How to Collect Unemployment Benefits

If the coronavirus has put you out of work, you're probably wondering how to collect unemployment benefits.

Keep in mind that while states often handle unemployment benefits in the same way, there are sometimes differences in how they determine eligibility. So make sure to look up how your state handles unemployment due to coronavirus.

What Are Unemployment Benefits?

This is money people receive for a certain amount of time -- usually 26 weeks -- until they are employed again. It's strictly a paycheck; unemployment benefits shouldn't be confused with, say, health benefits. The money is also often not the amount you were receiving when you were working. It may be half of your paycheck.

You might sometimes hear unemployment benefits referred to as unemployment insurance. Those terms are interchangeable.

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How Has the Coronavirus Affected Unemployment Benefits?

The Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act will extend the unemployment period by 13 weeks. If you're out of work due to the coronavirus, you'll probably receive a paycheck for up to 39 weeks.

Who Is Eligible for Unemployment Benefits?

If you had a full-time or part-time job, and now you don't, you should be eligible for unemployment benefits. However, there is a lot of gray area in the world of losing a position.

Much of it depends on how you and your job parted ways. Were you laid off? Did you quit? Were you fired? How you answer may affect whether you are eligible.

You were terminated. Can you get unemployment if you are fired? Yes, but not always. If you were fired because you weren't meeting expectations -- because the job was a bad fit -- then you'll probably be able to receive unemployment benefits. If you didn't meet expectations because you stole money from the company's petty cash fund, then you're probably not going to see an unemployment check.

You quit your job. Usually, you can't get an unemployment check if you quit. But if you can prove the job was untenable -- maybe your employer wanted you to work in an unsafe environment, and so you had to quit -- your state may provide you with unemployment benefits.

You were laid off due to downsizing. In this scenario, you shouldn't have a problem getting unemployment benefits. Generally, you get compensated when you lose a job through no fault of your own.

This goes for anyone. Renata Castro, an immigration attorney who is the managing partner at the Castro Legal Group in Pompano Beach, Florida, says, "Unemployment benefits are earned benefits, and even at times of concern over public charge, immigrants are eligible -- including those with DACA -- to collect unemployment benefits."

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How Can I Collect Unemployment?

Here is a course of action for collecting unemployment, broken into steps:

1. Don't wait to collect unemployment benefits. If you lost your job, do it now. Even if you have severance pay, assuming your state allows it, you should collect the money, says Jerry Kardas, a human resources consultant with KardasLarson, a human resources consultancy headquartered in Glastonbury, Connecticut.

"Many states, such as Connecticut, allow unemployed individuals to file a claim for unemployment insurance payments while they may also be collecting any severance payments from their former company," Kardas says. "I often advise people to file for unemployment as soon as they can, rather than wait until the severance payments run out. It is a benefit available to impacted people, so take advantage of it."

2. Start gathering documents. Typically, you will need to know or have:

-- Your Social Security number.

-- Your driver's license (your state will want the driver's license number).

-- Information on your employers, usually for the past year and a half. That would include the company's name, address, phone number and probably the name of your boss or supervisor.

-- The Federal Employer Identification Number, sometimes called the employer registration number, from your most recent employer (you can find the FEIN on your W-2 form).

-- Possibly a pay stub or some documentation showing how much you were paid.

3. Go to your state's unemployment website. You can do that by searching online, or go to CareerOneStop.org, a website sponsored by the U.S. Department of Labor. You will be able to find your state's unemployment website. This site has good information about unemployment benefits and a map that you can click and quickly find your state's website.

If filing an application online doesn't appeal to you, look for the phone number on the website; you'll likely be able to apply over the phone. Often, you can apply in person, but you should call and make sure the office is accepting visitors before you do that -- it's probably a safer, healthier bet, regardless, to apply online or through the phone.

You'll probably get it done a lot faster, too, if you apply online.

"Be sure to follow all instructions and fill out all parts of the claim form, usually done online, fully and honestly," Kardas says.

In other words, don't exaggerate how much you were paid or how long you worked at a company.

"There can be severe consequences for lying on a claim," Kardas says.

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4. Wait for your money. According to the Department of Labor website, "It generally takes two to three weeks after you file your claim to receive your first benefit check." All the more reason to get started on your application now.

Depending on your state, you may be able to get your money in the form of a debit card or direct deposit and certainly the old-fashioned way -- a check in the mail.

While you're waiting, you'd do well to learn the ins and outs of collecting unemployment benefits. For instance, Kardas says, you'll need to file weekly claims -- and you want to do it on time.

"If you are late by a day or two, you might make it difficult for yourself to continue to file claims without a lot of hassle and unnecessary interaction with the people who administer the unemployment insurance program in your state," he says.

You'll also want to keep in mind that unemployment insurance payments, while a lifeline now, might be a bit of a headache later. "The amount you receive may wind up being taxed at a higher rate than will be withheld by your state after it is lumped in with your other income for the year. This often surprises people at tax time," Kardas says.