- Swallow Your Pride
- Apply Right Away
- Take a Friend
- Know How Much You Should Be Getting
- Understand the Rules
- Be Patient -This Will Take Some Time
- Always Do Everything Exactly as They Say
- The Bureau of Employment Services Should Really Be Called 'Torms-R-Us"
- Appeal a Bad Decision
- Know the Tax Laws
What Happens at the Unemployment Office
A previously unemployed woman remembers her experience with the unemployment office: ''I never thought I'd ever find myself in the unemployment office. I was there on December 18, one week before Christmas. If I was a director and wanted to film a scene in a government office, I would have picked this place. When I walked in the door, some one told me to take a number. It was 2:30 in the afternoon and they were on number 164. I looked down at the slip of paper in my hand and read the number - 297. I laughed out loud and 133 pairs of eyes turned to look at me. I waited until nearly 5:00 before they called my number. The fourth time I was on the phone to my husband they called my number. The people behind me whose numbers were not called by 5:00 were told to come back the next day."
Unemployment compensation is a benefit the government provides unemployed people. Getting that compensation when you need it can be a trial in itself. You not only have to overcome your own pride ("I won't take charity!"), you also have to deal with a variety of rules and regulations that seem to be designed to keep you from receiving the compensation you need.
Unemployment compensation rules are definitely a maze - with money at the end. Although this chapter isn't a guide to unemployment compensation laws in any particular state, it will help you know what to be prepared for as you apply for benefits that are, by all rights, something you have earned as a working member of society. In general, unemployment compensation rules are very similar from one state to the next. Forty-one states follow the Wage Record System, designed to make application procedures the same from one state to the next and to facilitate cross-state claims.
Unemployment forms are not as complicated as health insurance forms and certainly much less complex than the IRS tax forms. With a little planning and some investigation, you can work your way through the maze and get the compensation you and your family need.
The Ten Most Important Things
The above mentioned points are organized as a "Top Ten List" of things to do and not to do when you apply for unemployment compensation. You'll likely need support during the process and those points are important to follow to receive the support you can look for and expect as you file your claim. Many people have been through the process of applying for unemployment compensation. Some of them say the best thing to do is try to retain a sense of humor and remember that you're dealing with a huge government bureaucracy.
Know the Tax Laws
It shouldn't surprise you to know that unemployment compensation can be considered taxable income. However, the compensation you receive is taxable only if your income is above a specific limit. This limit may change as inflation affects people's salaries and as federal and state governments modify tax laws. You would be best advised to ask at the information desk at the unemployment office. Based on your income to date for the current year, as well as any other sources of income you may currently have, someone at the information desk should be able to tell you if your compensation will be taxed.
If your income for the year will be high enough that your unemployment compensation will be taxable, be aware that the government does not withhold taxes from your check the way an employer does. If you receive unemployment compensation for part of a year and your income for the remainder of the year puts you above the taxable limit, you will owe income taxes on the money you received from the unemployment system.
