Discover Utah Requirements for Unemployment Benefits
What are the requirements to get unemployment in Utah? Eligibility for unemployment is based on several factors, including the circumstances under which you stopped working. Unemployment insurance eligibility is determined foremost by wages, which must have totaled at least $3500, and have been earned in your base period.
The base period is comprised of the first four of the last five quarter periods prior to the week the application was completed. For example, if your claim begins any time between January and March, the base period would be between October 1st and September 30th. The total earnings during this base period must total 1.5 times the highest earning quarter. For instance, if your highest quarter in the 12-month period was $20,000, you must have earned at least $30,000 in the entire 12 month period.
Receiving unemployment benefits is still possible if these requirements are not met by using an alternate base period, which would be the four most recent quarters. These periods are important in determining not only eligibility but the amount of benefits that will be paid out weekly.
Learn How to Apply for Unemployment Benefits in Utah
To file for unemployment in Utah, you need a driver’s license or state ID number, a Social Security Number, and the dates of employment and company names for each place you worked for in the previous 18 months. Remember that the claim is effective the week that the unemployment EDD application is submitted, but you must continue to fill out a claim for each following week since it may take up to four weeks to receive a response to your initial claim, particularly if there were any issues regarding eligibility.
Filing the weekly claim after you apply for unemployment benefits in UT is required throughout the period compensation is received. It is necessary to continue to file even before the initial claim has been approved so that your eligibility for unemployment remains active.
About Utah Unemployment Benefits: Essential Information
Unemployment benefits in Utah are distributed weekly as either direct deposit payments into a checking or savings account, or deposited into a U.S. Bank Reliacard.
The following sections have information on how to apply, maintain eligibility, start receiving benefits and how to pay taxes on benefits.
What can I do if Unemployment Denied?
For applicants wondering how to address denied unemployment benefits in Utah, viable options do exist. The first thing to do is to make sure that all Utah unemployment claim verification documents submitted contained fully accurate information.
The documents can be checked online or in the Notice of Monetary Determination letter sent in the mail. The denial can be based on failure to provide certain documents, having recorded them inaccurately, or having a former employer claim that termination of employment was your fault. See the following section for details on the most common reasons for denial and what you can do.
What is the Federal Unemployment Extension Program?
An unemployment extension refers to two types of Federal unemployment extension, called the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) policy, and the Extended Benefit program. The EUC was a temporary program that was authorized by Congress when individuals had exhausted Utah’s state unemployment benefits.
The program was created in response to the recession in 2008 when Congress wanted to reverse negative impacts on individuals and families. This program was extended until 2013, but was not intended to address chronic unemployment. The Extended Benefits program (EB), however, is activated when Utah’s unemployment reaches 6 percent or above for three months or more. It is activated by the federal government and is half-funded by the state.
