Anyone who is jobless may petition for OK unemployment benefits. To qualify you must:
- be jobless due to no fault of your own,
- be able to work
- be registered on OKJobMatch.com
- minimum earnings of $1,500 throughout your base period
Types Of Unemployment Benefits
1. Traditional Unemployment Insurance (UI) (UI)
Traditional unemployment compensation is for persons who have suffered a loss of job due to no fault of their own, and who worked for a covered employer who paid Unemployment Insurance (UI) tax.
2. Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) (PUA)
This government program briefly increased unemployment payments to persons who were not qualified for standard Unemployment Insurance, which included self-employed, contract, and gig workers.
Steps to Apply for Unemployment
1. Make sure you are eligible
Unemployment Insurance (UI) aids qualified employees who have lost their job, or are on reduced hours, by giving temporary extra income. If you match the following conditions, you may apply for benefits.
• You are jobless through no fault of your own
• You are able and available to work
• You must have earned a minimum of $1,500 during your base period (the first four of the prior five full calendar quarters) (the first four of the previous five completed calendar quarters).
Since Unemployment Insurance (UI) is an insurance paid by Oklahoma employers, it is not accessible for self-employed, contract, or gig workers.
2. Prepare all your information ahead of time
For your application to be complete, you’ll need the following information and documentation.
• Identification number
• Name, address, phone number, and email address
• Number and expiry date of alien registration, if the non-citizen
• Number on your Oklahoma driver’s license or state-issued ID card
• The company’s name and address on your pay stub or W-2 form
• Dates of employment start and finish
• Earned wages and payment method (hourly, weekly, monthly)
• Form SF8 or SF 50 if you worked for the federal government during the last 18 months
• DD Form 214 for service in the military during the past 18 months
3. Submit an initial application
• Create an ui.ok.gov account. Be sure to add your social security number to your account.
• Sign in to your account and click the link to begin an application for Traditional Unemployment Compensation.
o To navigate across the program, utilize the application’s own next and back buttons. Using the browser’s “Back” button will cause you to lose your progress.
o Completing the application may take up to an hour, depending on your specific needs.
o Closing the application window before completion will need a new application.
• Once your application has been submitted, you will get a letter notifying you of the decision of your claim.
4. After you submit your claim
• Verify your identification by visiting UI.ok.gov or a local Oklahoma Works office. Please note that you will require two kinds of identification for in-person verification.
o For help with online verification, see our video on best practices.
• Create an OKJobMatch account within 7 days of submitting your first application.
o Internet Explorer is no longer supported by OKJobMatch.
• Be willing and able to seek and accept acceptable employment. This involves doing two (2) job searches each week while receiving benefits.
· Maintain a record of your job search activities for two (2) years for auditing reasons using the Work Search Form (view an example of a completed form).
o Job searches may be conducted on okjobmatch.com and other websites, such as Indeed.com and LinkedIn.com.
• Submit weekly unemployment certificates on UI.ok.gov for each week of unemployment. Benefit eligibility requires weekly certifications, which become accessible on the Sunday following the week.
Your benefits will be loaded into a Debit Card for Unemployment Insurance. The card will be provided after your first week of eligibility is processed; however, bear in mind that the first week is your waiting period and no benefits will be paid. Your card may take 1-2 weeks to arrive. Do not discard the debit card, since you will need it to recover cash or to initiate a bank transfer to your account.
If you have received unemployment benefits within the last three (3) years, you must utilize your current card or obtain a replacement.
To learn more about your debit card, please visit www.goprogram.com.
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