File Unemployment

Claims, & Benefits – Common Questions Series

What all information can I get through Unemployment Insurance Telephone Service?

What are the responsibilities of a claimant?

When should I apply for insurance benefits?

What is the source of unemployment benefits to pay the insurance amount?

Can all the unemployed be eligible for unemployment insurance benefit?

Will my employer be notified about the insurance claimed?

What is the benefit year?

What is an overpayment and why it is considered as overpayment?

What is Federal Unemployment Tax, who and how you need to pay for this tax?

What is the process on calculating the Unemployment Rate?

How is Unemployment Insurance funded?

  What all information can I get through Unemployment Insurance Telephone Service?

You can access the following information through telephone service:

1. You can speak to the operator and get the details on address change process, hours of operations. In addition you can also know about,
2. Filing a Tele query or obtaining payment information.
3. Filing details on an initial or reopen claim.
4. Details on overpayments, tax forms,
5. Tax Refund Intercept Program and penalties or appeals.

In addition, the automated voice response will be available twenty four into seven days. There are different numbers available for different options. You can just follow some simple instructions and obtain the details you need.

 

  What are the responsibilities of a claimant?

No matter if you are just filing for or are currently receiving unemployment insurance benefits, you are required to fulfill the below mentioned fundamentals:

You should be able to work, available for work and you must make an active search for full-time work (Note-unless defined by Unemployment Insurance as a part-time worker).

Report all wages earned each week.

Report all monies received by you like vacation pay, severance pay, pension payments, etc.

You should be available or contact the Division of Unemployment Insurance when directed to do so.

Accept suitable work as defined by law;

File timely bi-weekly continued claims while requesting for payment.

 

  When should I apply for insurance benefits?

A. You can apply as soon as you become unemployed. Your application will become active from the day you claim for the insurance benefits, even if you are out of work since long.

 

  What is the source of unemployment benefits to pay the insurance amount?

A. Funding source for unemployment insurance company is benefited from the taxes paid by employers.

 

  Can all the unemployed be eligible for unemployment insurance benefit?

A. No, all unemployed are not eligible for benefits, you must earn sufficient wages during a specified monetary time. To receive the benefits, you must meet certain legal unemployment eligibility requirements.

 

  Will my employer be notified about the insurance claimed?

Yes, The Company will contact your employer in order to obtain information that is needed to process your application for the benefit process.

 

  What is the benefit year?

The benefit year is a one year period beginning with the Monday following the week you file your valid original claim. You may be paid up to 26 weeks of benefits during a benefit year.

The benefit year is a period of 52 consecutive weeks. It begins on Sunday of the week in which your application is filed. Your claim is good for one year.

 

  What is an overpayment and why it is considered as overpayment?

Overpayment is the benefit provided for the purpose which you were truly not eligible for unemployment compensation. Over payments are generally considered as the amount paid in error which might be because of your fault or by the State’s Unemployment fault. In case if you are overpaid then a notice will be served to you holding you responsible for repaying the overpaid amount within a reasonable period of time. If it is not repaid then it will be automatically deducted in your future benefit payable.

 

What is Federal Unemployment Tax, who and how you need to pay for this tax?

Every year the federal unemployment tax needs to be paid by the employer which needs to be filed. The federal unemployment tax needs to be paid for any employee who have earned more than $1500 in a quarter/ base period or to the employee who have completed his/her at least 20 weeks of tax year.

 

  What is the process on calculating the Unemployment Rate?

In general to know the exact rate of Unemployment ration in the particular State you need to first know the exact number of unemployed workers with the total number of labor-force (number of people of working age and below retirement age who are actively participating in actively seeking employment). In United States the stats details can be collected from the Bureau of Labor Statistics.

To sum up the formula for calculating the unemployment rate (as percent):

Unemployment Rate = (Unemployed Workers / Total Labor Force) * 100

 

How is Unemployment Insurance funded?

