What Is Needed To File For Unemployment

How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Illinois

Where to file a claim: to get to the new claims page on the Illinois Department of Employment Security website. Youll first need to ; youll need a valid email address to do so.

The fine print: Illinois is experiencing such high volumes of claims, that its asking residents to file on certain dates, depending on their last name: Last names beginning with letters A-M on Sundays, Tuesdays, or Thursdays; last names beginning with letters N-Z on Mondays, Wednesday, Fridays. Saturdays will be available for anyone who could not file on the other days. In addition, online filing is unavailable every night from 8 p.m. to 10 p.m CT.

Illinois also has COVID-19-specific information here.

What youll need: Be sure to have the following on hand before you start your application:

What You Need For Apply For Unemployment Benefits

To apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits, you need to provide personal information including your Social Security number, birth date, home address, email address , and phone number.

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

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
• If youre in 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.
• If you worked for the federal government your SF8 form

To receive payments by direct deposit, youll also need your bank name, account number, and routing number. Otherwise, the Department of Unemployment Assistance will send you a debit card.

If youre a non-U.S. citizen applying for UI benefits, DUA must verify that you are legally authorized to work in the United States. Non-English speakers can apply for UI in their own languages on DUA’s foreign language application site.

If you’re not sure that UI is right for you, you can check your eligibility or review our overview of unemployment assistance benefit programs.

How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Oklahoma

Where to claim: to get to the new claims page on the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission website.

The fine print: You can apply for unemployment if you previously made at least $1,500 during the past year-long base period .

What youll need: Be sure to have the following on hand before you start your application:

• Social security number
• Information about your last employer, including company name, mailing address, companys phone number, supervisor name, and reason why your hours have been reduced or you are no longer working for them
• Employment history for the past 18 months, including name of all employers, your period of employment, and your pay information including your total wages earned
• Non-citizens will need to provide their Alien Registration Number and scans of documentation

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How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Pennsylvania

Where to file a claim: to get to the new claims page on the Pennsylvania Department of Labor & Industry website.

The fine print: You should make your claim the weekend after you lose your job or your hours are reduced.

What youll need: Be sure to have the following on hand before you start your application:

• Social Security number
• Your phone number
• Information about your most recent employer, including the company name, address, and phone number, your first and last day of work, your reason for leaving, and the employers PA UC account number, if you know it
• Your email address
• Direct deposit is optional, but if you want to receive it, youll need to include your bank name and address, along with account number and routing number

How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Missouri

Where to claim: You can file your claim online here. Youll need to create an account first, which you can do by clicking the button labeled Dont have an account? Create one.

The fine print: You must have lost your job through no fault of your own, made at least $2,250 during one-quarter of your base period, your wages over the whole base period must be 1.5 times those of your highest quarter, or make 1.5 times the taxable wage base during two quarters. Missouri has lifted its work search requirements for those who lost jobs due to the pandemic.

What youll need:

• Names and mailing address for employers over the last 18 months
• Dates you started and ended those jobs
• If you served in the military in the last 18 months, your Military DD-214 Member 4 form

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Next Steps For Apply For Unemployment Benefits

How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Minnesota

Where to claim: You can file your claim online here. Youll need to create an account first, which you can do under the section labeled New Applicants.

The fine print: You must have made enough earnings during your base period, be unemployed through no fault of your own, be legally authorized to work in the U.S., and be willing to, able to, and actively seeking work which you can do via the states CareerForce website.

Minnesota is experiencing a high volume of requests, so it requires people to apply only on specific days dictated by the last digit of their social security number: Monday , Tuesday , Wednesday , Thursday , Friday .

What youll need:

• Drivers license or state ID number
• Address and telephone number
• Names, addresses, telephone numbers, and dates of employment for each employer over the last 18 months
• Reasons you no longer work for those employers
• If you served in the military in the last 18 months, your Military DD-214 Member 4 form

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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.

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.

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How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Arizona

Where to file a claim: to get to the new claims page at the Arizona Department of Economic Security.

The fine print: Applicants can apply for benefits online between midnight on Sunday through 6 p.m. on Friday.

