Being Laid Off, When Should I Apply for Unemployment Insurance?

I recall about 25 years ago when one of the companies I worked for went out of business and so we were all being let go, we had to wait until we were actually laid off.

The next day we were all standing and visiting at the offices for the unemployed,. I think we did have to take a form we had been given,.

Day after last day of work.

I'm sorry about your job. Remember you've PAID for UC benefits, so sont let anyone make you feel bad for filing for them!

Good luck!

I think that you should spend more time trying to find another job. Since you have another month, you should be circulating your resume like crazy and hopefully lining up interviews. I just say this because no one actually is able to make ends meet on just unemployment...

I would start looking for a new job now. You have a month. If you can't find one in that amount of time then worry about unemployment. Since you are refusing to take the office work they may consider you to resign . Then you can't collect anything. They are not firing you they are just not allowing remote work anymore. When you apply they will ask your employer if they offered you other work and they will say yes but you refused. So right now don't worry about unemployment, worry about finding another job fast. Best to you

Be certain that they are terming you and you are not resigning. If you resign, you are NOT eligible for unemployment. You need to be 100% certain that they are in agreement with this or they might fight your benefits.

Remind your company that if they are in a pinch to call you for contract work that you can do from home. You'd be surprised how often this happens.

Good luck!

My priority would be to start job hunting today and not be worrying about potential benefits from the government which would be minimal anyway, at least not enough to live on.

I'm not saying don't apply or don't get information on what happens and what to do about applying but I would use my time and efforts to secure a job.

Best wishes to you.

You should apply the very first day you are out of work. I hope the Unemployment Dept. sees it as a lay-off - you may have problems since they have offered to let you keep your job and you are electing not to do that.

You have to wait until you are officially laid off.....your last final work day.
Then go online & file with the Unemployment Office.
You can do it the after you are official.
It would be crazy to commute 3 hrs a day. I mean if you could do it, it could be an option but it would be so hard w/kids. So that is up to you.
What kind of job does your husb have? A good salary? Is your field
marketable?
You should start looking at what is actually available before you make your final decision. You could keep this job until you found something better......dealing w/the commute. Working ppl are more marketable.
Best of luck!

You apply the day after your last day of work.
Start looking for a new job right away.

When your employer lets you go, you can file the day after your last day working. The unemployment office will verify with your employer that you were actually laid off and do qualify for unemployment. Make sure you keep anything just in case you have to appeal. I was laid off in August and had no problem except they had my name in the computer wrong. We had to appeal for my husband years ago because they said he voluntarily quit. We had papers to prove they wanted him gone. It usually goes pretty smooth.

You can also check your state's dept of employment security web site for info.

Looks like you already got answers...just wanted to say that I'm sorry that you're going through this. You and I seem to have similar careers in terms of flexibility and tenure. I know that I would fall apart at the thought of losing my job and that flexibility, but keep in mind that whole "when one door closes, another opens" saying. Everyone I know who has been laid off at my company over the years (which is an alarmingly high number) has been able to find something else that was even better. I wish the same outcome for you and hope you get enough of a severance package that it makes this not a financial disaster for your family!

Oh and on a practical note...if you carry your family's health insurance, start checking out your options. COBRA can be very expensive so if your husband has a plan available to him, you can switch to that if you need to or check out the new insurance exchange. While your family is on one income, you might be able to get discounted insurance on an exchange that's less than COBRA premiums.

In mid-July 2011, my company told me I could no longer work internally and had to find work supporting a client (what I was originally hired to do). They told me I had 30 days or they would put me at an office in DC, 90 minutes one way without traffic. My husband already has a 2 hour one way commute, so we can't both do it.

Honestly, unemployment never crossed my mind. I spent every waking minute looking for a new job, and had one within two weeks, the same one I have now still.

So I think your focus needs to be on finding a new job, or sucking up the commute for some time. I don't think unemployment should even be an option on the table for you, honestly. The commute isn't un-doable, just a huge pain in the rear. Here in the DC area, people do a lot worse than that though and would never consider stopping to file for unemployment.

I am sorry if that sounds harsh, I do not mean it too. I know this stress all too well, both my husband and I work in the contracts world and we face this kind of stress almost yearly. But we always focus on getting a new job....unemployment won't bring in nearly what you make now (I'm assuming here). I don't know what line of work you are in or what your network is, but I'd spend much more time job hunting and use filing for unemployment (once you are officially let go) as a last resort.

Call your local unemployment office or look it up online, they should be listed as a state office. Do you have vacation time owed to you? You should be paid for any vacation time not taken.

I am sorry you lost your job. Every state has different rules on collecting unemployment--please read over the specific requirements for your state. But i did want to offer a suggestion - do you have an FSA(Flexible Medical Savings account)? Do you have money deducted each paycheck to fund your FSA? Then you must use any money on medical expenses before your employment is terminated or you will not be able to get that money back. Usually you have all year to incur and claim medical expenses, but once you are terminated you can not claim medical expenses later in the year (even if you are still on severance and being able to keep your medical insurance for a while.) So if you have $100 a month taken out for your FSA, by the end of February you will have $200 taken out. You must have spent $200 in acceptable expenses before the end of February to get this money back. If you had medical expenses in April, it would not be eligible to claim. Please double check on this with your HR department. Good luck with your new job search!

no-you have to wait until you're unemployed-but the unemployment will be retroactive. Good luck!

