How to get unemployment benefits in Delaware: Filing requirements

How to get unemployment benefits: Unemployment benefits can be a lifesaver if you’ve just lost your job, been temporarily laid off, or had your work hours curtailed. Workers in Delaware can obtain money, job training, resources for job searching, and career counseling through the unemployment insurance program.

To help you fill the time between jobs, unemployment benefits might offer a steady income while you look for new ones. What you should know regarding eligibility for benefits is provided here.

What is insurance for unemployment?

One type of insurance scheme is unemployment insurance. Employers are obligated to pay taxes on employee wages to support weekly unemployment benefits.

If you were paid in more than one state during your base year, you must make a combined wage claim by contacting the state in which you were paid for your job during that time.

It is not possible to ascertain a worker’s compensation amount or kind of benefits unless a claim is made. The data you and your employer(s) provide during the application process will determine whether or not each claim is approved.

Fill out the application on the Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance website to submit a claim.

Employee categories that are qualified to apply for unemployment benefits

You can apply for unemployment benefits through the state if you worked for a company that was obligated to pay taxes under Delaware’s unemployment insurance program. Employees in the following categories, in addition to those in the private sector, may be qualified for benefits:

• civilian federal workers
• military individuals
• Employees of nonprofits
• Independent contractors with a Department of Labor registration

If independent contractors—such as gig workers—are not categorized as self-employed workers registered with the Department of Labor, they will not be eligible for unemployment benefits, according to Darryl Scott, director of the Delaware Division of Unemployment Insurance.

Can you receive unemployment benefits if you are self-employed?

A fresh method for confirming identity

To guarantee that your claim is handled appropriately, please fill out your application with all the relevant information truthfully and properly. Giving the addresses and phone numbers of all the employers you’ve worked for in the previous 18 months is part of this.

It also entails producing an official document displaying your social security number and a valid ID from the government. The Department of Labor introduced three new options in November that claimants can utilize to confirm their identity: in-person assistance at participating kiosk locations, supervised video chat, or digital self-service.

The following The UPS Store locations have kiosks available, per the department’s news release:

• Store 7431 – 1007 N. Market St., Suite G20, Wilmington
• Store 1391 – 4023 Kennett Pike, Wilmington
• Store 6185 – 23000 Sussex Highway, Seaford
• Store 5456 – 18766 John J. Williams Highway, Rehoboth Beach

Determining finances and disclosing benefits

You will receive a confirmation number via email and on the screen after submitting your claim online. A financial decision will be mailed to you later. If you fulfill the requirements for monetary compensation, this letter will also include information regarding the wages reported by all employers covered by Delaware’s unemployment insurance statute, as well as your weekly benefit amount.

The director of the department states that the Delaware unemployment insurance statute establishes a weekly benefit amount that falls between $20 and $450. Your overall earnings throughout the base period—which is the first four of the most recent five calendar quarters—determine how much money you will receive. There are four calendar quarters in a year, each lasting three months.

The Sunday of the week that you file your claim is when your benefit will start. Scott stated that while a claim is being examined, applicants must submit a request for benefits. He said that during the four to six weeks it may take to complete a claim, claimants who do not submit a weekly request for payment may face delays or have their benefits suspended.

While their claims are being processed, claimants can submit their weekly claims online via WebBenefits or over the phone via TeleBenefits.

Since claims cannot be retroactively applied, you must file as soon as you become unemployed. Backdating is typically only permitted in situations where an individual’s failure to file claims on time was due to circumstances beyond their control. For consideration, you must email the department.

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Causes for which you could not be eligible for unemployment benefits

After applying, you must create a resume and register for employment openings on the Delaware JobLink website of the Division of Employment and Training. Benefit eligibility will be terminated for noncompliance with this criterion. Additional factors that could prevent you from being eligible for benefits include:

• Reason for leaving employment: Either you left of your own volition or your company fired you for good reason.
• Minimum earnings: During a specified calendar time, you have to have made a minimum quantity of money.
• Work availability: Unless the law expressly provides otherwise, you must be able to work, look for full-time employment, and be willing to accept a position for which you are qualified.
• Overpayment of benefits: Should you have been overpaid for a prior claim, you will have to pay back the excess.

It is imperative that all sources of income, including self-employment, odd jobs, pensions, annuities, holiday pay, vacation pay, severance pay, bonuses, and any other special payments, be disclosed while collecting benefits. If this isn’t done, benefits may not be granted, and fraud may be suspected.

You can get help with the application procedure through chat, the public library, or by visiting an office of the Delaware Department of Labor. Paper applications are available at office locations if that is more convenient.

Consult the Claimant Handbook or give the Delaware Department of Labor’s information hotline a call for more details. For Kent and Sussex counties, the hotline number is 302-794-3032; for New Castle County, it is 302-761-6576.