Unemployment Benefits

Select your state from the drop-down list below to receive detailed information on applying for unemployment benefits.

Select State
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In the US, there is a misguided stigma attached to collecting unemployment insurance (UI).  Contrary to popular belief, these benefits are not part of our Welfare System. They are funded almost entirely through a payroll tax that all employers have to pay.  Your former employer paid your insurance premiums, by law, so that you wouldn’t be on the street if they couldn’t keep you some day. Consider it a hidden part of your compensation package!

Not collecting unemployment benefits is like crashing your car and refusing to let your collision insurance carrier pick up the tab.  You paid the premiums, if indirectly.  Sure– you didn’t expect to get canned.  But you were.  Now you are entitled to a little financial assistance while you get back on your feet.

Who Can File?
Let’s start with the bad news: if you were self-employed and no longer have work, you are out of luck.  Freelancer’s Unions are currently lobbying to change this, but as it stands self-employed citizens do not pay into the unemployment system and thus cannot collect benefits.  No surprise– that’s how insurance works.

UI is a joint program between the Federal and state governments.  The Federal government sets loose guidelines for eligibility, and then each individual state narrows them down and administers the program.

Generally speaking, you are eligible if:

• You lost your job through no fault of your own (laid off, downsized, outsourced… even fired for poor performance).
• You are ready, able, and willing to work immediately.

To see if you qualify, check out your state’s dedicated page on TheCanned.com by selecting from the list at the bottom of the page.

How Much Money, for How Long?
Again, these determinations are made by each state.  Benefits are calculated based on an individual’s earnings over some portion of the previous year.  In some states, benefits max out at over $600/week.

As far as duration, most states cap benefit payouts at 26 weeks.  When times are tough, sometimes states will extend the benefits period.  These weeks do not always have to be consecutive, however.  For example, New York State keeps claims active for a full year.  Claimants can elect to receive benefits for any 26 individual weeks within this period.

Of course you are legally required to tell the State when you get a new job.  Hopefully it goes without saying that unemployment insurance is only for the unemployed…

Select State
AlabamaAlaskaArizonaArkansasCaliforniaColoradoConnecticutDelawareFloridaGeorgiaHawaiiIdahoIllinoisIndianaIowaKansasKentuckyLouisianaMaineMarylandMassachusettsMichiganMinnesotaMississippiMissouriMontanaNebraskaNevadaNew HampshireNew JerseyNew MexicoNew YorkNorth CarolinaNorth DakotaOhioOklahomaOregonPennsylvaniaRhode IslandSouth CarolinaSouth DakotaTennesseeTexasUtahVermontVirginiaWashingtonWest VirginiaWisconsinWyoming

What About Health care?
Health insurance is not officially linked with the UI program in any state.  However, you have a number of options for staying healthy when you get canned.  To explore the ins-and-outs of COBRA, short-term insurance, state-sponsored reinsurance programs, and benefits for your children, check out the Health Insurance section of TheCanned.com.