This toolkit tells you about applying for and receiving unemployment benefits. For general information about the unemployment benefits, read the Articles. Read the Common Questions if you have a specific question.
You'll find links to legal aid offices and lawyer referral services under Find A Lawyer. If there is a Self-Help Center in your area you can get more help there. If you need something other than legal help, look in Community Services. If you need a fee waiver, an interpreter, a court to accommodate your disability, or more information about going to court, visit Going to Court.
Common Questions
To be eligible for unemployment benefits you must meet all of the following requirements:
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Be involuntarily unemployed through no fault of your own
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Be able and available to work full time
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Be actively seeking full-time employment
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Meet the minimum wage requirements
You can get up to $362 a week for 14 to 20 weeks.
The UIA calculates your weekly benefit amount by multiplying the wages paid in your highest base period quarter by 4.1%. You also get an extra $6 per week for each dependent you claim, up to five dependents, but your benefits can’t exceed $362.
For example, if your highest base period was $5,000 and you have three dependents, your weekly benefits could be $223 ($5,000 x 4.1% = $205 + (3 x $6) = $223).
To figure out how many weeks you may get benefits, your total base period wages are multiplied by 40% and then divided by your weekly benefit amount. If your claim is calculated to be less than 14 weeks, you can’t get benefits at all. You can’t get unemployment for more than 20 weeks. For example: if your total base period wages are $12,000 and your weekly benefit amount is $223, you would receive those benefits for 20 weeks ($12,000 x 40% = 4,800/$223 = 21.5), because weeks cannot exceed 20.
Read the article Applying for Unemployment to learn how to apply for benefits.
You can apply for unemployment online or by phone. If you file online, it is a good idea to save or print a copy of your application. Then if it gets lost, you can prove when you filed it.