Learn How To Apply For Unemployment Claims With Our Guide

Learn How To Apply For Unemployment Claims With Our Guide

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Claiming benefits for unemployment in Connecticut can help you continue to pay your bills and take care of your needs until you find a new job. Once you have filed an unemployment benefits claim, the amount of your unemployment compensation will be determined based on how much you made at your previous job.

We have compiled helpful information, hints, and tips about claiming unemployment benefits in Connecticut on this website and FAQs and our free guide. Learn more about unemployment benefits in Connecticut by reading below, checking out our Connecticut FAQs, and reading our free guide.

Learn About Unemployment Benefits in Connecticut

To determine how much you will receive through your federal unemployment benefits, the state examines your wages for a 12-month period (base period). The base period is drawn from the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the quarter in which you first began your claim.

Applicants who are unable to show financial eligibility for the base period will be able to use an alternate base period. The alternate base period consists of the four calendar quarters that immediately follow the quarter in which the claim was filed.

The law requires that your total earnings during that base period equal 40 times the weekly benefit rate. 

Learn About Filing a Claim in Connecticut

In Connecticut, you can complete the unemployment application process online or over the phone. You should file a Connecticut unemployment benefits claim as soon as you separate from your former means of employment, as federal unemployment benefits typically do not cover any time that falls before the date of a claim.

You do not need to wait for a pink slip or an unemployment package. You can begin your claim process without the documents and then add them once you have received them. However, your payment process may be delayed until the documents are received.

Once you have submitted your Connecticut unemployment benefits claim as well as the necessary information and documents for your application, your request will be assessed to determine whether or not you meet the eligibility requirements to claim unemployment benefits in CT. You may be required to attend a hearing during which your situation, documents and testimony will be taken into consideration.

Your former employer will also be notified so that he or she may attend this hearing or submit a formal statement regarding the reasons for your termination. Moreover, your employer’s testimony and statements will also be considered in your application process.

How Long You May Receive Benefits in Connecticut

If you are accepted into the federal unemployment benefits program, you will be required to file weekly claims following your initial application. Filing can be completed either online or over the phone. However, to continue claiming benefits for unemployment, you must continue to meet the following requirements:

  • You must be physically and mentally able to work full-time.
  • You must be either fully or partially unemployed.
  • You must be able to take on full-time work.
  • You must continue to actively seek out new job opportunities on a weekly basis.
  • If a reemployment service is assigned, you must actively participate in the service.
  • You must continue to file weekly claims.

Failure to maintain these requirements may result in a termination of benefits. In most cases, the maximum number of weeks you can receive unemployment benefits is 26 unless you are given an unemployment benefits extension during a time of high statewide unemployment.

Learn About Unemployment Benefits and Federal Income Tax in Connecticut

Beneficiaries can alter the amount of federal unemployment benefits they receive by having taxes withheld from their payments. Doing so makes tax season more manageable since you must include unemployment compensation in your gross income when filing your taxes. If you do not withhold, you may be required to make quarterly estimated tax payments.

Last Updated: October 10, 2022