Benefit Calculations & Financial Eligibility

Benefit calculations & financial eligibility are confusing, but it helps to know how much you qualify for so you can budget accordingly. Additionally, if your wage transcript has any incorrect information, this will make it easier for you to spot the errors and file for an appeal. If you need a Jacksonville unemployment compensation lawyer to help you with your appeal

When evaluating if you qualify for unemployment insurance, the person reviewing your case will look at your earnings over the last "base period." This base period is made up of the first four quarters of the last five completed quarters. So, for example, if you applied in April, your base period would be January through December of the previous year. If you applied in July, your base period would be April of the previous year through March of this year.

During this period, you must have earned over $3,400 in total wages and throughout the full period you must make at least one and a half times what you made in the quarter with the highest earnings. While this sounds confusing, it's just their way of ensuring that you worked more than one quarter of the year. So if you made $5,000 between January and March, you must have earned at least $2,500 in any other part of the base year.

Once you're sure you're financially eligible for benefits, it is easy to calculate your weekly benefit payment. Select the quarter you made the most money in and then divide that by 26. In the example above, that would mean taking the $5,000 sum and dividing it by 26. This person would be making $190.31 per week. The maximum weekly benefit is $275, so if your total was higher than that, adjust your expectations accordingly.

If you'd like to calculate how much your total benefits are worth, take the total wages you earned in your base year and divide that by four. If you made $24,000 in your base year, you would be eligible for a total of $6,000 in benefits. The maximum number of benefits is $7,150, so if your total was higher than that, again, adjust your expectations.

You have up to one year to use your total benefits, but you cannot use them for a full year straight. The maximum time you may receive benefits is about six and a half months. To see how many weeks your total benefits qualify you for, divide your maximum benefits total by your weekly benefits.

If you run out of benefits, an extended benefit claim will be evaluated immediately and the determination letter will be sent to you. These extended benefits will be the same value of your normal check, but you will only be able to claim them half as long as your first claim. For example, if you had six months of regular benefits, you will now have 3 months of extended benefits. Once these expire, you cannot claim any more benefits until a year has passed since you first filed your claim.

While Jacksonville unemployment attorney understands that the intricacies of these claims are complex, he is here to help. Our law firm offers free initial consultations for any questions you may have, so if you need any help from a skilled Jacksonville unemployment compensation lawyer, contact our offices today.

Don't take chances with just any Jacksonville unemployment compensation attorney; hire top representation for your case.