Unemployment insurance is a form of temporary income that is provided by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development to workers who have become unemployed through no fault of their own. To be eligible for unemployment benefits in New Jersey an applicant must be a New Jersey resident, all of his employment must be in New Jersey for the 18 months prior to applying for benefits, and he must have earned a minimum of $7,500 or worked 20 consecutive weeks prior to seeking unemployment.
At first sure you are filing for unemployment benefits with the appropriate state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 12% of NJ residents work out of state. If you live in NJ but worked in another state, you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits in NJ. Call the unemployment office in the state where you were employed to determine where you should file. For example, if you live in NJ and worked in NY, call the NY unemployment office for out-of-state residents at 1-877-358-5306. A representative should be able to tell you if you should file in NY or NJ. The resources section below contains links to information about how to apply for unemployment benefits in PA, NY, and CT.
Then determine if you are eligible for unemployment benefits. To qualify for unemployment you must be a New Jersey resident, have earned a minimum of $7,500 or worked 20 consecutive weeks prior to seeking unemployment, and be unemployed through no fault of your own.
A base week is a calendar week in the base period, which is the 12-month period prior to the applicant's job loss. This 12-month period contains 4 of the 5 calendar quarters that are used to determine an applicant's weekly benefit. A more detailed explanation is given in a claimant manual published by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It can be found in the lwd.dol.state.nj.us
In order to qualify for unemployment a worker must be involuntarily unemployed. A worker is involuntarily unemployed if he is laid off, let go because of downsizing or a company shutdown, or his union initiated a strike. A worker who quit or was fired may also be eligible for unemployment benefits, but he must demonstrate to the claims examiner that the unemployment is involuntary. A worker may be involuntarily unemployed because he quit or was fired because he quit due to an ongoing conflict with a coworker or boss that could not be resolved, he quit because his work conditions were not safe or intolerable, or he was fired for poor job performance without warning.
Even if you think you may not be eligible, file anyway. According to NJ unemployment compensation law, if an employer does not respond to requests for information the Department of Labor is authorized to make a determination for benefits based on available information. That means that if you quit your job because of a conflict with a coworker and your employer fails to return information requests from the Department of Labor about the reason for your quit that the DOL will use information you provide to made a determination.
A more detailed explanation is given in a claimant manual published by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It can be found in the lwd.dol.state.nj.us
After this Apply for benefits. To file a claim you will need your social security number, the name, address, and telephone number of your four most recent employers, the dates of your first and last day of employment, and the reason for the separation from employment. Some applicants may also need an alien registration number (for non-U.S. citizens), recall date, or union information.
Applications can be filed online at http://njsuccess.dol.state.nj.us/html/uimain.html or by telephone Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Applicants in Northeast New Jersey who file by telephone should call the Union City Reemployment Call Center at (201) 601-4100. Applicants in Northwest and Central New Jersey should call the Freehold Reemployment Call Center at 732-761-2020. Applicants in South Jersey should call the Cumberland Reemployment Call Center at 856-507-2340.
lwd.dol.state.nj.us - File For Unemployment Benefits In New Jersey
njsuccess.dol.state.nj.us - Claim Unemployment Insurance in New Jersey
New Jersey unemployment insurance provides help to citizens who have lost their jobs or whose employment has been affected by a natural disaster. Unemployment payments provide temporary partial wage replacement to support workers while they are seeking employment. To receive unemployment insurance payments, you must file a claim only when you become unemployed or partially unemployed. You can apply for unemployment insurance online or over the telephone in New Jersey.
Have available a paper and pencil, your Social Security number and--for direct deposit--your banking information. List employer information for all jobs in the last 18 months, supplying name, address, telephone number, beginning and end dates of employment, and reason you are no longer working there.
Filing online is encouraged if, in the past 18 months, you have not worked outside of New Jersey, worked for the federal government, served in the military, worked as a maritime employee or resided outside the United States. If any of these are true, you must file on the telephone.
File online go to lwd.dol.state.nj.us Fill out the entire form and click "Apply" on the unemployment claim form online. When filling out your form, make sure that your computer is not idle for 30 minutes or more, or your session will "time out" and all of your information will be lost.
File on the phone. Call the Reemployment Call Center if you are not eligible to file online or would prefer to apply by telephone. Call centers are open Monday through Friday from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m and Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 12 p.m. Call during the week that you want your claim to begin so that your claim is dated correctly. There are three different claims offices and instructions for calling located on the state unemployment insurance website.
lwd.dol.state.nj.us/labor - File NJ Unemployment Claim
At first Check to make sure you are filing for unemployment benefits with the appropriate state. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, more than 12% of NJ residents work out of state. If you live in NJ but worked in another state, you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits in NJ. Call the unemployment office in the state where you were employed to determine where you should file. For example, if you live in NJ and worked in NY, call the NY unemployment office for out-of-state residents at 1-877-358-5306. A representative should be able to tell you if you should file in NY or NJ. The resources section below contains links to information about how to apply for unemployment benefits in PA, NY, and CT.
