Unemployment claims are not limited to total unemployment anymore. Now, most states offer partial unemployment for loss of work situations. You still must meet the eligibility requirements to be approved. If you qualify, you’ll then report your income from the remaining job for each week of unemployment. The state gives you a portion of your eligible unemployment benefits based on the amount you earn and the state’s partial benefit credit laws.
Loss of Income
Loss of income is basically any situation where your income is less than you would make collecting unemployment benefits. Your rate of unemployment compensation depends on your state, but it’s usually about half of your average previous weekly wages in the year prior to your claim. Based on these requirements, loss of income often covers losing one of your two jobs.
Eligibility Requirements
You must experience your loss of work through no fault of your own. The state will contact your former employer and ask about the circumstances surrounding your separation. You also must be able to physically work, available to work and willing to work any extra hours your remaining employer offers you. You must conduct an active job search the entire time you collect benefits. Your work from your remaining job must be less than full-time work.
Weekly Claims Certifications
The money you earn from your remaining job each week will count against your unemployment payments for that week. You must file your weekly claims certification through the online or telephone systems. Answer the questions about your eligibility including the ones about your income. Provide the amount you earned before any deductions so the state can verify the information with your remaining employer and decide how much compensation you qualify to receive.
Partial Benefit Credit
When the state receives your earnings reports for a week, it applies the partial benefit credit to the amount. The partial benefit credit is the amount your state laws allow you to earn before it adjusts your payments. The state deducts the partial benefit credit from your earnings, and the result is the amount your payment will be adjusted. It subtracts the adjustable amount from your eligible weekly benefit amount, and you receive the rest in your partial unemployment benefit.
Read More: Requirements for Partial Unemployment Benefits
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Writer Bio
Michaele Curtis began writing professionally in 2001. As a freelance writer for the Centers for Disease Control, Nationwide Insurance and AT&T Interactive, her work has appeared in "Insurance Today," "Mobiles and PDAs" and "Curve Magazine." Curtis holds a Bachelor of Arts in communication from Louisiana State University.