What does unemployment pay in illinois

Many jobs are still missing from before COVID, including over one-third of the leisure and hospitality jobs. The state would pay cash to those who go off unemployment. State leaders did nothing to fix it, meaning there could be reduced benefits for the unemployed or higher taxes on employers trying to recover. Rampant fraud and inadequate reporting was also discovered nationwide. Now, over a year into the pandemic, its offices remain closed to the public and 43K Illinoisans are awaiting a call from IDES.

To be eligible for this benefit program, you must a resident of Illinois and meet all of the following: Unemployed, and Worked in Illinois during the past 12 months this period may be longer in some cases , and Earned a minimum amount of wages determined by Illinois guidelines, and Actively seeking work each week you are collecting benefits.

How do I apply for Illinois Unemployment Insurance? Apply for Illinois Unemployment Insurance. How can I contact someone? Receive an email when this benefit page is updated:. Other Benefits People Viewed. Unemployment Insurance. Answer these questions to see if you may be eligible for this benefit.

State or Territory do you live? Employed full-time Employed part-time or seasonal Under-employed working for very low wages Unemployed or about to become unemployed Retired or not seeking employment. Yes No. What do I do next? Didn't find what you were looking for? Take our Benefit Finder questionnaire to view a list of benefits you may be eligible to receive. Start Benefit Finder. This includes unemployment benefits. Child support can only be deducted if the custodial parent has a child support case.

Past due child support can be deducted from your benefits if the IDES receives a court order to withhold income. They will send the original agreement to the IDES and request the payments be deducted.

The agreement must clearly state:. Learn more about paying child support when you are unemployed and changing child support payments. After filing your claim you will receive a Finding. You will be assigned a certification day on either Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday. You must certify on the day listed on your Finding. If you miss your certification day, you can certify on Thursday or Friday of that week. You must certify every two weeks. You can do this online or by calling Tele- Serve at Late certifications will not be accepted.

Failure to certify on your assigned day or the Thursday or Friday of that week could cause denial of benefits or a delay in processing your benefits. Learn more about certifying for benefits.

The IDES sends a debit card a few days after your application is processed. However, it can take a few weeks for the IDES to determine your benefits. You can also set up your bank account to receive direct deposit by logging into your account on the IDES website. Unemployment lasts for 26 weeks 6 months. Employers must pay IDES for every claim that is made by their employees. Unemployment benefits start the Sunday before you file. This means that as long as you are able to file by Saturday, you will not miss out on the week of benefits.

You must file a benefits claim by the end of the first week in which you are unemployed. If you file later and do not request backdating , your claim will start the week it was filed. If you file after your first week of being unemployed but within a year, you can request the IDES backdate your claim. Claims can be backdated if you can show:. You must also show that you filed your claim within 14 days after your reason for not filing ended.

If you did not file your claim on time because of issues with the IDES website, ask a rep about backdating your claim by calling Generally yes.

You must register with IllinoisJobLink. However, if you were temporarily laid off because of coronavirus Covid , you do not need to do this. You just need to be ready to return to your job when it reopens.

You might still qualify. IDES has said they will consider applications from people in this situation. If you are stuck at home because you were diagnosed with Covid, you are unemployed through no fault of your own. But you still need to meet all other requirements for benefits.

This includes:. You are considered able and available for work if there is some work that you can perform from home e. Normally, if you leave work to address childcare needs it would be considered voluntary.

This would disqualify you from receiving benefits. But the statewide school closure in response to the pandemic creates a unique situation. If your children cannot stay home alone and you do not have an alternative, you may be unemployed through no fault of your own.

You still need to meet all other requirements for benefits. Normally you would not qualify if you quit your job voluntarily. But IDES considers the facts of each case, so you may qualify because of the unique coronavirus situation. It will depend on whether you had a good reason for quitting. The reason must be something the employer did. It is unclear. If you have an underlying condition that may seriously compromise your health, you may stay home.

The Occupational Safety and Health Administration OSHA allows you to refuse to go to work and file a complaint if you believe you are in imminent danger.

This is a high standard, and you may still lose your job. If you are still working full-time, you will not be eligible for UI. If your employment is affected by the pandemic, you may qualify for PUA. As an at-will employee, you can be fired for any reason with a few exceptions. You cannot be fired for engaging in a protected activity, such as whistleblowing , or if you have legitimate health concerns.

You may still be eligible for unemployment benefits. If your employer will not let you miss work during the pandemic, you may refuse to return to work. The IDES website has additional information about refusing to return to work.

You must show you have a good reason for refusing a suitable work offer. The IDES will consider:. This depends on your employer and the industry in which you work. Face masks covering your nose and mouth are required in any public place where you are unable to maintain a distance of 6 feet from others. It is recommended that you check with your employer about their safety policy. See our blog post on wearing a mask for more information.

Even if your employer considers you a contractor, or you are a sole proprietor or employee, you should file. The existing Illinois program covers some of these workers. The new federal PUA program covers the ones that the Illinois program does not. IDES has a portal for people to apply for help under the new law. You must first apply under the old law and be denied before you can apply under the new law.

It describes who is eligible for PUA, how to file, and how to avoid common application mistakes. If you are in the Illinois arts community, Lawyers for the Creative Arts might be able to give you free legal help. You can apply on their website. They help people no matter if they are a W-2 employee, , freelancer, or gig economy worker. File in the state where you pay state income taxes. You can still qualify even if:.

Self-employment income does not count towards calculating your benefits.