How many months do you have to work to collect unemployment?

Answer 1

One of the most important things to remember is that the system works off the day you file, not the day you became unemployed. So it is important to file as soon as possible. There are certain requirements you must meet in order to qualify. You must have lost your job due to no fault of your own. ( i.e. laid off, business closed). If you did voluntarily quit you may still qualify but you must have a good work related reason( i.e. discrimination, sexual harassment) and it will probably go to appeals. It cannot be because you hate your boss and couldn't put up with another day in the pit of despair you once called your job.

After meeting that condition you must be monetarily eligible. Your employer has nothing to do with this. This determination is made solely on how much money you earned and how long you earned it. What I am going to explain is called your base period. This is the fifteen month period starting on the day you file and working backwards. Throw out the most recent three month period ( a.k.a. Quarter) and you are left with 12 months also known as 4 quarters. In those 4 quarters you must have earnings in at least 2 of them. You don't have to have had to work the whole 2 quarters, you just have to have earnings within them. What happens then is they take the two quarters with the highest earnings and average them. They will send you a form after you file breaking all of this information down and they will tell you what your maximum benefit amount most you can draw) is and what your weekly benefit amount will be should you be approved. Keep that letter because they charge for extra copies.

After you have met that condition you must be willing to work full time, able to work full time, and looking for a full time job. You have to meet this requirement on a weekly basis and if any of those conditions do not apply then you will not be eligible to receive that weeks benefits. You have to certify each week by phone or internet in my state ( Alabama) by 5:00 p.m. each Friday. Not 5:01. They shut the system down and it will not reopen until Sunday at 12:01a.m. If you do not file on time they can deny your benefits. The longest time anyone can draw unemployment is 26 weeks unless you meet certain conditions that I am not very knowledgeable of. But those conditions do not apply to most.

Disclaimer:

This is for informational purposes only and is not meant to substitute for the laws and regulations that apply to unemployment compensation. I strongly advise everyone dealing with unemployment issues to contact their states unemployment office with any questions they may have. Remember, unemployment compensation fraud is a serious federal crime and can result in fines, imprisonment or both. Be sure above all that any and all information you give to them is true and accurate.

Answer 2

The answer to your question depends on many things including: what state you are in, how much money you made at your job, how long you worked at your job and how many hours a week. Additionally, state require you to be actively looking for jobs so if you stop doing that, the unemployment checks will stop too. Generally speaking, benefits will last for 3 months and then you may be eligible for an extension.

Answer 3

As each state has its own requirements, there is not a single answer. Generally, you work history has to include time in the first 4 quarters of the last 5 complete calendar quarters.