- To be eligible for unemployment in any state, you must have lost your job through no fault of your own. This means, in most cases, quitting or walking off the job will prevent you from collecting benefits. Termination for failing to comply with workplace rules may also interfere with eligibility. In the event a worker disagrees with a disqualification determination, an appeals process is available. State law determines the specifics.
- Workers must file for unemployment within seven days of the last day worked to avoid losing any benefits. For example, if you lose your job on March 15 but do not file a claim until April 30, you risk losing up to six weeks of benefits. Similarly, if, while you are collecting benefits, you work occasionally or part-time, you must continue to file in a timely manner. For example, assume you were unemployed from February 1 to March 19 but find work from March 20 to March 31. You should file within seven days of March 31 to avoid losing benefits. Only in the rarest of cases is it possible to make benefits retroactive to your last worked date if you do not file in a timely manner.
- In most states, a one-week waiting period initiates the benefits term. For example, assume you lose your job Thursday, April 1, and file a claim Friday, April 2. Your benefit payments will not commence until the week of Monday, April 12.
- Unemployment claims date from your last day of work. If you have four employers in a year and are laid off by the fourth, for example, you cannot file an unemployment claim against your second or third employers for that year. However, you can rest assured that all W-4 employers of your base period -- typically the first four of the last five full calendar quarters before you file your claim -- pay the state funds to cover your benefit payments. The amount of your unemployment compensation is based on the wages received from all your employers during your base period.
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