Ohio Unemployment Benefits, Amount, Services & Filing

Ohioans who have experienced a layoff or seen a substantial reduction in hours during the COVID-19 coronavirus pandemic are eligible to apply for unemployment insurance (UI). Claimants can request UI benefits for up to 26 weeks. After they exhaust their UI amount, a current or former employee can claim the federal government's Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) for up to 53 weeks, until September 4, 2021.

After PEUC has been exhausted, a claimant is eligible to apply for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA). They can request 79 weeks of PUA benefits until September 4, 2021. A self-employed person or independent contractor who is not eligible for UI or PEUC can claim PUA. Ohio has waived the one-week waiting period for unemployment benefits.

The minimum weekly benefit amount (WBA) for Ohio UI is $140, and the maximum amount varies depending on the number of qualifying dependents for which the worker is responsible. If the worker has no qualifying dependents, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $498. If the worker has one or two qualifying dependents, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $604. If the worker has three or more qualifying dependents, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $672.

To establish eligibility for UI, an individual must have worked full time or part time at least 20 weeks during the base period. The base period is the prior four calendar quarters in which they worked; a calendar quarter is three months. A claimant who files their application during 2021 must have an average weekly wage of at least $280 before taxes or other deductions. An individual who worked for more than one employer during a calendar week will have the wages earned for all employers used to determine their average weekly wage.

To file an unemployment claim, an individual will need their Social Security number, driver’s license or state ID number, name and address, dependents’ names and dates of birth, as well as information relating to the employers for which they worked for the past six weeks before filing a claim. After they file an application for unemployment compensation, their claim will be assigned to a processing center based on the last four digits of their Social Security number.

The processing locations for different numbers are found throughout the state. For example, claimants with a Social Security number ending in the range between 0000 and 0710 are assigned to the Cleveland Adjudication Center at 866-576-0006; claimants with a Social Security number ending in the range between 0711 and 1613 are assigned to the Akron Delivery Center at 866-768-0022.

A claimant should file their weekly claim on the day of the week that corresponds with the first letter of their last name. Claimants whose last name begins with the letters A through H should file on Sunday, claimants whose last name begins with the letters I through P should file on Monday, and claimants whose last name begins with the letters Q through Z should file on Tuesday. Anyone can file Wednesday through Saturday.

A claimant’s first payment will begin processing after they receive their eligibility determination and after they file their first weekly claim. The normal processing time for new claims is 21 days from the date of filing an application. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services (ODJFS) is at least one week behind schedule in payment distribution.

All benefits are retroactive to the date a claimant became eligible. If an individual’s claim is identified as one that needs to be backdated, ODJFS will send them an email with more information. A delay in processing will not change a claimant’s total benefit amount.

Ohioans who are eligible for traditional unemployment benefits but have also earned at least $5,000 from self-employment may be eligible to receive Mixed Earner Unemployment Compensation (MEUC). This federal benefits program provides an additional $100 a week for qualifying weeks starting December 27, 2020. Claimants who may be eligible for MEUC will receive an email from the ODJFS with instructions on how to apply.

Individuals are eligible for PUA benefits if they are not eligible for regular unemployment benefits and meet a COVID-19-related eligibility circumstance, such as providing care for a family member diagnosed with COVID-19. On February 25, 2021, the U.S. Department of Labor expanded PUA eligibility to three new groups. These include individuals previously receiving traditional UI who refuse to return to work or refuse an offer or work because the workplace is not in compliance with local, state or national health and safety standards related to COVID-19; individuals who provide services to an educational institution or educational service agency and are fully or partially unemployed as a direct result of COVID-19; and those who are laid off or had their work hours reduced as a direct result of COVID-19.

Although there is not a minimum income requirement for PUA, a claimant must submit documentation of prior employment or self-employment for weeks of benefits claimed after January 31, 2021. A PUA claimant must also engage in a heightened level of identity verification for a claim filed after January 26, 2021.

Ohio has reinstated the requirement for recipients to engage in a job search. A claimant is required to report at least two job contacts a week. The exception to this rule is if a claimant’s former employer has stated that the claimant is part of a temporary layoff and they plan to have the claimant return to work within 45 days.

