How to File for Unemployment
Act quickly., Determine your eligibility., Prepare the necessary information., Find your state’s unemployment agency., Begin the application., Be ready for a follow-up call., Check your mail., Fill out your first claim form., Monitor your accounts...
Step-by-Step Guide
-
Step 1: Act quickly.
After becoming unemployed, it is important to gather the necessary information and file a claim quickly in order to receive benefits as soon as possible.
It can take up to two weeks to receive benefits after filing a claim; the first week is an unpaid period, and the second is a lag period for the claim to be processed.
So, start the process as soon as you are laid off to reduce the time before receiving a check and to avoid missing your application deadline. -
Step 2: Determine your eligibility.
Not all unemployed individuals are eligible for unemployment insurance, so you need to determine whether you belong to one of the excluded categories before applying.
Individuals ineligible for unemployment include self-employed, part-time, and temporary workers.
You can also be excluded if you were fired as the result of misconduct or a labor dispute, or if you voluntarily left your job without good cause.
Certain states, like Texas, have options for some temp workers.
Note that once you file a claim, you must agree to look for work in order to remain eligible.
You must be available to work at all times, and you must not refuse work that is offered to you.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, or even if you think you belong to one of the excluded groups, apply anyway.
There is an appeals process for workers who believe they are eligible but have been denied benefits. , Before you begin your application, you will need to collect a few key pieces of information that will be used on the form.
This includes information about both yourself and your last employer.
You: name, address, phone number, driver’s license/state ID number, social security number, final day of work, information about your wages, including overtime, holiday pay, etc.
Employer: name, address, phone number.
You may be asked to provide additional information, such as the name of your last supervisor, your "normal" wages or your alien registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen.
Some states also pay out claims by direct deposit, in which case you will need to provide your bank account information. , Unemployment insurance in the United States is run on a state-by-state basis, so each state has a separate agency to deal with unemployment applications and benefits. (The process for each state is largely similar, however.) You can find your state’s unemployment station by doing an Internet search such as “file for unemployment + ." This will allow you to visit the site for your state’s agency, where you can apply online or find the appropriate telephone number to call.
Make sure that you go to the genuine site for your state’s unemployment agency, as online searches can be full of scam websites.
The website should have a .gov domain name.
You may often find it referred to as "UI" or "unemployment insurance."
Once you have found the website for your state unemployment agency, you are ready to begin the application process.
Decide whether you want to apply online or via telephone.
Most states recommend using the online application, as it is the fastest and most efficient.
If you choose to apply online, find the appropriate link on the website and fill in all the necessary information on the application form.
If you would like to apply by phone, search for the appropriate phone number on the site and the hours you should call.Depending on your location, you may talk to an actual agent or an automated system.
However, a human should always be available to handle your call if it becomes necessary.
Read out the appropriate information when prompted to complete your application.
Some states do still have a paper version you can print out and take in to the Unemployment office, though it's not the quickest method., If the unemployment agency has any questions or concerns about your application, they will call you at the number that you listed on your application.
So, in the days after you submit your form, be ready to answer the agency’s call and respond to their questions with the appropriate information.
The people who are handling your form or working during business hours, so be sure to provide them with a phone you can be reached at during the day. , Once your claim is processed, you will receive information about your status through the mail.
Processing can take up to 10 days; after this period you should receive information about the program, your eligibility, and the amount of money that you will be able to receive.
Depending on your state, you may also receive a notification for a follow-up phone call.
Read all of this information carefully, and follow up as necessary with any additional instructions.
If you do not receive anything in the mail after the 10-day processing period, your claim may not have been processed.
If this is the case, go back to the website for your state’s unemployment agency and look for a phone number to call.
Call the agency and tell them about your problem.
Technically these forms are called a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award, a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Claim Filed, a Continued Claim Form, and, depending on your state, you may receive "A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services" and a brochure about your state's "jobs" website..
