After a person loses their job, life can seem scary and uncertain. But many can take comfort in the fact that they are eligible for unemployment benefits. If you recently lost your job and are still determining whether you can collect benefits, this article can help. Here are several tips for determining your unemployment eligibility.
Look at Why You Lost Your Job
Your state may have different regulations than others in its criteria regarding benefits. But most have the condition that you cannot collect benefits after losing your job through your own fault.
Make sure you take this into account before applying. If your employer furloughed you, laid you off, or closed their company’s doors, you should be able to collect benefits. However, if you lose your job because of wrongful conduct, for example, you may not be eligible.
See If Your State Has Wage Requirements
When looking at your state’s unemployment regulations, see if they have any requirements regarding how much money you earned before they let you go. For example, one of the things that makes you eligible for unemployment in California is that you must have earned enough pay in the past year to collect.
Determine If There Are Tenure Regulations
Another tip for determining your unemployment eligibility is to look at the state’s requirements for how long you must have worked before losing your job. Some give unemployment insurance only if you worked there for a certain length of time. You likely won’t be eligible if your tenure falls short under your state’s requirements.
Find Out How Long You Have To Be Unemployed
As you research your state’s rules on unemployment, find out if they have any regarding how long you must wait before you can start receiving benefits. Your state may say that you must experience a delay before it can start sending your insurance.
Now that you know these tips, you can start filing for benefits or getting to work on your job search much sooner. Although this next step in your life may require perseverance and hard work, you should be able to get your career back on track soon.
