Are You Eligible for Unemployment Benefits?

Government ProgramsUnemployment Insurance
Written By Nicholas Gatorano

Just like every other form of insurance, there are specific stipulations that have to be met before your unemployment insurance can make payment on your claim. These requirements are in place to ensure that you have recently been employed and now find yourself unemployed through no fault of your own. You can be approved for paid benefits that week only if you have met all qualifications that week and are not disqualified for the week.

General Eligibility

To qualify for Unemployment Insurance, you must meet all general eligibility requirements, including:

  1. Out of Work: For you to get unemployment benefits, you must be either partially or unemployed through no fault of your own.

  2. Adequate Wages in Your Base Period: You must have been paid at least $1,600 in wages during your base period for insured work.

  3. Earnings Outside High-Wage Quarter: You must have been paid at least $440 of your base period wages at any time during the base period outside the calendar quarter in which your wages were highest.

  4. Registered for Work: You must be registered with the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

Weekly Eligibility

To remain eligible for benefits every week, you must:

  1. File Your Claim: File your claim (certified) for the week as scheduled using the automated Tele-Serve system via the Internet, or as otherwise directed by IDES staff.

  2. Serve a Waiting Week: You must serve one "waiting week." By law, this is a qualifying period. By law, you will not be paid benefits for this week. Usually, this is the first week that you file your claim.

  3. Be Able, Available, and Actively Looking for Work: During that week, you must be able to work, available for work, and actively seeking employment.

Disqualifications

Even though you establish initial and continued general weekly eligibility, you may be disqualified for benefits if any of the following conditions apply:

  1. Voluntary Quit Without Good Cause: You quit your job without good cause attributable to your employer unless you quit for specific reasons such as health problems, sexual harassment, domestic violence, unsuitable work, acceptance of another job, failure to apply for/fill a job within bumping privileges, or to follow a military spouse or a spouse who is moving to accept new employment.

  2. Discharged for Misconduct: A claimant was discharged for misconduct connected with work.

  3. Failed to Apply for or Accept Suitable Work: A claimant has failed, without good cause, to apply for or accept a job for which he is reasonably fitted by training and experience, or has refused suitable work when offered. A job is not considered to be suitable if:

    • The job opening is the result of a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute.

    • The wages, hours, or other working conditions of the job are not as good as those that exist for the same kind of work in the same community;

    • Your safety, health, or morals may be endangered;

    • You would have to resign from or be prevented from joining a union to get or keep the job;

    • You would displace another worker under a collective bargaining agreement and cause that person to be laid off.

    Note: If any of the first three disqualifications apply, you will not be eligible for future benefits until you find another job and earn an amount equal to or more than your weekly benefit amount in each of four calendar weeks, and then lose that job through no fault of your own.

  4. Discharged for Felony or Theft: You were discharged because you committed a felony or theft in connection with your work.

  5. Labor Dispute: You are unemployed because a labor dispute has caused a stoppage of work at the place where you work. You may be denied benefits until the stoppage ends. Benefits are not denied you because of a stoppage, then, only if it can be established that you and all the other employees in your grade or class were not participants in or directly interested in the labor dispute.

  6. Receiving Benefits from Another State or Federal Law: For the same week for which you claim Illinois benefits, you are receiving unemployment insurance benefits from another state or under a federal law such as the Railroad Unemployment Insurance Act.

  7. Vacation Pay or Other Payments: For any week for which you claim benefits, you have been or will be paid or your employer is obligated to pay wages in the form of vacation pay, vacation allowance, stand-by pay for an announced shutdown, or wages instead of notice or a back-pay award.

  8. Receiving Workers' Compensation: For the same week you claim benefits, you are receiving workers' compensation for a temporary total disability equal to or more than the unemployment insurance benefits you could draw for the week.

  9. Inadequate Earnings in Base Year of Prior Benefit Year: Since the beginning of your prior benefit year, in which you were paid benefits, you have not earned─ and your earnings in covered employment have not reached the legally required amount for becoming entitled or entitled to a second year of benefits.

  10. Receiving Retirement Pension: You will receive or have received a retirement pension or other similar periodic payment for the week s/he is claiming. Please Note: One-half (50%) of your unemployment insurance benefits will be deducted if your retirement pension payment is paid by the Base Period (if you are in part-time employment) or the Cost-Paying Employer or all (100%) of your retirement pension payment, if in full-time employment.

  11. Educational Institution Employment: Your claim is based on wages that were earned while you worked for an educational institution as a teacher, researcher, or administrator, you are between academic terms or on vacation or holiday recess, and you have the reasonable assurance of returning the following term. However, educational personnel may be eligible for benefits during and between an academic term if they have enough non-academic wages.

  12. Professional Athlete: You are a professional athlete, you are in between sports seasons, and there is reasonable assurance that you will return to athletic services.

  13. Alien Status: Your benefits would be based upon wages earned while you were an alien who was not a permanent resident or did not have a work permit.

This outlines the conditions and disqualifications associated with unemployment insurance benefits. Understanding these criteria is crucial for determining your eligibility and ensuring compliance with the requirements set forth by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).

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Nicholas Gatorano
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