Your former employer will be alerted as to your claim at this juncture., After your application has been processed, you will receive a claim form.
This form includes questions about your job search, your availability for potential work, and any work that you may have done in the last 2 weeks.
Fill out the form completely in order to avoid delays in receiving your benefits.
If you're curious, the average unemployment check is $293.Fill out everything honestly.
Falsifying any of these documents is considered fraud and is a third-degree felony., Depending on the route you chose, your money should either come in the form of being direct deposited into one of your pre-existing bank accounts or a new account should be started for you.
If the latter was your choice, you should receive a debit card in the mail.
Keep a watch on this account.
Once you receive your debit card (or get notice that the direct deposit process as started), keep an eye on your accounts.
The money should be deposited shortly. , When you receive your first payment, you will also receive a continued claim form.
This is like the first form that you filled out, but applies to the current two-week period.
Make sure that you fill out this form for each period for which you are eligible in order to keep receiving benefits.
Do not send in this form too early or too late, as this may force your state agency to send you another form or to conduct a phone interview, both of which can delay your payments.
Look on the website for your state’s unemployment agency or review the information that they sent you for more detailed information about the continued claims form and for maintaining your eligibility. , Unemployment Insurance is a program started long ago for people that lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
It is not a program for people to delay finding work.
To assure the program maintains its original purpose, it is imperative you continue looking for work
-- if you don't, your benefits will lapse.
You will need to prove that you're sending out resumes, going to interviews, and actively looking for employment.
This is all part of your continued claim forms. , It used to be that you had 26 weeks to receive unemployment checks before
-- now it's
99.
As of January of 2013, there were about
1.5 million "99ers" in the US.
That includes all unemployment extensions.That's just short of two years, by the way.
Though it seems like a long time, many people, unfortunately, hit that mark. -
Step 3: Prepare the necessary information.
-
Step 4: Find your state’s unemployment agency.
-
Step 5: Begin the application.
-
Step 6: Be ready for a follow-up call.
-
Step 7: Check your mail.
-
Step 8: Fill out your first claim form.
-
Step 9: Monitor your accounts.
-
Step 10: Fill out continued claim forms.
-
Step 11: Continue looking for work.
-
Step 12: Know that you have 99 weeks of benefits.
Detailed Guide
After becoming unemployed, it is important to gather the necessary information and file a claim quickly in order to receive benefits as soon as possible.
It can take up to two weeks to receive benefits after filing a claim; the first week is an unpaid period, and the second is a lag period for the claim to be processed.
So, start the process as soon as you are laid off to reduce the time before receiving a check and to avoid missing your application deadline.
Not all unemployed individuals are eligible for unemployment insurance, so you need to determine whether you belong to one of the excluded categories before applying.
Individuals ineligible for unemployment include self-employed, part-time, and temporary workers.
You can also be excluded if you were fired as the result of misconduct or a labor dispute, or if you voluntarily left your job without good cause.
Certain states, like Texas, have options for some temp workers.
Note that once you file a claim, you must agree to look for work in order to remain eligible.
You must be available to work at all times, and you must not refuse work that is offered to you.
If you are unsure about your eligibility, or even if you think you belong to one of the excluded groups, apply anyway.
There is an appeals process for workers who believe they are eligible but have been denied benefits. , Before you begin your application, you will need to collect a few key pieces of information that will be used on the form.
This includes information about both yourself and your last employer.
You: name, address, phone number, driver’s license/state ID number, social security number, final day of work, information about your wages, including overtime, holiday pay, etc.
Employer: name, address, phone number.
You may be asked to provide additional information, such as the name of your last supervisor, your "normal" wages or your alien registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen.
Some states also pay out claims by direct deposit, in which case you will need to provide your bank account information. , Unemployment insurance in the United States is run on a state-by-state basis, so each state has a separate agency to deal with unemployment applications and benefits. (The process for each state is largely similar, however.) You can find your state’s unemployment station by doing an Internet search such as “file for unemployment + ." This will allow you to visit the site for your state’s agency, where you can apply online or find the appropriate telephone number to call.