Unemployment Insurance is sourced by the employed individual or by the former employers. In General employers are needed to pay for Unemployment Insurance fund Programme, but in rare cases the employees are also required to contribute a small portion as tax. This Unemployment Insurance is funded as beneficiary amount to help out workers who have lost their jobs with no faults of theirs.

Eligibility

What is the base period?

What is covered employment?

What should I do in case if I am not eligible for Monetary Benefit?

What is Unemployment Insurance and who is eligible for it?

What are the basic eligibility requirements to obtain unemployment benefits?

What is an Alternate Base Period and how is it calculated?

Benefits Amount

How much can I expect from an unemployment benefit?

How can I know the monetary eligibility?

What is benefit year and how long does it will be active?

What is Disability Insurance?

What is Unemployment Fraud?

Claims Paperwork

What details I need to have before filing the claim?

How do I file the Unemployment Insurance Claim?

When should I file the claim and what are the per-requisites essential?

Unemployment Extension

How to renew the benefit year claims and is it possible to apply for another benefit year before completing the prior one?

How long I may receive benefits?

What is Extended Benefits and when does this program start or come to consideration?

 

What details I need to have before filing the claim?

Before filing the claim you need to be ready with the following details:

1. Your name, social security number, addresses and telephone number.
2. In case if you are filing claim for dependents then you need to have their names, birth dates and social security numbers.
3. Complete payroll address and reason for separation from all the employers you worked for the last 18 months before filing the claim.

  How do I file the Unemployment Insurance Claim?

You can file the Unemployment Benefit claim in two ways:

1. You can file the claim online through the Internet where you can just log on to your State’s Unemployment Insurance home page, fill up the details and process it.
2. You can also file the Insurance claim via telephone using the numbers provided on the State’s Unemployment Insurance Home Page.

  When should I file the claim and what are the per-requisites essential?

In case you are unemployed, you need to file your claim as soon as possible. Your claiming eligibility benefits begins the week in which you file your claim. Remember if you file your claim between Sundays to Wednesday, your claim will be effective the week you filed. But in case if you file the claim between Thursdays to Saturday then your claim will be effective in the following week.

Pre requisite essentials to claim the insurance benefit:

• You must be unemployed through no faults of yours.
• You should be efficient and available to work.
• You should continuously look and try for full time work unless defined by Unemployment Insurance as a part time worker.
• In addition you should be willing to accept a job for which you are qualified.

  How much can I expect from an unemployment benefits?

A. Benefits earning is solely based on the wage earned prior to your loosing job. Amount is calculated by dividing the average of your wages in the 2 highest quarters of your base period by 22. The maximum weekly benefit you can receive is $400.00. In addition $10 will be paid per dependent per week. Unemployment benefits varies from State to State.

  How can I know the monetary eligibility?

Generally you will receive a form from your State Unemployment considering your eligibility called Determination of Monetary Eligibility which includes the details of all the employer for whom you worked for, your social security number during base period wages, weekly benefit amount and also your monetary eligibility.

The methods used to determine monetary eligibility vary state to state and are stated below:

•     Multiple of High-Quarter Wages
•     Multiple of Weekly Benefit Amount
•     Flat Qualifying Amount
•     Weeks/Hours of Employment

  What should I do in case if I am not monetarily eligible for Benefit?

If you are not eligible for any unemployment insurance based on the standard base period explained above then the form will contain instructions on how to apply for the alternate base period. You will need to contact within 15 days as explained in the preceding paragraph and continue to file claims timely and request for the payment.

  What is benefit year and how long does it will be active?

If you are treated qualified for benefits, then your benefit year starts up. Benefit year will be for the period of one year or fifty-two weeks. It is calculated as the period beginning with Sunday of the first week in which you file your new claim. For instance, if you have filed your new claim on Friday then your benefit year would start with the preceding Sunday and would be considered as effective date of your benefit year and it will be active for the period of exactly one year. During a benefit year you may receive up to 26 times your weekly benefit amount under normal circumstances.

