13-03-2025
Not sure if you're eligible for unemployment? Here's what to know about benefits in Illinois
Though the experience of being laid off is one many Americans can relate to, the process can be daunting and confusing and differs from state to state. The multiple websites, application portals and eligibility requirements only add to the stress of those trying to find work.
Unemployment insurance is a state-operated insurance program designed to partially replace lost wages when you are temporarily or permanently out of a job, out of no choice of your own, or if you work less than full time because of a lack of work. The program ensures that those who are eligible can receive a certain level of income while seeking work.
You can find information about such eligibility requirements, the claim filing process and benefit payments below.
To qualify for unemployment insurance in Illinois, you must be involuntarily out of work entirely or working less than full time because it's not available. You also must have earned at least $1,600 during a recent 12-month base period and at least $440 outside of the base period quarter in which your earnings were the highest.
Your employer must be subject to the state's unemployment insurance law, and you must be not only able and available to work, but also actively seeking work and willing to accept any suitable job offered.
Those who were discharged for misconduct, were charged with a misdemeanor or felony related to their work, voluntarily quit without good cause or are out of work because of a labor dispute are not eligible.
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Make sure to file your claim for unemployment insurance benefits during the first week after you become unemployed. You can file for benefits by creating an account with the Illinois Benefits Information System (IBIS) system or in person at a local Illinois Department of Employment Security office.
To file, you need your social security number, your driver's license or state ID and the name, mailing address, phone number, employment dates and separation reason for all the employers you worked for in the last 18 months. You also need the social security number, date of birth and name of any dependents you claim. Additional records are required for those who received pension payments, noncitizens, recently separated veterans and former civilian employees of the federal government.
You must finish your application in one sitting, as any entered information will be lost if you step away for more than an hour.
Those who are approved will receive a UI Claimant Wage Information Sheet, or UI Finding, in the mail 7-10 days after filing, which contains information including your weekly benefit amount and certification day.
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Individual Illinois residents can receive a minimum of $51 and a maximum of $605 per week in unemployment benefits. Those with a spouse can receive between $66 and $721, while those with a child are eligible for $77 to $827.
You can receive benefits for up to a maximum of 26 weeks in a one-year period.
If you believe you've been wrongfully denied benefits, you can write a letter or complete the Request for Reconsideration of Claims Adjudicator's Determination form within 30 days. Mail, fax or deliver this to your local IDES office. You will then attend an appeal hearing, where you will present your case to an IDES administrative law judge, who will determine whether unemployment insurance benefits are payable.
Any documents entered as exhibits must be faxed or mailed to the judge and any other parties in time to ensure receipt of the documents before the date of the scheduled hearing. Files may be inspected by submitting a completed Review File Request to the local office where the claim was filed or the agency's main office at 33 S. State, Chicago, IL.
After the hearing, you will receive a decision. If you miss the hearing, you can request to reopen the hearing within 10 days after the hearing date.
Those who collect more unemployment insurance benefits than they are eligible for are committing fraud.
To avoid this, follow the rules on the IDES website, report income from part-time or temporary work while looking for a full-time position and report gross wages in the week you work and earn them, not in the week you are paid.
Examples of fraud include falsifying dependency information and providing false and/or inaccurate information to IDES. Those who commit fraud are subject to serious penalties, including prosecution by government authorities, jail or prison sentences, force repayment of unemployment insurance benefits collected, plus penalties and fines, forfeiting future income tax refunds and losing eligibility for future unemployment benefits.
This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Here's how to apply for unemployment insurance in Illinois
