Millions of workers around the country have unclaimed unemployment benefits being held by their state. Are you one of them? If you were laid off, furloughed or otherwise let go from a job, you might have been qualified to receive unemployment. If you were in this situation and never filed for benefits, you likely have unemployment back pay owed to you.
Don’t wait – learn how to get unemployment back pay in your state and start collecting your money. Find out how by reading the sections below.
Not everyone who qualifies for unemployment actually collects benefits. In fact, you could have unclaimed unemployment money and not even know it! Millions of qualified employees never file for benefits because they simply aren’t aware that they qualify.
Unemployment insurance, also called “UI,” is run at the state level, which means the criteria for qualifying varies from state to state. But in most cases, you can be qualified for UI if you were laid off from a position that provided most of your primary income.
Also, the job loss must be through no fault of your own. This means that you can’t have been fired or let go for misconduct or other similar reasons.
In some states, you may be required to search for work each week in order to remain qualified.
This is another reason for unclaimed unemployment benefits – you might have been actively searching for work, therefore meeting the UI requirements in your state.
Since UI is not issued automatically, there’s a chance you weren’t aware that your work activities qualified you for any benefits.
During largescale bouts of unemployment, the federal government sometimes provides additional compensation or extends benefits. For example, you could have PUA back pay if your unemployment is due to the current pandemic. PUA, or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, helps part-timers, freelancers and contractors get benefits if their income was drastically reduced.
Since you have to apply to get these benefits, you could have unclaimed unemployment money waiting for you – all you need to do is apply. Benefits are not typically automatically issued to you. It’s up to you to determine if you qualify and take the necessary steps to file.
By Admin –
