Illinois Unemployment Insurance
Those who have become unemployed through no fault of their own, are actively seeking work, have earned wages in “insured” employment, and are available for new work are usually eligible for Illinois unemployment insurance. The weekly benefits paid to the claimant vary from the minimum of $51 and the maximum of $385. Claimants who have spouses who are also unemployed can receive a maximum of $459 per week, and up to $534 if they have children who are dependent upon them. Benefits depend on individual circumstances.
Before a claimant can begin receiving payments, they must endure a so-called “waiting week,” a 7-day period during which no benefits are paid. Electronic transfers of benefits to eligible individuals usually occur within 2-3 business days of certification.
Those claiming Illinois unemployment insurance can be paid a maximum of 26 weeks of standard benefits throughout the year. Extra weeks of benefits may be available via the Emergency Unemployment Compensation program. Individuals must take the option of withholding federal income tax from their Illinois unemployment insurance payments to the amount of 10% because their UI benefits might well be taxable under the law.
Weekly benefits are ascertained by analyzing the total wages paid to you by each of your employers in the preceding timeframe to your unemployment. This timeframe, officially called the “base period,” covers the first four of the last five quarters (three-month slots) during which a claimant earned a salary.
Claimants should be extremely careful, as they can be disqualified from Illinois unemployment insurance for several reasons, including if they were discharged from their previous job for misconduct, quit their job, refused suitable new employment, were involved in a long-running labor dispute, or if they return to work without informing the authorities that operate Illinois unemployment insurance.