You have to wait until you are officially laid off.....your last final work day.
Then go online & file with the Unemployment Office.
You can do it the after you are official.
It would be crazy to commute 3 hrs a day. I mean if you could do it, it could be an option but it would be so hard w/kids. So that is up to you.
What kind of job does your husb have? A good salary? Is your field
marketable?
You should start looking at what is actually available before you make your final decision. You could keep this job until you found something better......dealing w/the commute. Working ppl are more marketable.
Best of luck!

The day after your last day.

Also, you may need to give a compelling reason as to why you did not accept the commute. I agree that 1.5 hours each way is unreasonable (and I happen to live in an area where that is not unheard of).

Some people that posted below need to understand that each person's circumstances are different. Commuting on the coasts (CA, DC, NY) is usually worthwhile since the job pay more. It would not make since for someone making $100,000 or more to give up and not commute since unemployment maxes out at about $450 a week in CA. This weekly amount is also given to someone who was laid off and made $35,000. The person making $35,000-$50,000 might be able to live of the unemployment for some time until a new local job hires them. Sure moving should be considered, since unemployment benefits is a temporary fix.

You have worked 12 years for this company. They do not care about you as much as they care about their bottom line.

edit: read the rules carefully. You can not write into UC that you are coordinating with your kids' schedule. They do not care. You need to make sure you are looking for work regardless of their schedule. I agree that after Kindergarten, will be best for your schedule.

Go online to their website and they have many questions such as yours that are already answered... you can apply online , which is great..
you can do it the day after you are unemployed...

Good luck.. things have a way of working out.. who knows, could be something better out there for you..

I wish you all the best

If your last day is February 28, then apply for your benefits March 1. Make sure your employer doesn't report that you quit your job voluntarily, since that is not the case. Also, be sure to be prepared for it to take a while to receive your first check. Sometimes it can take a month (or longer if you don't carefully review each piece of paperwork - if they reject any of your paperwork, it can take twice as long). We run a construction company, which is a seasonal business some years - hence I am pretty familiar with helping guys fill this paperwork out!

Since you have a months notice I would start looking for a new job. You can go to the unemployment office and start the process but you cannot start getting checks until after your last day of work (they may tell you to come back).

Go today to the state employment office and find out what your options are. They are the experts and any advice given here could be wrong and cost you money.

Also, you will have to be seeking employment during the time you're receiving unemployment. Why not start now looking for another job and skip unemployment all together? Getting a job in your own town is pretty much what comes next. If you get an offer for a job take it and give notice at your job now. They're the ones that are letting you go, I'd take a new job at any time now if offered one. Keeping an income coming in is important.

Unemployment is minuscule, it's not even half your wages. Hubby was making about $50K per year salary and with overtime and turnarounds he made a lot more, like $80K+ . Then he got laid off.

His unemployment was $220 per week. Yes, he was making nearly $100K per year and his unemployment was $220 per week. He taught at the Vo-Tech and made $112 per week and the unemployment took $12 out of his $220 check those weeks he was teaching.

Unemployment is not a livable income. Start looking for a job in your town so you can keep your income levels up.

I would call your local office. Also, don't make any mistakes on your application. A lady I know came asking me to help her fix her mistake on paperwork. The papers clearly asked her when was her last paycheck from her employer, would she be receiving any other compensation, and what those amounts were. She "forgot" about being paid for vacation days in a later check. They docked her that amount and the lady said they wouldn't have if she had honestly reported it. Also, they did a full investigation into her to make sure she didn't forget anything else.
I had paid her cash to clean my house a few times so I got drug into it.
They looked into her bank accounts and asked where that cash came from on those days. I was surprised as it was $300 once and $100 another time.

Sorry but a 1.5 hour commute is definitely doable. My husband has been doing it for 4 years and I did it for 3. It would be interesting to see how your company actually words this on their paperwork. From what you said, technically you are not being laid off, you are voluntarily quitting. If your company does not want to have to pay the unemployment they be able to have your claim denied because of the fact that you are quitting.

Also, I see where you posted that you will be fine on just your husband's income and that is great. However something to keep in mind, and granted I have no idea what your field of work is, it is much easier to get a job if you already have a job. Employers today will look at two candidates who are equally qualified for the job and if one is currently employed and one is currently unemployed, 9 out of 10 times they will offer the job to the person currently employed. It is not fair and it is sad. However something to seriously consider if you are planning on staying in the job market. Especially since you are wanting someone willing to work around kind of a wonky situation.

You are also required to actively look for work while collecting unemployment. If you turn down a job and unemployment finds out or if they can prove you are not trying to find work they can cut your benefits.

Just some things to consider before just kicking back and waiting for unemployment to start rolling in.

You might want to reconsider if that is an option. A 1.5 hour commute is not impossible, unless you've firmly made up in your mind that it is. And if they offered you the option to retain your job if you work from the office, and you declined you may not get unemployment because you were provided with a reasonable employment alternative.