Georgia Unemployment Benefits and Eligibility

COVID-19 UPDATE: Because the coronavirus pandemic has left so many Americans jobless, the federal authorities has given states more flexibility in granting unemployment benefits. If you have questions most whether you're eligible for unemployment benefits read our COVID-19 Unemployment Benefits and Insurance FAQ and check out Georgia's UI claimant handbook.

A guide to unemployment benefits in Georgia

In the land of Georgia, unemployment insurance benefits are administered by the Georgia Department of Labor (GDOL). Citizens who have go unemployed through no mistake of their ain, and who are ready and able to get to work, may meet Georgia unemployment eligibility to receive this assist. It is provided to individuals at no price.

To collect unemployment benefits, you must annals with the GDOL and start a job search effort that will exist monitored past the department to ensure that claimants are coming together requirements.

How do I use for Georgia unemployment benefits?

When you get unemployed, you tin file a Georgia unemployment application in person or online. If you prefer to do so at home, you tin visit the Georgia unemployment website. To file a physical Georgia unemployment awarding in person, you tin can visit a Georgia unemployment part.

To be able to file for Georgia unemployment online, yous must be at least 18 years old, have a personal email address, and have earned wages from a Georgia employer within the past 24 months.

Later on you submit your application, you will receive a confirmation email with a confirmation number.

If you want to file in person at a local GDOL Career Center, check out this listing of Georgia unemployment role locations, broken down by county.

Whether you apply for Georgia unemployment online or in person, you will need the following information:

  • A signed affirmation that proves you are a U.s. denizen, permanent resident, or noncitizen
  • A passport, driver's license or DHS Employment Authorization
  • Your Social Security number
  • Personal contact data, including name, accost, and date of birth
  • Complete information about your past two years of employment, including all of your previous employers, wages earned, and the reason for your separation from your almost contempo employer
  • If you are a former government employee, you lot must provide an SF-50 or SF-eight form.
  • Former military members must provide a DD214 form.

After y'all submit an initial claim, it will be reviewed to make sure it is complete. If it is certified every bit such, the claimant will be required to enroll in GDOL Employment Services, which is ane of the Georgia unemployment department'south requirements to actively conduct a job search.

Y'all will as well be required to start claiming your first and subsequent unemployment insurance payments past undergoing a weekly recertification process. This will include providing information on your job search besides as certifying that you are in compliance with all other requirements.

To file weekly claims, you will need to accept your Personal Identification Number (issued when you file an initial claim) and your Social Security number.

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Georgia unemployment benefits contacts

If y'all have additional questions about Georgia unemployment, contact the state's Department of Labor:

In person: Find a Georgia DOL Career Center.

By phone:
To reach UI Customer Service, call i-877-709-8185. If you're in Atlanta, call 404-232-3001 between viii:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Online:
dol.georgia.gov

How unemployment works in Georgia

  1. As soon as you become unemployed, file a Georgia unemployment awarding with the country'southward Department of Labor.
  2. Afterwards receiving an approval from the Georgia unemployment department, you must enroll with the Georgia DOL Employment Services to receive benefits. This department volition assist with your job hunt.
  3. You will begin receiving Georgia unemployment weekly claims, anywhere between $55 and $365, depending on your previous work history and case.
  4. To go on receiving benefits, y'all must file a Georgia unemployment weekly claim to prove yous are continuing to search for new piece of work. This is mandatory and must be done weekly.
  5. You are eligible to receive Georgia unemployment weekly claims for between xiv and 20 weeks, depending on the Georgia unemployment rate, so long equally you proceed meeting Georgia unemployment requirements.
  6. In times of loftier unemployment, the land may provide additional help. While Georgia unemployment extensions are rare, y'all may qualify based on a case-by-case ground.

What are the requirements to qualify for Georgia unemployment benefits?

To exist eligible to receive Georgia unemployment compensation, yous must meet the following requirements:

  1. You must be completely separated from your job or take experienced a significant reduction in the number of hours y'all are working.
  2. If you are working part-time or on a temporary ground, you are earning less than what your weekly benefit corporeality would exist.
  3. You must make a reasonable and sustained endeavour to find meaningful and suitable total-fourth dimension work. Y'all volition exist required to document your search efforts when you file for unemployment insurance every week. If you find part-time work, you must proceed searching for full-fourth dimension work. You must brand at to the lowest degree three contacts each week.
  4. You must exist able to show that you are a lawful US citizen, a permanent resident, or a lawfully present noncitizen.
  5. You must accept earned wages in at to the lowest degree six months of your base period. The standard base twelvemonth consists of the first iv completed calendar quarters in the 15 months leading upwards to a Georgia unemployment merits filing. You must besides have earned wages that are at least $1,134 in each quarter, and your full corporeality of wages is 1.five times or higher than the wages you earned in your highest base catamenia quarter.
  6. If yous live in another state just want to collect benefits in Georgia, you must annals with your new home state's workforce bureau and follow that land'due south requirements for conducting a job search. If yous don't do this in a timely manner, your benefits could be delayed or stopped.
  7. You lot volition be required to serve a one week unpaid waiting period. This is usually the showtime week that you file a merits.
  8. To keep getting benefits, you must certify that you are still unemployed every 2 weeks. You lot can practise this via the Internet, through the Georgia unemployment phone number, or in person through a local Georgia DOL center. Failure to claim benefits for two consecutive weeks will pb to a temporary closure of the applicant's UI merits.

FAQs

How much volition my weekly unemployment check exist?

The amount of benefits y'all will receive will be adamant by what your boilerplate bacon is. You volition demand to supply this information when you apply. Currently, the amount of benefits in Georgia ranges from $55 to $365 per week.

Your benefit amount will be determined past the corporeality of wages in your base period, which is the starting time four completed quarters in the 15 months prior to your filing of a claim. However, if you practise not meet insurance eligibility criteria for wages, then yous can request that you be assessed for an alternate base of operations period, which is the last 12 months prior to filing for benefits.

How long you can collect unemployment insurance benefits is dependent on Georgia's unemployment rate on the appointment you file your claim. Currently, applicants can expect to draw benefits between xiv and 20 weeks.

In one case yous file your merits, it is valid for 12 months, and this becomes known as your benefit year. At the terminate of 12 months' time, you volition need to re-file a new claim and meet unemployment insurance criteria all over once more.

How will I be paid?

In Georgia, payments are made by direct deposit to a bank business relationship or funds are loaded onto a debit card.

Reasons your Georgia unemployment claim might exist denied

  • You lot quit your task or you were fired. To collect benefits, you must be laid off or let go through no fault of your ain.
  • Yous are non actively conducting a job search.
  • Y'all are not certifying and claiming your weeks in a timely manner.
  • You lot were not able to look for work due to childcare, illness, transportation, or other related circumstances. Call up, you must be ready, willing, and able to look for and have work every solar day that yous are without a job.
  • Y'all turned down a job for which you were qualified. To collect benefits, you must exist ready to accept a job that matches your skill ready. If you turn down a job so your claim may get into review and could ultimately be denied.
  • You started school or training. You may or may not be denied benefits. Your case will exist reviewed to make up one's mind if you still qualify.
  • Y'all earned money during your claimed week. You may be denied if you earned also much, or you may simply become a partial benefit if the total amount falls below your do good threshold.

What should I do if my unemployment claim is denied?

If y'all are denied benefits, you can go through an appeal process. You must appeal an initial determination regarding a denial within 15 days of receiving a discover. If you exercise not act within this time frame, the decision becomes concluding.

There are several levels you can go through as part of the appeal process, and you can file an entreatment via email, in person, or by mail.

Eligibility Team

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Eligibility Team

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