First and foremost, apply as soon as you lose the job. State unemployment offices generally take 1-3 weeks to process your application, especially for the initial claim. The compensation will be paid from the week you applied and if you delay, you will lose the benefits prior to the week of filing. You won't be allowed to back-date your claims or claim the benefits for prior weeks.
Maryland Unemployment Compensation Eligibility Requirements
There are some basic rules for eligibility. Even if you meet some of these rules partially, you should still apply for unemployment because state offices make a reasonable attempt to process your claim, as long as you provide a good justification.
- You must have lost your job through no fault of your own. That means if you have quit job voluntarily you may not qualify for unemployment insurance. However, there are exceptions - such as working in hazardous or inhuman working conditions etc. to this rule.
- You must be willing and able to work. If you are physically disabled, you do not qualify.
- You must have worked minimum number of weeks specified by the State. Colorado State minimum weeks of covered employment requirement (employer must have paid unemployment taxes on your behalf):
- You must have earned minimum amount of wages specified by State during this period. This amount may change every year. You can get get complete eligibility criteria and the benefits calculator from state website mentioned in the next section. Minimum wages earned during the base period:
Prepare documents required to apply for unemployment in MD
- Your name, address, social security number and other personal details such as telephone number, email address etc.
- Dependents name, date of birth and their social security number.
- Details of your previous employer. For each employer, you need to provide
- Name and address
- Telephone number
- Start and end dates of employment
- If you had out-of-state employment in the past 18 months, you also need to provide the employment details.
- Reason you lost the job – it has to be involuntary to be eligible to receive benefits.
- Your job skills summary
- If you are not an US citizen, keep your alien registration number and work authorization. However if you are on a work visa such as H1-B, immigration experts do not advise claiming unemployment insurance.
Apply for Benefits or Claim Extension
You can submit your application for unemployment compensation online, off-line (by mail or by visiting local employment office) or through telephone. Online application is the quickest and most efficient option which will also be available 24x7, 7 days a week.
Prepare and submit your application online here
If you choose to file over phone, call the unemployment compensation services toll-free number at 1-800-827-4839 and the TTY number for the hearing impaired is 1-800-827-4400. The phone number for people living in the Baltimore area or in a state other than Maryland is (410) 949-0022 and the TTY number for the hearing impaired is (410) 767-2727.
If you are applying for unemployment extension in Maryland, make sure you check the latest rules. Many states are in the process of revising the rules to extend the benefits beyond the initial period. Also, remember that you need to report unemployment benefits as an income when you file taxes with IRS at the end of the year.
All the major cities in Maryland including Baltimore, Columbia, Silver Spring, Dundalk, Wheaton-Glenmont, Ellicott City, Germantown, Bethesda, Frederick, Gaithersburg, Bowie, Towson, Aspen Hill have an unemployment office location to process unemployment claims. You can visit the local office for consultation or to file for unemployment in person
Maryland Unemployment Rate (Trend)
The graph below shows the current and historical unemployment rate in the state
Frequently Asked Questions
What income must I report and when should it be reported? What effect will this income have on my benefits?
Any income must be reported. The Division of Unemployment Insurance (DUI) staff will make a determination based on the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Law regarding whether the monies will have an effect on your weekly benefit amount.
When you file your initial claim or reopen your existing claim, you must report full or part-time wages earned during that week from regular employment, self-employment, odd jobs, etc. regardless of whether you were paid during that week. You must also report pensions, annuities, holiday pay, vacation pay, severance pay, bonuses and special payments that you have received or will receive. Commission payments must be reported during the week in which you receive the commission.
When you file your bi-weekly continued claims for benefits, you must report all wages earned during the week in which the work was performed regardless of whether you were paid during that week. This includes wages earned for permanent and temporary work, part-time and full-time work, self-employment and odd jobs. Commission payments must be reported during the week in which you receive the commission. In addition, DUI must be notified if during the continued claim process you receive a back pay award or if there is a change in your pension amount.