Determine if you are eligible for unemployment benefits. To qualify for unemployment you must be a New Jersey resident, have earned a minimum of $7,500 or worked 20 consecutive weeks prior to seeking unemployment, and be unemployed through no fault of your own.
A base week is a calendar week in the base period, which is the 12-month period prior to the applicant's job loss. This 12-month period contains 4 of the 5 calendar quarters that are used to determine an applicant's weekly benefit. A more detailed explanation is given in a claimant manual published by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development. It can be found in the resources section below.
In order to qualify for unemployment a worker must be involuntarily unemployed. A worker is involuntarily unemployed if he is laid off, let go because of downsizing or a company shutdown, or his union initiated a strike. A worker who quit or was fired may also be eligible for unemployment benefits, but he must demonstrate to the claims examiner that the unemployment is involuntary. A worker may be involuntarily unemployed because he quit or was fired because he quit due to an ongoing conflict with a coworker or boss that could not be resolved, he quit because his work conditions were not safe or intolerable, or he was fired for poor job performance without warning.
Even if you think you may not be eligible, file anyway. According to NJ unemployment compensation law, if an employer does not respond to requests for information the Department of Labor is authorized to make a determination for benefits based on available information. That means that if you quit your job because of a conflict with a coworker and your employer fails to return information requests from the Department of Labor about the reason for your quit that the DOL will use information you provide to made a determination.
A more detailed explanation is given in a claimant manual published by the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development.
Apply for benefits to file a claim you will need your social security number, the name, address, and telephone number of your four most recent employers, the dates of your first and last day of employment, and the reason for the separation from employment. Some applicants may also need an alien registration number (for non-U.S. citizens), recall date, or union information.
Applications can be filed online at njsuccess.dol.state.nj.us or by telephone Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Applicants in Northeast New Jersey who file by telephone should call the Union City Reemployment Call Center at (201) 601-4100. Applicants in Northwest and Central New Jersey should call the Freehold Reemployment Call Center at 732-761-2020. Applicants in South Jersey should call the Cumberland Reemployment Call Center at 856-507-2340.
lwd.dol.state.nj.us - File Unemployment Claim
If you want to File Unemployment Claim New Jersey follow step by step instructions that will help you claim benefits through NJ state unemployment office.
First and foremost, apply as soon as you lose the job. State unemployment offices generally take 1-3 weeks to process your application, especially for the initial claim. The compensation will be paid from the week you applied and if you delay, you will lose the benefits prior to the week of filing. You won't be allowed to back-date your claims or claim the benefits for prior weeks.
New Jersey Unemployment Compensation Eligibility Requirements
1. There are some basic rules for eligibility. Even if you meet some of these rules partially, you should still apply for unemployment because state offices make a reasonable attempt to process your claim, as long as you provide a good justification.
2. You must have lost your job through no fault of your own. That means if you have quit job voluntarily you may not qualify for unemployment insurance. However, there are exceptions - such as working in hazardous or inhuman working conditions etc. to this rule.
3. You must be willing and able to work. If you are physically disabled, you do not qualify.
4. You must have worked minimum number of weeks specified by the State. New Jersey State minimum weeks of covered employment requirement (employer must have paid unemployment taxes on your behalf): 20
5. You must have earned minimum amount of wages specified by State during this period. This amount may change every year. You can get get complete eligibility criteria and the benefits calculator from state website mentioned in the next section. Minimum wages earned during the base period: $7,200
Prepare documents required to apply for unemployment in NJ
Your name, address, social security number and other personal details such as telephone number, email address etc.
Dependents name, date of birth and their social security number.
Details of your previous employer. For each employer, you need to provide
Name and address
Telephone number
Start and end dates of employment
If you had out-of-state employment in the past 18 months, you also need to provide the employment details.
Reason you lost the job – it has to be involuntary to be eligible to receive benefits.
Your job skills summary
If you are not an US citizen, keep your alien registration number and work authorization.
However if you are on a work visa such as H1-B, immigration experts do not advise claiming unemployment insurance.
Apply for Benefits or Claim Extension
You can submit your application for unemployment compensation online, off-line (by mail or by visiting local employment office) or through telephone. Online application is the quickest and most efficient option which will also be available 24x7, 7 days a week.
Prepare and submit your application online go lwd.dol.state.nj.us
If you choose to file over phone, call the unemployment compensation services toll-free number at (888) 795-6672 if you are currently living outside of New Jersey but worked in NJ state in the past. If you are from North East New Jersey, call Union City office at (201) 601-4100. Northwest and Central NJ is serviced at (732) 761-2020 which is the Freehold office. South Jersey residents must contact Cumberland office at (856) 507-2340.
If you are applying for unemployment extension in New Jersey, make sure you check the latest rules. Many states are in the process of revising the rules to extend the benefits beyond the initial period. Also, remember that you need to report unemployment benefits as an income when you file taxes with IRS at the end of the year.
All the major cities in New Jersey including Newark, Jersey City, Paterson,Elizabeth, Edison, Toms River, Trenton, Camden, Brick Township, and Clifton have an unemployment office location to process unemployment claims. You can visit the local office for consultation or to file for unemployment in person