Qualification and Eligibility

If you are back to work but working less than full-time hours, you may be able to continue receiving unemployment benefits. However, the amount you earn will affect your weekly benefit amount (WBA). If you are working with reduced hours (underemployed), you are required to report your gross earnings (the total earnings before taxes and deductions) for each week you work when you certify for benefits. Earnings include any wages from employment or payment for personal services. You can check your MiWAM account page for the reduced payment amount.

Other types of payments that you are required to report include the value of room and board related to employment (for example, a property manager living on site that does not pay rent or utilities), vacation or holiday pay; bonus pay, severance pay and pension payments.

When special payments are reported, the Unemployment Insurance Agency determines if these payments will reduce a claimant’s benefit payment, and if so, the amount of the reduction. For special payments you will receive a determination (Form UIA 1302) with details about the reduced payment.

In general, if gross earnings or special payments for the week exceed 1.5 times your weekly benefit amount (excessive earnings), you will not be eligible for benefits for that week, including the $600 Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (PUC) payment.

To calculate your earnings for the week, multiply your hourly rate of pay by the number of hours you worked during the week (Sunday through Saturday).

When certifying each week online or by phone, be sure to answer yes when asked if you worked during a specific week. Be sure to report earnings for the week in which you performed the work, NOT the week in which you received the payment. Often times a commission cannot be attributed to being earned in a specific week. In those cases, the pay must be reported the week in which, it is paid. Report the total amount of earnings before taxes are taken out.

Learn more about underemployment here.

There is a waiting period before the first payments may be issued. UIA must not make the first payment before 10 days from the date your Monetary Determination is issued. This can be referred to as a first payment review hold, or 10 day hold.

Payment is not guaranteed after 10 days. It is just the minimum amount of time that must pass before a payment can be issued. 

You may file a claim at any time.  If you do not have a benefit year already in effect, then the Agency will determine if you can establish a claim. Each allowed claim is good for a 52-week period (a benefit year), the amount of payable weeks depends on the benefit entitlement, up to 26 weeks maximum.

If there is a balance of unpaid weeks, the claim can be reopened during that 52-week period. After the benefit year is expired, a new claim can be filed. Weeks left over from a previous claim do not carry over to a new claim. 

If the previous weeks claimed are on the same benefit year, yes.  If the weeks claimed are on a previously ended benefit year, No.

Each time you file a new claim, your unemployment benefit entitlement is established. Weeks left over from a previous claim do not carry over to a new claim.

To collect unemployment benefits, you must be unemployed or underemployed. If you’re on a furlough, shut down, or temporary layoff this may apply to you. You may work part-time and collect a partial unemployment benefit payment. The unemployment week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday even though your employer may have a different pay schedule.

Be sure to report the total gross earnings for work you performed in the week you are claiming. The total gross earnings are earnings before any deductions. The total gross earnings must be reported even if you have not received your paycheck for that week.