How does massachusetts unemployment work

You may be able to get Unemployment faster and more easily than before. See Covid and Unemployment Insurance. Unemployment Insurance benefits are cash payments for workers who have lost their jobs. Unemployment benefits can also include job training while you look for a new job. Not everyone can collect unemployment benefits, but many workers can. If you lose your job, you may be able to get unemployment benefits while you look for a new job.

Each year, employers pay taxes based on the number their ex-employees who collect Unemployment Insurance. This tax pays for the Unemployment Insurance program. If the DUA decides to give you Unemployment Insurance, you will be paid every week until you find a job, for 26 to 30 weeks depending on the unemployment rate - the percent of people who are unemployed in Massachusetts. The idea behind unemployment insurance making cash payments is to help you pay your bills while you look for a new job.

The DUA looks at how much to pay you based on how much you earned for about one year before you stopped working. It uses this information to decide how much money to give you in unemployment payments. If you go to a skills training program to help you get a new job, DUA may pay you for as much as 26 more weeks.

The training program has to be approved by the DUA. To contact the DUA for more information about training, call or , or visit the DUA training website. Usually, you can get about half of what you earned every week when you were working. This amount changes on October 1st of each year. You can also get up to 26 extra weeks of Unemployment Insurance benefits while you attend a job training program.

The training program must be approved by DUA. You must be eligible for Unemployment Insurance benefits to get into a Section 30 training program. As long as you are getting either Federal or Massachusetts Unemployment Insurance benefits you can apply for Section 30 Training. Sometimes you can get federal funding for job training through your l ocal One Stop Career Center. You need to go to the One Stop Career Center to find out about these funds. Go online to find training programs near you.

You may be able to get a Pell Grant to help pay for college. As of June , unemployed workers may get special help with Pell Grants. The US government provides information about Pell Grants and other financial aid programs. If the US government grants a federal extension, you may only be able to get unemployment for up to 26 weeks. Sometimes the economy gets so bad that many people cannot find work. The government recognizes that it is harder than usual for most people to find work.

The US government pays for these extensions. When the US government decides to grant Federal extensions, Massachusetts pays benefits for the first 26 weeks. After that, benefits are funded by the money from the US government. You have the right to an interpreter. Luckily, the state moved quickly to adopt new measures for those affected by the pandemic.

You can apply for unemployment benefits online or by phone. Typically, the maximum amount of time you may receive full unemployment benefits in Massachusetts is 30 weeks.

However, in times of economic crisis, states may choose to revise their benefits — and the federal government may help fund extended state benefits during such times. To qualify for unemployment insurance, you need to meet both federal and state-level requirements. Massachusetts also has weekly eligibility requirements. Every week, you must be actively looking for work and available and physically able to work. The primary base period that the state typically uses to decide weekly payments for most people is the four quarters before you file a claim.

The state allows you to take a weekly average from your top two quarters. To figure out your benefit, add the two quarters with the highest earnings and divide the total by 26 weeks. You can ask the Department of Unemployment Assistance to withhold taxes from your weekly benefits. There are currently two ways to apply for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts — online and by phone. If you were fired for deliberate misconduct relating to the job, however, you may be disqualified from receiving benefits.

You will also be disqualified if you are convicted of a felony or misdemeanor or if you knowingly violate a reasonable and consistently enforced workplace rule, except where your violation of the rule is merely a result of incompetence.

Like every state, Massachusetts looks at your recent work history and earnings during a one-year "base period" to determine your eligibility for unemployment. In Massachusetts, as in most states, the base period is the earliest four of the five complete calendar quarters before you filed your benefits claim.

For example, if you file your claim in April of , the base period would be from January 1, , through December 31, To keep collecting unemployment benefits, you must be able to work, available to work, and looking for employment. If you're offered a suitable position, you must accept it.

Whether a position is suitable depends on how similar the job is to your previous employment, how much you will be paid, the working conditions, and the skills, experience, and training required for the position.

The longer you remain unemployed, the more likely you will have to take work that is outside your field, pays less than your previous position, or requires a longer commute.

You must conduct an active search for work, engaging in at least three work search activities on three separate days of each week. You must keep detailed records of your work search activities, which you may have to provide to the DUA. If you are eligible to receive unemployment, your weekly benefit in Massachusetts will be half of your average weekly wage during the two highest paid quarters of the base period or the highest paid quarter only, if you worked during only two quarters of the base period.

You generally may receive benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks, although extended benefits might be available during periods of high unemployment.

You may file your claim for unemployment benefits in Massachusetts by phone or online. You can find contact information and online filing information at the website of the Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance. Once the DUA receives your application, it will send you a packet of documents, including a Benefit Determination Notice that provides your potential weekly benefit amount. If your unemployment claim is denied , you have ten days to file appeal the decision to the Department of Unemployment Assistance.

The Hearings Department will assign your case to a Review Examiner, who will hold a hearing and issue a decision. At the hearing, which may be held in person or by phone, you may testify, present witnesses, and offer other evidence. If you don't agree with the Review Examiner's decision, you may appeal it to the Board of Review.

And, if you don't agree with the Board's decision, you may file a lawsuit in state court.