Make sure that you go to the genuine site for your state’s unemployment agency, as online searches can be full of scam websites.
The website should have a .gov domain name.
You may often find it referred to as "UI" or "unemployment insurance."
Once you have found the website for your state unemployment agency, you are ready to begin the application process.
Decide whether you want to apply online or via telephone.
Most states recommend using the online application, as it is the fastest and most efficient.
If you choose to apply online, find the appropriate link on the website and fill in all the necessary information on the application form.
If you would like to apply by phone, search for the appropriate phone number on the site and the hours you should call.Depending on your location, you may talk to an actual agent or an automated system.
However, a human should always be available to handle your call if it becomes necessary.
Read out the appropriate information when prompted to complete your application.
Some states do still have a paper version you can print out and take in to the Unemployment office, though it's not the quickest method., If the unemployment agency has any questions or concerns about your application, they will call you at the number that you listed on your application.
So, in the days after you submit your form, be ready to answer the agency’s call and respond to their questions with the appropriate information.
The people who are handling your form or working during business hours, so be sure to provide them with a phone you can be reached at during the day. , Once your claim is processed, you will receive information about your status through the mail.
Processing can take up to 10 days; after this period you should receive information about the program, your eligibility, and the amount of money that you will be able to receive.
Depending on your state, you may also receive a notification for a follow-up phone call.
Read all of this information carefully, and follow up as necessary with any additional instructions.
If you do not receive anything in the mail after the 10-day processing period, your claim may not have been processed.
If this is the case, go back to the website for your state’s unemployment agency and look for a phone number to call.
Call the agency and tell them about your problem.
Technically these forms are called a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Award, a Notice of Unemployment Insurance Claim Filed, a Continued Claim Form, and, depending on your state, you may receive "A Guide to Benefits and Employment Services" and a brochure about your state's "jobs" website..
Your former employer will be alerted as to your claim at this juncture., After your application has been processed, you will receive a claim form.
This form includes questions about your job search, your availability for potential work, and any work that you may have done in the last 2 weeks.
Fill out the form completely in order to avoid delays in receiving your benefits.
If you're curious, the average unemployment check is $293.Fill out everything honestly.
Falsifying any of these documents is considered fraud and is a third-degree felony., Depending on the route you chose, your money should either come in the form of being direct deposited into one of your pre-existing bank accounts or a new account should be started for you.
If the latter was your choice, you should receive a debit card in the mail.
Keep a watch on this account.
Once you receive your debit card (or get notice that the direct deposit process as started), keep an eye on your accounts.
The money should be deposited shortly. , When you receive your first payment, you will also receive a continued claim form.
This is like the first form that you filled out, but applies to the current two-week period.
Make sure that you fill out this form for each period for which you are eligible in order to keep receiving benefits.
Do not send in this form too early or too late, as this may force your state agency to send you another form or to conduct a phone interview, both of which can delay your payments.
Look on the website for your state’s unemployment agency or review the information that they sent you for more detailed information about the continued claims form and for maintaining your eligibility. , Unemployment Insurance is a program started long ago for people that lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
It is not a program for people to delay finding work.
To assure the program maintains its original purpose, it is imperative you continue looking for work
-- if you don't, your benefits will lapse.
You will need to prove that you're sending out resumes, going to interviews, and actively looking for employment.
This is all part of your continued claim forms. , It used to be that you had 26 weeks to receive unemployment checks before
-- now it's
99.
As of January of 2013, there were about
1.5 million "99ers" in the US.
That includes all unemployment extensions.That's just short of two years, by the way.
Though it seems like a long time, many people, unfortunately, hit that mark.
About the Author
Jose Young
With a background in education and learning, Jose Young brings 9 years of hands-on experience to every article. Jose believes in making complex topics accessible to everyone.
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