If I have been working part-time but am now unemployed and only looking for part-time work, am I eligible for unemployment insurance benefits?
A part-time worker who has become unemployed and is only looking for part-time work may be eligible if he/she meets the definition and requirements outlined in the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Law. The definition and requirements are provided below.
A part-time worker is defined as an individual whose availability for work is restricted to part-time work, and who worked predominantly on a part-time basis throughout the past year for at least 20 hours per week.
A part-time worker is considered to be able and available for work if he/she:
1. is monetarily eligible based on wages that were predominantly earned from part-time work;
2. is actively seeking part-time work;
3. is available for part-time work for at least the number of hours worked at the part-time worker's previous employment;
4. does not impose any other restrictions on his/her ability to work or availability for work; and
5. is in a labor market in which a reasonable demand exists for part-time work.
A part-time worker is not considered to be unemployed, and, therefore, not entitled to benefits, if the part-time worker is working all hours for which he/she is available regardless of the amount of money earned.
If you have worked outside of Maryland or for the Federal government or served in the Armed Services during your base period, you must report this information when you file your claim. Under certain circumstances, these wages can be combined with your Maryland wages to give you a higher weekly benefit amount. If you have no Maryland wages during the base period, you may be required to file a Federal claim or an interstate claim. DUI staff will help you with this process.
Can I be paid for my dependents?
For Unemployment Insurance purposes, a dependent is defined as a son, daughter, stepson, stepdaughter, or legally adopted child (not grandchild or foster child) under 16 years of age for which you provide support. You may be eligible for dependents' allowance of $8 per dependent for up to 5 dependent children. Dependents' allowance will only be paid for 26 weeks during any one-year period. Only one parent may claim a dependent during any one-year period. The maximum weekly benefit amount, including any dependents' allowance is currently $410 per week.
What if I have worked in more than one state in the last 18 months?
You may have an option to file against any one of the states in which you worked and have monetary eligibility. You may choose to combine the wages of the states in which you worked to establish a combined wage claim, which may result in a higher weekly benefit amount.
To determine in which states you may have an option to file, contact the states in which you worked to explore all options. Your combined wage claim may be filed in any state in which you have employment and wages in the base period of the state and you qualify based on combining your wages. These claims cannot be filed using the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Internet Website
What if am living in another state, but worked in Maryland?
If your base period earnings are in Maryland, but you do not live in Maryland, you would file your claim against Maryland. Your claim would be governed by the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Law
Next steps
After you have submitted your application, you should actively look out for work because the benefits you receive will not be enough to cover your living expenses. The best thing to do is to take a look at your job skills and determine if you want to improve or learn new skills so that you can use this opportunity to revive your career. There are plenty of online opportunities to earn a living while working from home.
State Unemployment Guides
Ohio Unemployment Benefits GuidePennsylvania Unemployment Benefits Guide
Texas Unemployment Benefits Guide
Nevada Unemployment Benefits Guide
Oregon Unemployment Benefits Guide
South Carolina Unemployment Benefits Guide
Maine Unemployment Benefits Guide
Missouri Unemployment Benefits Guide
California Unemployment Benefits Guide
Wisconsin Unemployment Benefits Guide
Michigan Unemployment Benefits Guide
NJ Unemployment Benefits Guide
Florida Unemployment Benefits Guide
NY Unemployment Benefits Guide
Utah Unemployment Benefits
New Mexico Unemployment Benefits
Tennessee Unemployment Benefits
Massachusetts Unemployment Benefits
Arizona Unemployment Benefits Guide
NH Unemployment Benefits Guide
Washington Unemployment Benefits Guide
Maryland Unemployment Benefits Guide
Kansas Unemployment Benefits Guide
Georgia Unemployment Benefits Guide
Illinois Unemployment Benefits Guide
Colorado Unemployment Benefits Guide
North Carolina Unemployment Benefits Guide
{ 1 trackback }
{ 0 comments… add one now }