Unemployment Insurance (How-To Guide?)

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It is said that life does not always give us what we want, but it always gives us what we deserve. The truth is that most of the events that happen in life are unprecedented and unplanned. However, when they do happen, they change our lives forever. The truth is no one likes to remain unemployed, as the pay is a performance motivator. Unemployment is one of such unwanted and unplanned events, and with the pandemic in 2020, its consequences have never been harder. Millions of workers became unemployed as thousands of businesses were closed down worldwide due to the effect of the pandemic. As a result, there is a decline in the standard of living of people across the globe as it becomes increasingly difficult for people to feed and children to remain in school. 

As a result, several governments came up with several measures and packages to help buffer the effects of unemployment in the country. One of such packages is the unemployment insurance designed by the government to help reduce the effect of unemployment in the United States. The program aims to support people financially throughout this period, putting their minds at rest and offering them retraining opportunities, opening them to more opportunities. Therefore, if the unemployment is not your fault or you are looking for a new job requiring temporary assistance, this article will help you gain the information required to help you access unemployment insurance. 

Eligibility to receive unemployment insurance

Although several states in the United States have different rules and laws governing them, they are all bound by the laws proposed by the Federal government. This implies that federal laws dictate your eligibility for unemployment insurance. Some of those criteria are: 

If you're unemployed through reasons beyond your control or no fault of yours:  In most states,  this law is interpreted as you being unemployed or retrenched from your last job due to unavailable jobs. 

Align with the work and wage requirements: you must meet your state's "base period." The rule states that you must have worked for a minimum period called a base period or earned a minimum amount of cash. In most states, you are expected to have worked for at least four out of the five last calendar quarters before the time of filing. You could use a paystub generator while filing to reflect the base period and your earnings. 

Research any other requirements of your state: Since different laws govern different states, the state's laws must be strictly adhered to. Therefore, an individual looking to benefit from unemployment insurance must be fully aware of other requirements in your state needed to access its unemployment insurance. To know the States' requirements, you should visit the state program using the department of Lagos unemployment insurance service locator.

How Do You Access Unemployment Insurance?

• After ascertaining your eligibility for unemployment insurance, how then do you accept it when you are eligible? To receive the unemployment insurance, you must have filed a claim to that effect in the state's unemployment insurance department where you worked. Some of the steps to filing a claim are: 
• Reach out to your state's unemployment insurance program immediately if you are unemployed. You could find your state's unemployment insurance program by using the unemployment insurance service locator. After this is achieved, you must enquire if you're required to file the claim over the phone, online, or in person. If you have worked in more than one state, you can receive information from the unemployment insurance program in the last state you worked on filing your claim in other states. 
• When filing a claim, you will be asked for certain information such as the phone number of your previous employer and his or her address. You must provide complete and correct information to prevent delays in accessing your unemployment insurance. 
• After the claim has been filed, it takes an average of two to three weeks in most states before you receive your first benefit check. However, in some rare cases, you get paid after a week. This implies that you will gain access to your unemployment insurance in the second week of filing your claims. 

How Do You Maintain Your Eligibility For Unemployment Insurance?

If you want to maintain your eligibility for unemployment insurances, here are some regulations to follow within the state: 

• File claims weekly and bi-weekly through the internet or phone.
• Show evidence of being available to work or actively seeking work before you access the unemployment insurance. This is because different states have different rules before you can gain or remain eligible for unemployment insurance.
• You should also report any job offer received during this period.
• It's important you attend your local unemployment insurance programs or any other scheduled program when you are asked to. Some States are strict with attendance and compliance in this regard. 
• Some other States require state registration before individuals are considered for state unemployment.
• You must also meet other requirements in the state if there are any. 

How Long Do Unemployment Insurance Benefits Last?

Generally, unemployment insurances are often in percentages in relation to your earnings and can be paid over 52 weeks to the maximum period stipulated in each state. 

In specific terms, this is how long unemployment insurance benefits should last and the conditions attached to it: 

• Benefit can be paid for a maximum of 26 weeks in a state
• An additional period can be given for unemployment benefits; however, it is real or paused during a period of high unemployment. It is referred to as extended benefits.
• Unemployment insurance benefits are subjected to federal income taxes. Therefore your taxes must be reported on your federal tax income return. You might also choose to have your tax withheld by the state unemployment insurance agency.