  How to renew the benefit year claims and is it possible to apply for another benefit year before completing the prior one?

You may not start another benefit year until the first one is completed. However, if you have also worked in another state during your base period and have received all your benefits in your benefit year, you may file against the other state in which you worked and you may be eligible for benefits from that state. You may also check with the Claimant Information Service for more details.

At the end of your benefit year, you may be eligible to establish a new benefit year with the extension of unemployment benefits, if you have been employed during the current benefit year and earned at least 10 times the weekly benefit amount for which you would be eligible during the new benefit year. Call the Claimant Information Service for further information on establishing a new benefit year.

  What is Unemployment Insurance and who is eligible for it?

A. Unemployment Insurance in short is termed as UI and is the temporary or momentary income for
Eligible workers, Who have lost their jobs through no faults of theirs.

In order to be qualifying for unemployment benefits, you have to be ready, willing, available, and able to work. Based on your state there may be eligibility requirements for unemployment coverage including having worked for a definite period of time. The Job Service may need job seekers to apply for jobs, submit resumes, and turn down a position if it meets certain standards.

Eligibility for benefits is determined by the following factors:

• Must be monetary eligible
• Past earnings activity (labor force attachment)
• Conditions of job separation
• Be totally or partially unemployed
• If you are identified as likely to tire out unemployment benefits and are registered in the worker profiling and reemployment services program, you have to fully participate in all assessment interviews, orientation, and referred reemployment services.

  What are the basic determination of Monetary and Non-Monetary Eligibility of unemployment benefits?

Eligibility for Unemployment Insurance Benefits:
Unemployment Insurance is the compensation amount projected to pay as a momentary or temporary economical assistance. It is the total sum of the monetary and non-monetary amount which is offered to an employee by his or her employer in return for work performed.

Monetary Payments

Monetary payments include the compensation of the expenditure costs like bonus, recognition rewards and checks, overtime payment and checks including profit sharing.

Non-Monetary Payments

Compensation paid as non-monetary benefit includes the advantage payment such as providing company paid housing or car for the company’s employee.

  How long I may receive benefits?

The number of weeks for which you receive benefits is determined at the beginning of your benefit period. This amount depends on your individual earnings and is limited to a maximum of 26 weeks of regular unemployment benefits. You may also qualify for up to 20 additional weeks of benefits under a temporary Emergency Extended Unemployment Compensation Benefit program. Additional benefits may also be available under Special Programs.

  What is covered employment?

Covered employment is the job carried out for employers who are qualified to unemployment compensation law. Covered employment from other states may also be used under certain conditions.

  What is the base period?

The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately proceeding the first day of your benefit year. The last four completed quarters will be used if you are not eligible using the regular base period quarters.

  What are the features of Disability Insurance?

Disability Insurance is the type of insurance that can be claimed under conditions like mental or physical illness or injury which avoids you to work and makes you jobless. In the other words it is offered by the employers if an individual cannot work due to mental or physical injury. If you are away from your customary work due to illness, non-industrial injury, pregnancy or family concerned situations then you may expect for the partial income to be paid.

  What is Extended Benefits and when does this program start or come to consideration?

Extended Benefits is the addition benefit claims that becomes effective during the period of high unemployment rate in particular state. Extended Benefits is paid just after an individual has exhausted his/her benefits on their regular claim of last tier and Emergency Unemployment Compensation.

  What is an Alternate Base Period and how is it calculated?

If you fail to claim the compensation benefit under regular Base period then you are permitted to apply for Alternate Base Period fby considering the updated system for tracking on the latest income. This program expects the workers to fulfill same overall earning requirements.

  What is Unemployment Fraud?

If you knowingly receive benefits based on ingenuity information that you purposely provided when you registered your claim, you are committing unemployment fraud. Anyone who commits unemployment insurance fraud is liable to be punished by law and could even face a variety of serious penalties and consequences. Unemployment fraud can be someone telling a white lie to extend their benefits or it can also include the fake policies being sold.