQ and check out your New York’s claimant handbook.

When And How Will I Be Paid My New York State Unemployment

It takes about three to six weeks from the time you file New York unemployment claims to when you receive your first payment due to processing and reviewing of your New York unemployment application. You will not receive benefits during this time, but if you are approved, you will receive back weeks of benefits owed with your first payment.

It is important to note that the first full week of your UI claim is an unpaid waiting week. You will not be paid any benefits during this period. If you work at all for any reason or do not serve the full week for any other reason, the unpaid week will roll over to the next week. You must still claim this week so that you can begin receiving benefits the following week.

However, New York is currently waiving the seven-day waiting period for those who are out of work due to COVID-19.

While you are waiting, you need to be responsive to any requests made by the Department of Labor. You should also claim weekly benefits as long as you are unemployed and are eligible for benefits. This is the only way you will receive any back weeks owed to you.

You can also receive benefits by direct deposit into your bank account. Physical checks are no longer mailed. To sign up for direct deposit, you can register on the New York State unemployment website.

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A Guide To New York Unemployment Benefits

The New York Department of Labor is the state agency that oversees administering unemployment insurance claims for citizens. It provides monetary benefits, job training, job search and other related services for those people who are actively seeking work in New York and who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

It is funded through employers in the state at no cost to New York unemployment insurance benefit applicants.

Did Not Work In Washington State

You cannot apply for unemployment benefits in Washington or file weekly claims here if you did not work in this state during the past 18 months. The only exceptions are if you were in the military or worked for the federal government.

You must file your claim with one of the state where you worked in the last 18 months. Contact each state where you worked to find out your claim options for those states.

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Do I Qualify For Unemployment Insurance

There are things you need to know before you apply, and steps you must take after filing your claim for unemployment insurance benefits.

Unemployed Through No Fault of Your Own

The Unemployment Insurance program provides benefits to workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own and who are able, available, and looking for work. You may file a claim for benefits the first day after becoming separated from employment or after your employer has significantly reduced your work hours. Information will be gathered from you as well as your separating employer and an agency determination will be based on whether you meet the eligibility requirements under state law.

You Must Have Qualifying Base Period Wages

You must have earned an average of $780.01 in each of 2 quarters of a time frame called the Base Period and the second highest quarter must be over $900 or 6 times the weekly benefit amount. If youve earned sufficient wages during this time frame, the wages earned will then be used to calculate your weekly benefit amount and the number of weeks you may receive benefits. The Base Period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the quarter in which your initial claim is filed. A calendar quarter is three months of either January – March, April – June, July – September or October – December.

What’s The Minimum Amount I Can Get

Again, this varies by state. But the new law raises the minimum payment significantly.

The law sets a minimum of half the state’s average weekly payment. When added to the $600-a-week supplement, the nationwide average would be about $789 a week.

In Massachusetts, the most generous state, an unemployed person can expect to collect at least $878 a week. Mississippi would offer the lowest benefit among other states $707 a week, which is still an increase of more than 2,200% from its prior minimum of $30.

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When Can You Quit Your Job And Still Receive Unemployment Benefits

Here are some reasons for quitting that might entitle you to collect unemployment.

Your state may recognize additional covered reasons for leaving a job, such as moving to be with a spouse who has taken a distant job or been reposted by the military. In some cases, the employee may be subject to a disqualification period — a stretch of time during which benefits are not available — before becoming eligible for unemployment.

To find out more about your state’s laws, contact your state unemployment insurance agency. You can find links and contact information for every state’s unemployment agency at Career One Stop, a site sponsored by the federal Department of Labor’s Employment and Training Administration.

I Need Help Answering My Certification Questions Where Can I Get More Information

We recently added information to UI Online to help you complete your certification. When you log into your account and begin answering your certification questions, you will see this updated information. This new text will help you understand how to answer questions correctly and avoid payment delays.

Note: These additional instructions are currently not available through UI Online MobileSM.

