How to File for Unemployment Benefits on the Web
Laid-off Workers Should Take Advantage of Money that is Owed Them
Mar 3, 2009
Becoming involuntarily unemployed through a layoff is no picnic. Amidst the emotional turmoil, the loss of salary and health insurance, and the separation from friends is a sinking feeling of, “What to do now?”
It takes awhile to readjust to a life of seeking new employment opportunities and possibly even retraining in a new career field altogether. However, the very first thing a person should do if they find themselves unemployed is to file for unemployment benefits.
How Unemployment Insurance Works
Most people believe that unemployment insurance is simply provided as a government benefit. However, it’s a bit more complicated than that.
Pursuant to the Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA), employers are required by law to pay both state and federal unemployment taxes. These taxes fund the cost of administering unemployment insurance and state workforce programs, which in turn allows unemployed persons to begin collecting unemployment benefits.
In a certain sense, employers set aside a sum of money for each employee as a buffer in the case that the employee is laid off. This money gets paid back to the employee when he or she files for unemployment benefits.
This is why every person who is laid off should take advantage of unemployment benefits; the money has been set aside for them for this very situation.
How to File for Unemployment Benefits Using the Web
Filing for unemployment benefits using the web is relatively straightforward. The person will need to have his or her social security number, start and end date of the last job, previous employer's business name and address, and number of hours worked along with the pay rate.
- Go to the website for the U.S. Department of Labor.
- In the Find It section at the top of the Department of Labor home page, click Services by Location to go to the DOL Services By Location page.
- The DOL Services By Location page displays a map of the United States. Click a state to go to a listing of U.S. Department of Labor services for that state.
- In the list of Labor Department services, click Apply for Unemployment Benefits in (State) to go to the Exit Page.
- Click the Apply for Unemployment Benefits In (State) link to go to the state's unemployment insurance information page.
- On the state’s website, click the link to apply for unemployment benefits online. The link may say something like, "Unemployment Insurance Claimant Applications," "Apply Online," or "Apply for Benefits Online."
Unemployment benefits may be paid for up to 26 weeks (6-1/2 months), and may be extended in times of severe economic recession as we see today.
Filing for unemployment benefits using the web is easier than using the telephone or appearing in person. Regardless of how unemployment benefits are filed, every person who has been laid off should take advantage of the money that has been set aside for them for this very purpose.
See related articles, "How Unemployment Insurance Works," “How to Purchase Individual Health Insurance," and "How to Apply for COBRA Health Insurance."
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