Ohio also requires claimants to participate in reemployment activities by their eighth week of claiming benefits. These activities involve registering on OhioMeansJobs.com and creating and maintaining an active, searchable resume on that website. Claimants must further provide documentation of their active work search activities, which can include submitting a resume to an employer and attending a job fair.

After the 20th week of claiming benefits, a claimant must complete their career profile at OhioMeansJobs.com. If a claimant fails to engage in the reemployment activities by the appropriate deadlines, ODJFS will deny benefits unless the claimant completes the activities. If the claimant returns to work before a deadline and later reopens their unemployment claim, they must meet the requirements by the appropriate deadline.

A claimant can check a map of OhioMeansJobs job centers to learn their job center’s opening status. Some centers are fully open, some offer services by appointment only and some are closed to the public, only offering services by phone, email or through virtual meeting apps such as Skype. Job-related events in Ohio include walk-in interviews, virtual hiring fairs and open interviews. An applicant should select their local job center and a range of dates to learn what hiring events are occurring in their area.

Ohio provides unemployment compensation payments via direct deposit or U.S. Bank ReliaCard. A claimant should choose direct deposit for the fastest payment processing. A claimant may receive their debit card in the mail before funds are loaded onto it. Their card will be funded two to three business days after their claim has been approved.

A claimant may have received UI, PEUC or Extended Benefits (EB), additional unemployment benefits provided when Ohio has a high unemployment rate, within the last 12 months. They may have now stopped claiming benefits yet remain unemployed. Under these circumstances, the individual should restart their claim using their Social Security number and existing Personal Identification Number (PIN).

After they submit the application, they should continue filing weekly claims while they wait for ODJFS’s determination. If over a year has passed since they last received benefits, they will need to submit a new application for benefits.

An individual who finds new employment or returns to work must report their gross wages for weeks in which they claim benefits. Income that may be deductible from a benefit payment includes severance pay, vacation pay, pensions, company buyout plans and workers compensation. Funds not deductible from a benefit payment include Social Security Supplementation unemployment benefits (S.U.B.), U.S. National Guard or Armed Forces Reserve pay for scheduled drills, interest dividends and rental income.

If the income to be deducted is less than the claimant’s weekly benefit amount, their weekly benefit will be reduced by the amount of income for the week.

Many Ohio school districts have fully or partially reopened schools for in-person learning. Some districts are offering hybrid learning, while a few are still offering only distance learning. When a parent or guardian chooses to keep their child at home for virtual learning in a district that offers in-person learning, they may be ineligible to claim unemployment benefits for that week.

Unemployment insurance fraud typically involves omitting information from a weekly certification, such as the amount a claimant earned in gross wages. A claimant who provides ODJFS with false information can face criminal prosecution, forfeiture of future income tax refunds and loss of one week of benefits for each week of fraud. They may also be required to repay all benefits paid in error, plus penalties and fines with 14 percent interest compounded monthly.

A number of claimants have been the victims of identity theft. An individual who has experienced this should visit ODJFS’s website, click on the Report Identity Theft button, and complete the form. The individual should also check their credit report and view the Ohio Attorney General’s website on identity theft.

When a claimant receives an overpayment in unemployment benefits from ODJFS, they must repay the amount in full within 66 days from the determination date. If they do not repay the amount, it may be referred to the Ohio Attorney General’s office for collection. As of mid-May 2021, Ohio is working on a plan to allow a claimant to submit a request to waive their obligation to repay an overpayment. The legislation under consideration establishes eligibility for individuals who were not at fault for the overpayment or for those for whom repayment would cause an undue hardship on the individual who received it.

Currently, an individual who believes their claim meets these qualifications can file an appeal as to the requirement to repay an overpayment. An overpayment notice contains instructions on how to file an appeal. A claimant will need to submit additional documentation to support their case.

SharedWork Ohio allows employers to reduce the hours of a group of affected employees to avoid layoffs. ODJFS provides eligible individuals a UI benefit proportionate to their reduced hours. All employees in an affected group are required to have their hours reduced by the same reduction percentage, which must fall between 10 percent and 50 percent of the normal weekly hours of work. An Ohio employer can participate in the SharedWork program if they have at least two affected employees who do not work on a seasonal, temporary or intermittent basis.