I can start applying for unemployment in mid-May, right around the time I start grad school. Since grad school is night and weekend classes, I was told that I cannot count that towards getting unemployment... but if I took one random daytime course at the local community college for an hour every other day, would that count?

Don't get me wrong, I will be looking for a job while in grad school, but until I find one, will I really have to meet all the standard unemployment requirements for a person who isn't in school at all? The grad school classes I will be taking are specific to the industry I work in and will help me get a better job in the future. The classes aren't offered during the day. If they were day classes, would I not have to prove my job search each week? This doesn't seem fair... at all.

Thanks for your help!

Please don't start a new thread every time. If you want to add information to an existing thread, just hit "Reply" and type your message. We read hundreds of posts every day. Thanks.

And, just like my answer to your last question, this one can only be answered with any certainty by your own state UI office.

I know that I have to prove that I am looking for a job in order to receive unemployment pay. Does it matter whether the jobs I'm applying to are full- or part-time? Can I still get full unemployment wages if the jobs I'm applying for are only part-time jobs?

Or, is it mandatory that I apply for full-time jobs since the job I was laid off from was full-time? (Can I still receive full unemployment pay if the job I am ultimately seeking is only part-time?)

Thanks,
Anna

Basically, you have to realize what UI is there to do.

It is to try to bridge the gap between jobs. Temporarily.

Therefore, if you are not looking for full time employment, the UI will stop because you are no longer temporarily full time unemployed.

If you are going to school, you are not looking for work are the UI will stop because you are no longer temporarily full time unemployed.

Do the %-age of federal income taxes withheld from unemployment income go by the same tax withholding tables as the regular income tax tables?

Let's use a single person making $500 a week in UI wages in 2008 as an example. Would the amount of federal income taxes withheld from each UI check be $60? (calculation: $14.70 plus 15% of the amount over $198)

I don't know any reason why the withholding calculation would be any different than it is for wages.

I learned on this forum that unemployed people who are filing for UI benefits are asked to establish a minimum acceptable salary/wage range when filling out the paperwork so that he/she doesn't have to "settle" for a low-paying job if offered one.

Is there a set formula for determining what this hourly wage or annual salary amount should be set at, based on the person's previous earnings? If, for example, my previous job paid $50K annually, what is an acceptable minimum pay rate- that is, if offered a job- to include in my UI application?

I learned on this forum that unemployed people who are filing for UI benefits are asked to establish a minimum acceptable salary/wage range when filling out the paperwork so that he/she doesn't have to "settle" for a low-paying job if offered one.

Really? Show me where someone said that. It is possible that the UI folks will take a major cut in pay into account, but there is no way that an applicant for UI could state that he/she would not work for less than $X and get benefits if some company offered less.

Actually, I think it was my local SEC office that told me I can establish a min. acceptable wage when I file for UI, not this forum. It makes good sense because otherwise I wouldn't have any protection against having to accept a much lower paying job than I had previously.

I will receive a lump sum severance payment on my official "seperation date" of March 31st. Will I be able to get unemployment as early as the first week in April, or do I have to wait a certain period of time?

A separation payment is any payment which was made, is being made, or will be made, to an individual as result of separation from last employment. Separation pay may be in the form of wages in lieu of notice, accrued vacation pay, terminal leave pay, severance pay, or accumulated sick leave payment. An individual who receives separation pay is not considered to be unemployed during the time period covered by the payment. If the employer does not specify a period of time covered by the separation payment, the Commission will use the claimant's previous pay rate to compute the covered time period. The resulting number is added to the last day of actual work to determine the date the individual is no longer in pay status. Week-ends are not used in computing time covered by separation payments for persons who worked a five-day week. The effective date of the new claim is the Sunday of the calendar week in which the number of days covered by the separation payment is less than five.

Note: Individuals receiving separation pay are considered to be unemployed during any week that they are registered at or attending an institution of higher learning, a secondary school or an approved Commission training program.

http://www.osp.state.nc.us/RIF/EERif/UIReference.htm

I think I meet the exception- I will be starting grad school in mid-May and have already paid my enrollment deposit. I cannot actually register for classes until May 12th (classes start May 15th). Considering my school situation, do you think I can apply for unemployment as early as April 1st even though my severance pay period lasts until about mid-May?

I wish I could go ahead and register for my classes now to prevent any confusion or "red flags" when I try to apply for unemployment in April, but since registration doesn't start until May 12th, do you think that the enrollment deposit will suffice?

Should I be okay to apply for unemployment as early as April 1st if I can prove that I have paid my enrollment deposit?

Paying a deposit does not mean you are actively a student.

How do most businesses determine severance pay for laid off workers?

I am only getting one weeks' pay for every 6 months that I completed on the job. Is this typical, or does it sound like it's on the lower end? I know severance pay varies for each person and there's no secret formula, but I just want to make sure I'm getting everything that I can.

Thanks in advance for your response!

Is it okay if I skip a week of filing for UI? If I do this, will I have to forfeit the week of unemployment pay or can I still claim the week later on?

In other words, does the 26 weeks (max.) worth of unemployment pay have to be taken on 26 consecutive weeks? Or, is it the case that the 26 weeks just have to be claimed within a year of being laid off (and there can be unclaimed weeks in between)?

How do most businesses determine severance pay for laid off workers?

I am only getting one weeks' pay for every 6 months that I completed on the job. Is this typical, or does it sound like it's on the lower end? I know severance pay varies for each person and there's no secret formula, but I just want to make sure I'm getting everything that I can.

Thanks in advance for your response!

Severance pay is granted at the discretion of the employer. Severance pay is normally contingent on several things, including --
Length of service. Severance typically ranges from no pay to one or two weeks of pay for each year of service, with pay capped at a certain number of months.
Level in the organization. Executive-level employees normally get anywhere from six months to one year of pay. Management-level employees get anywhere from three to six months. Nonexempt staff might get anywhere from no severance to 12 weeks' pay.
Size of the organization. Larger companies generally offer more formalized severance packages.
In most cases, a termination based on poor performance won't include a severance package, while layoffs generally include some form of severance.

No you can't pick and choose which weeks you will receive UC in order to make it last longer.

I'd say one week for every 6 months employed is fairly generous, especially absent a contract as severance isn't required at all.