What youll need: Be sure to have the following on hand before you start your application:

• Social Security Number
• AZ drivers license or AZ state-issued ID
• Your mailing address, city, state, and ZIP code
• The names, addresses, and phone numbers of all employers for the last 18 months
• The last day worked immediately prior to filing the UI claim
• Deductible income received in the last week of employment, such as vacation, severance or bonus pay, as well as any pension
• A copy of your DD214 discharge papers if youve been released from the military in the past 18 months
• Your Trade Adjustment Assistance certification letter and/or TAA petition number, if you are filing for Trade Adjustment Assistance Benefits
• The name and local number of your union hiring hall, if you obtain your work through a union hiring hall

What To Expect After Filing Your Claim

As mentioned, unemployment offices around the country are facing millions of UI applications. As a result, getting your claim may take a while, at least three weeks, as EDD advises.

After filing, you will receive important information regarding your claim that you may be required to respond to. This may include an overview of the information filed so you can crosscheck for corrections and further information you need to know about the process. You can learn more about this documentation here.

Most people who file for unemployment are also required to add or update their résumé on CalJOBS within 21 days after filing. Failing to do so may lead to delays in processing your UI claim or even outright denial.

In some cases, EDD may need to conduct an interview with you where it is necessary to obtain further information. You should receive proper notice of the interview, including the time, date, and sample questions you can expect from the interviewer. The interview will be conducted over the phone.

It makes sense to prepare properly for the interview. This includes reviewing the eligibility requirements and what makes you qualified, as well as details on your current unemployment situation.

Importantly, do not miss the interview. If you fail to attend the interview, EDD will be left with no choice but to make a determination based on the documentation you already filed. This may result in undue delay or denial of your benefits.

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How Much Money Are You Eligible To Receive For Unemployment

Unemployment benefits aren’t designed to replace all of the income you were making, and the amount you are eligible for varies by state. For example, New Jersey offers the highest benefit limit at $713 per week, Missouri’s is $320, New York’s is $504, Mississippi’s is $320, and Louisiana offers the lowest at $247. Some states offer higher amounts for applicants with dependents.;

Each state also has its own minimums for earned wages and time worked within a base period, which affects whether you qualify for unemployment benefits. Your base period is determined by the last four or five calendar quarters you worked before filing for unemployment. Within that base period, you take the largest amount of wages you earned in a quarter and divide it by 26.;

Remember that under the CARES Act, qualified Americans will receive an extra $600 in addition to their state-given unemployment benefits through July 31.;

Where To File When You Worked In A Different State

If you live in one state and worked in another, or if you have moved, you should generally file your unemployment claim with the state where you worked.

If you worked in a state other than the one where you live or if you worked in multiple states, the state unemployment office where you now live can provide information about how to file your claim with other states.

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Respond To Questionnaires From The State Agency

Also, if there are questions about your eligibility for unemployment benefits, youll receive a fact-finding questionnaire from your states unemployment agency.

They will request additional information from you.

You must respond to this questionnaire by the deadline specified.

Failure to respond may result in disqualification from receiving benefits.

Respond to requests for information about your unemployment claim

How Long Does It Take To Receive Unemployment Benefits

Once you submit your claim, you should expect to wait at least three weeks before hearing whether you were approved. However, since unemployment claims have skyrocketed because of the coronavirus pandemic, it may now take even longer to receive a verdict on your application, said David Bakke, human resource specialist at DollarSanity.;

In New York alone, the labor department experienced a 900% increase in web traffic and a 16,000% spike in phone calls between March 23 and March 28. As unemployment rates grow and the department continues to receive more claims than it’s used to, applicants are likely to experience delays.;

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How To File For Unemployment Benefits Online In Delaware

Where to file a claim: to get to the new claims page at Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance. You will need to create a Delaware WebBenefits account.

The fine print: Applicants must also register for job opportunities and create a resume with the Division of Employment and Training via Delaware JobLink.

What youll need: Be sure to have the following on hand before you start your application:

• Your Social Security card
• Mailing address
• The names, addresses, and phone numbers for all jobs for the last 18 months
• A copy of your DD214 discharge papers if youve been released from the military in the past 18 months
• The reason you lost your job

Appeal A Denial Of Benefits

If you were denied unemployment benefits, you may file an appeal online. The Florida Department of Economic Opportunity refers to those seeking benefits as Claimants. Claimants, employers, and authorized representatives may appeal a decision that was not made in their favor.

You must wait until after a determination is mailed or delivered to file an appeal. The determination will also contain instructions on how to file your appeal after a denial of benefits.

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Unemployment Compensation Exclusion Worksheet Schedule 1 Line 8