For help with answering questions correctly to avoid delays in payments, review the following:

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Do You Need To Look For Work

If youve filed your claim, gotten it approved and start receiving unemployment benefits, there are additional rules you need to be aware of to make sure you dont lose your benefits before you get a new job.

Most states require people who are receiving unemployment benefits be not only willing to work but actively looking for work. That requirement was waived by essentially every state at the start of the pandemic, but a number of them have now reimposed it.

However, as weve noted many times, every state is different, and also the definitions of actively looking for work vary from state to state. So if you arent sure if your state requires you to be currently looking for work, or what you need to do to prove that youre looking for work, double-check its unemployment website to find out.

One Of My Workers Quit Because He Said He Would Prefer To Receive The Unemployment Compensation Benefits Under The Cares Act Is He Eligible For Unemployment If Not What Can I Do

No, typically that employee would not be eligible for regular unemployment compensation or PUA. Eligibility for regular unemployment compensation varies by state but generally does not include those who voluntarily leave employment. Similarly, to receive PUA, an individual must be ineligible for regular unemployment compensation or extended benefits under state or federal law, or pandemic emergency unemployment compensation, and satisfy one of the eligibility criteria enumerated in the CARES Act, as explained in Unemployment Insurance Program Letter 16-20. There are multiple qualifying circumstances related to COVID-19 that can make an individual eligible for PUA, including if the individual quits his or her job as a direct result of COVID-19. Quitting to access unemployment benefits is not one of them. Individuals who quit their jobs to access higher benefits, and are untruthful in their UI application about their reason for quitting, will be considered to have committed fraud.

If desired, employers can contest unemployment insurance claims through their state unemployment insurance agencys process.

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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.

Check With Your State Unemployment Office

Check with your state unemployment office for information on what benefits you are entitled to. Initial benefits may be different from weekly benefits, there may be a waiting period before you receive payment, and some states have maximum payout amounts or timelines.

It’s important to do your research and contact your states unemployment agency quickly, so you have all the accurate information you need to collect the benefits youre entitled to.

You will find information on qualifying for benefits in your location on your state’s unemployment website, as well as detailed information on what you need to do to submit a claim.

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Q& a: How Long Do You Have To Work To Get Unemployment

If you find yourself out of work through no fault of your own, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. However, even if you feel you’re eligible, there are requirements you must meet to officially start receiving unemployment, including having recently worked as an employee for a company. Due to the novel coronavirus pandemic, there may be additional ways to qualify for unemployment pay.

In this article, we discuss how long you have to work to get unemployment based on period requirements, work requirements and your earnings.

Taxes On Unemployment Insurance Benefits

Most people are required to pay federal taxes. Even unemployed people pay federal taxes on the unemployment benefits they receive. The coronavirus changed this a bit. The American Rescue Plan, enacted on March 11, 2021, excludes a certain amount in unemployment benefits from taxes.

If your adjusted gross income is less than $150,000, then you donât have to pay federal taxes on unemployment insurance benefits of up to $10,200. This only applies to unemployment benefits that you received in 2020. If you are married, each spouse doesnât have to pay federal taxes on unemployment benefits of up to $10,200.

Since unemployment benefits are taxable income, you can include them as income on a credit card application. When you lose a job, credit cards can help you buy everyday items when you might be short on cash.

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Are You Eligible For Unemployment

According to the Department of Labor, you need to meet two criteria to qualify for unemployment:

• You are unemployed through no fault of your own: That means you are out of a job due to reasons beyond your control, like a layoff. So, if you quit your job without good cause or are fired for gross misconduct, youre not eligible. Gross misconduct is a vague term, but generally refers to illegal or dangerous acts committed in the workplace, like stealing from your employer.
• You meet your states requirements for time worked or wages earned: Every state has different rules. For example, New York requires you to have worked in at least two calendar quarters of your base period , be paid at least $2,600 in wages in one of those quarters, and during that period made a total of 1.5 times the amount you made in your highest-paid quarter that year. Complicated, right? Fear not: If you had a solid, long-term job that you lost, you probably meet your states minimum time and wage requirements. You can learn about your state’s rules at CareerOneStop.

