unemployment benefits?
My husband recently graduated from college with an associates degree. My husband works about 10 hours a week (at most) as a waiter at a local restaurant. I work full time, but only make about 17K after taxes Needless to say, we are struggling to make basic bills (car insurance, rent, electricity etc).
I want to know would my husband qualify for unemployment, even though he technically works, if you can call $50ish a week "employment."
We are careful with our money, clip coupons, don't eat out etc, so don't give me any of this "you should try to save money" stuff, we already do everything we can.
So, if anyone knows if or how we would go about applying, please help. We are running out of resources, fast.
More Questions From This User See All
Answers & Comments
Unemployment is a state program, and all states are different in how they determine a claim. In Texas, the determination is based on the following:
To receive benefits, you must have earned enough wages in the past to qualify.
They look at the most recent 12-month period called the base period to calculate your benefits. The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters (Calendar quarters are three-month periods beginning with January, April, July, or October.)
This means that when they calculate benefits they can't use earnings in the calendar quarter in which you filed your claim, or the quarter just before that. They base your weekly benefit amount on the highest quarter earnings in your base period. They divide that high quarter's total earnings by 25 to get your weekly benefit amount.
To have a payable claim, the law requires that:
1. You have wages in at least two of the four base period calendar quarters being used, and
2. Your total base period wages are at least 37 times your weekly benefit amount, and
3. If you qualified for benefits on a prior claim, you must have earned 6 times your new weekly benefit amount since that time.
You must be unemployed or partially unemployed through no fault of your own to receive benefits.
So I don't know if he has earned enough money to collect unemployment. The compensation is paid out of a fund that is funded with contributions from the employers you have worked for. If he hasn't worked for anyone before (other than $50/week) he may not have had sufficient wages to qualify.
You can apply on line, so just apply and see what they tell you. Google Unemployment Compensation for your state.
If your husband was working more hours than he currently is working right now than he might qualify. A person may qualify for unemployment if their hours have been reduced. My mother used to work full-time (40 hours) at a company but the company was struggling so they cut everyone's hours to about 30 hours a week. She filed and was awarded partial benefits. I, myself have collected partial benefits recently for working less hours than I'm usually assigned. Tell your husband to file and see what happens. I don't believe there is any penalty in trying as long as you are completely honest in your answers.