I understand that unemployment insurance is a partial, temporary replacement of income to employees who lose their jobs or work less than full time through no fault of their own. Employees must report immediately to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development to qualify.
The basic requirements for collecting unemployment are that an employee must:
- Have been employed. The Indiana Department of Workforce Development publishes requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time referred to as a “base period.”
- Be determined to be unemployed through no fault of their own as defined under Indiana law. If an employee lost a job through no fault of their own because of a plant closure, layoff, natural disaster to the workplace, or other situation, they are, in most cases, eligible for unemployment compensation. Workers are not eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits if they quit a job or were fired for misconduct. Self-employed persons, independent contractors, casual employees, and farm workers are not covered.
- File ongoing claims and respond to questions concerning continued eligibility. Workers must report any earnings from work and any job offers or refusal of work during any claim period.
Employees are entitled to receive between $50 and $390, depending on how much they made during their 12-month base period.
All claims for unemployment benefits are in effect for a 52-week period called a benefit year, according to my research. However, the maximum number of weeks full benefits are paid is 26, with some claims having fewer weeks.
No deductions are made from employees’ pay for unemployment insurance. This employer pays this tax. Employers are required to post a notice of unemployment insurance benefits in their workplace.
