We want to provide information to help you learn how to apply for the benefits you deserve.

We aren’t the government, and our company is private. We provide this information in a free guide.

If you’re trying to get assistance, we want to give you information so that you can:

• Understand the requirements for you to get benefits.
• Learn about the application process.
• Seek to get the most out of your benefits.

Table of Contents:

1. Want to learn about us?
2. Where do we get our information?
3. Are we the government?
4. Is my information protected?
5. How does the government come up with unemployment benefit amounts?
6. How often will I get unemployment benefits?
7. What are the requirements for unemployment benefits?
8. When should I apply for unemployment benefits?
9. What information do I have to give when I file an unemployment claim?
10. How can I check the status of my unemployment claim?
11. Why didn’t I get unemployment benefits?
12. What does “wrongful termination” mean?
13. My unemployment appeal didn’t work. Can I appeal again?
14. My unemployment benefits are about to run out. Can I get more?
15. How long can you extend unemployment benefits?

1. Want to learn about us?

We are not affiliated with the government in any way. We are a private company that engaged writers to research the Unemployment Insurance program and compiled a guide and the following answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help you get the benefits that you need by providing useful information on the process.  We are not providing legal or financial advice. If you need such advice, please contact an attorney or a financial advisor.

2. Where do we get our information?

Our team of writers does research online. Then we put the information in one place and in a clear way to make things easier for you.

3. Are we the government?

No, we are not the government. Our company is private. We find information that’s already online, but we put it together to make things easier for you. We want to give you the best help that we can.

4. Is my information protected?

We believe in the importance of keeping your data safe. If you decide to give us your data while using our website, we use many different protections to help keep it safe. To learn more about how we protect your information, check out our Privacy Policy and Terms & Conditions.

5. How does the government come up with unemployment benefit amounts?

The amount of money you can get from unemployment depends on how much money you made at your job. This includes your salary, if you worked overtime, if you get a bonus and if you got commissions. It is generally a percentage of the amount of money you earned during the base period, which is a specific period of time (determined by the state) during which you were employed.

States look at an amount of time that you worked when they are coming up with your unemployment benefits. Different states look at different amounts of time. Some states look at how much money you made in the last 52 weeks.

6. How often will I get unemployment benefits?

If you qualify for unemployment, you can usually get benefits for about 26 weeks. Different states have different amounts of time that you can get benefits. Some do not give benefits for all 26 weeks. If there are a lot of unemployed people in your state, you might get benefits for longer than 26 weeks. This is called an extension. You might not be able to get an extension all the time. Extensions only happen when the states decide.

7. What are the requirements for unemployment benefits?

If you lost your job and it wasn’t your fault, you might be able to get unemployment benefits. But there are some requirements you have to meet. Different states have different requirements. Usually, you have to:

• Have made enough money in the months leading up to your job loss.
• Be legally able to work in the U.S.
• Not have any felony criminal convictions.
• Be looking for work.
• Be able to do work.

8. When should I apply for unemployment benefits?

You should apply for unemployment as soon as you lose your job. Keep in mind that you cannot apply for unemployment if you did not lose your job.

9. What information do I have to give when I apply for unemployment?

To get unemployment benefits, you have to give certain information to the state. You will typically be asked for your Social Security Number, driver’s license number, name, birth date, contact information, and information about where you worked and what company you worked for. You will be asked why you don’t work there anymore, too.

10. How can I check the status of my unemployment claim?

A lot of states let you apply for unemployment online. To apply online, you have to fill out a form on the state website. To check on your application, you can usually go to the same website and log in to see if your application was approved. You might be asked for your Social Security Number or a PIN number to log in.

11. Why didn’t I get unemployment benefits?

The main requirement to get unemployment is to lose your job for a reason that is not your fault. If you got fired for a reason that is your fault or if you quit your job by yourself, you won’t get unemployment. Another reason why you might not get benefits is if you didn’t make enough money at your last job. Remember that states will look at your last job and how much money you made before giving you benefits.

12. What is considered wrongful termination of employment?

In the United States, companies are allowed to lay off their workers and workers are allowed to quit their jobs whenever they want. This is called “at-will employment.” But there are some special rules that companies have to follow. Companies are not allowed to “wrongfully terminate” someone. This means they are not allowed to break the special rules. If they break these rules, workers can sue them.

Here are some examples:

• You are fired after you and your company made a written or spoken agreement.
• You are fired because of your race, your sex, where you are from, how old you are, your religion or because you have a disability.
• You are fired because you submitted a complaint about your employer.

13. My unemployment appeal didn’t work. Can I appeal again?

If you don’t get unemployment benefits, you can ask for the state to look at your application again. This is called an appeal. If the appeal doesn’t work and you still don’t get benefits, you can usually appeal again, but this depends on your state. The second appeal will typically go through the board of appeals in your state and give you another chance to get benefits.

14. My unemployment benefits are about to run out. Can I get more?

When there are a lot of unemployed people in a state, the state department will give out extra benefits to people whose unemployment is about to run out. This is called an extension. You can only get an extension when the state is giving them out. If your benefits are about to run out and the state isn’t giving extensions, you can’t get more benefits.

15. How long can you extend unemployment benefits?

If your state is giving an unemployment benefits extension, it will usually give benefits for 13 extra weeks. But this depends on the state. Some states will give benefits for a full 13 weeks. Some states will give benefits for less time.