How To Receive Unemployment BenefitsAre you one of the hundreds of thousands of people today finding yourself unemployed? Unemployment is quickly becoming a statistical phenomenon as companies try do downsize in order to stay afloat and small business are being forced to close up shop in order to break even without going under. That is the sad reality of the economy of today. Fortunately, the good news is that the situation can’t get much worse because once you hit bottom, the only way left to go is up. Our nation is pretty close to hitting rock bottom, but until the country is able to figure out a way to start rebuilding companies and boost the economy, those who are not currently employed can seek unemployment benifits. If you decide to seek state benefits (and providing your former employer paid into these benefits of your behalf), you will need to provide some information in order to be considered, so make sure you have everything on hand to avoid making additional phone calls or time to search for the required information. Federal law requires that anyone seeking benefits must have a Social Security number in order to receive benefits. You will be asked to provide the name and address of your last employer (where you were laid off from) and how long you were employed with them. The agency will also ask you to provide the names and addresses of all other places of employment you have had over the last two years and how long you were employed by them. You must state if you were in the military at all during the last two years and if you are not a US citizen, you must provide your alien registration number in order to be considered for benefits. Your claim needs to be renewed on a weekly basis and becomes effective on every Sunday. The benefits department (whether by phone or online) will ask a series of questions when considering you for unemployment benifits. Some of these questions will be mundane ones such as employment history. Other questions will include whether or not you would like the unemployment agency to take out taxes to pay to the IRS (yes, you have to pay taxes on unemployment) or whether you waive that right and choose to pay taxes at a later date. Every week you will be asked if you took every opportunity to find a job and if you turned down any jobs offered to you (agencies do not like it when you do that). You will be required to give a list of companies you contacted or sent your resume to just to make sure that you are not “ripping off” the government. The unemployment agency will give you a list of places to call that will help you look for employment. The amount of time you are eligible to receive benefits all depends on the amount of time you were with your last employer. |