How to Claim Benefits for Unemployment in Oregon
Approximately 10 days after the applicant’s employment benefits claim, he or she will receive the Wage and Potential Benefit Report. This Oregon unemployment claim report will include the wages reported by the “base year” and the “weekly benefit amount” an applicant may receive if he or she is eligible. The unemployment insurance coverage petitioner needs to carefully review the wages and employers listed on the Wage and Potential Benefit Report. If the wages are missing or incorrect, he or she needs to follow the instructions on the form and contact the Unemployment Insurance (UI) Center immediately. If the benefit amount is based on wages an applicant did not earn, he or she will be responsible for repaying any money paid to them in excess.
About the Unemployment Benefits Claim Calculation in Oregon
Regarding OR federal unemployment benefits, the base year is the one-year period on which the unemployment claim is based. The unemployment claim is determined by the date of the initial claim application, not the date the former worker became unemployed. The calendar quarter is a three-month period ending March 31, June 30, September 30, or December 31. To qualify for unemployment benefits, the UI petitioner must have earned at least $1,000 in wages from employers subject, in addition to further stipulations. If the claimant is unable to work due to injury or illness for the major portion of any of the calendar quarters of the base year, he or she should call the UI Center. It may be possible to have their base year extended to include additional quarters.
When completing an unemployment benefits claim in Oregon, the petitioner’s weekly benefit amount is 1.25 percent of his or her total base year wages. Oregon law sets the minimum and maximum amounts beneficiaries can receive. The benefit year is a 52-week period that begins the first week the claimant files. He or she may receive total benefits of up to 26 times the weekly benefit amount during the unemployment insurance coverage year. A claimant cannot file a new OR federal unemployment benefits claim until the benefit year is expired, even if he or she has received all of the scheduled benefits. An unemployment benefits extension, granted by the federal government, would increase the original maximum benefit amount.
To claim unemployment benefits if the applicant works part-time, he or she must report all work and gross earnings for the week in which work was accomplished (including vacation and holiday pay), even if he or she has not been paid yet. Claimants will no longer meet unemployment insurance eligibility if their gross earnings for a week exceed their weekly benefit amount. Their benefits are reduced by the amount of any gross earnings that are more than 10 times the Oregon minimum hourly wage, or one-third of the weekly benefit amount, whichever is larger.
If the claimant owes child support payments and there is a court order from the Oregon Department of Justice requiring deductions, a percentage is deducted from his or her unemployment benefits claim each week. These deductions continue until the court notifies OR Unemployment Insurance to stop. Retirement income can also be deducted from the weekly benefit amount. If the UI beneficiary applies for, is eligible to receive or receives any type of retirement (except Social Security), he or she must report this information to the UI Center immediately. After the report of this information, the UI Center will notify the claimant if they are going to deduct from their benefits.
Federal unemployment benefits in Oregon are taxable. The petitioner may elect to have 10 percent of his or her weekly benefit amount withheld for taxes. The applicant can change his or her tax status by completing the Authorization for Tax Withholding form which is available online.
How to File for the Weekly Unemployment Benefit Payment in Oregon
To file the weekly unemployment benefits claim in Oregon, the claimant must file the claim a week after it ends. The Employment Department uses a calendar week of Sunday through Saturday. After the week ends on 11:59 p.m. on Saturday, the recipient may claim the week. For the telephone, the Weekly Claim Line is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. The Online Claims System is available seven days a week, except from 12:30 a.m. to 2:30 a.m.
The claimant must claim unemployment benefits each week in order to receive benefits or to satisfy the waiting week requirement. Until the UI beneficiary claims at least one week of benefits, no payments or decisions will be made on the claim. For each week that beneficiary claims benefits, he or she must certify that they meet the eligibility requirements.