You also need to be actively looking for a new job, so those who head back to school full time wont be able to collect because theyre no longer actively job-searching. Nonetheless, if youre seeking training in a high-demand field, some states have allowances that let you receive additional weeks of unemployment benefits without looking for work, as long as youre enrolled and making satisfactory progress in your training program.

To Speak With Telephone Claims Center Staff

If you are a hearing impaired individual who is being assisted by another person, call the Telephone Claims Center at 783-1370 however, if you use TTY/TDD, call a relay operator first at 662-1220, and ask the operator to call the Telephone Claims Center at 783-1370.

In person:

You can visit a New York unemployment office at one of many locations.

If the Frequently Asked Questions section doesnt answer your question, you can send a secure message. Sign in with your NY.GOV ID and then click on Messages.

New York State Department of Labor, P.O. Box 15130, Albany, NY 12212-5130

Send faxes to 457-9378. Write your Social Security number at the top right-hand corner on all pages and save your fax confirmation.

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My Regular Unemployment Compensation Benefits Do Not Provide Adequate Support Given The Unprecedented Economic Challenges Caused By The Covid

Yes, depending on how your state chooses to implement the CARES Act. The new law creates the Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program , which provides an additional $600 per week to individuals who are collecting regular UC and Unemployment Compensation for Ex-Servicemembers , PEUC, PUA, Extended Benefits , Short Time Compensation , Trade Readjustment Allowances , Disaster Unemployment Assistance , and payments under the Self Employment Assistance program). This benefit is available for weeks of unemployment beginning after the date on which your state entered into an agreement with the U.S. Department of Labor and ending with weeks of unemployment ending on or before July 31, 2020.

How To Apply For Unemployment Benefits

Contact your states unemployment insurance program office immediately upon losing your job, especially in light of the sharp increase of claims filed throughout the country over the past year due to the pandemic. Check with the office to determine the preferred method of registering in the system, be it online or by phone. While doing so in person was traditionally an option , its a bad idea now.

Keep in mind that registering your claim for unemployment benefits takes time to process, especially in light of the COVID-19 pandemic, so budget your pocketbook accordingly before your first payment appears. According to the U.S. Labor Departments CareerOneStop site, it usually takes two to three weeks after filing your claim to receive your first benefit check, but that estimate was pre-pandemic. Many state unemployment offices continue to struggle to keep up with the spike in demand.

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Do All People Get Unemployment Benefits

Not all people qualify to receive UI benefits. People who voluntarily leave their job, are looking for their first jobs, or are trying to get a job after leaving the workforce for a while donât usually qualify. Self-employed people, independent contractors, and students usually arenât eligible either.

Am I Eligible For Unemployment Insurance

If you lost your job or were furloughed because of the coronavirus, or if the company you work for is permanently or temporarily shut down because of it, you qualify for weekly unemployment payments from the state in which you worked.

The $2.2 trillion rescue package known as the Cares Act opened the door for gig workers, freelancers and the self-employed to qualify for unemployment benefits.

You can make an unemployment claim online, over the phone or in person. The payout is based on how much you earned and aims to replace about half of your previous income. It also varies by state: In Mississippi, which pays the least among the 50 states, the average benefit in February was $215 a week in Massachusetts, which pays the most, it was $550, according to the Center on Budget and Policy Priorities.

States also have certain requirements and conditions about who can collect unemployment benefits. Texas and Florida, for example, require recipients to be actively searching for work while they collect payments. Pennsylvania requires beneficiaries to register for employment-search services and mandates they not refuse work when offered without good cause.

You also have to meet certain wage and job duration benchmarks you basically have to prove you were doing meaningful work before you became unemployed. Those requirements vary by state, but generally require having worked consecutive quarters and collecting a paycheck for a certain amount of time during those quarters.

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