Have you recently lost your job? If so, you may qualify for unemployment benefits: money paid by the state to those who are temporarily out of work.

This site provides clear, accurate information on collecting unemployment benefits in Ohio, including:

• whether you are eligible for benefits
• how to apply for benefits
• how much you'll get (and how long your benefits will last)
• what you'll have to do to keep collecting benefits, and
• what to do if your application is denied.

Here are three things to keep in mind as you get started:

1. You may be eligible for benefits even if you quit or were fired for cause. 

Some people mistakenly believe that unemployment is available only to employees who are laid off. However, you don't have to lose your job in a layoff to qualify for benefits. The key question is whether you are out of work without fault on your part. So, if you were forced to quit your job in lieu of being fired, or you were fired because you don't have the necessary skills for your job, you could still be eligible for benefits. 

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Ohio's unemployment insurance agency website gives you the information you need to apply for unemployment insurance in Ohio. The Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation’s website tells you:

• What information you’ll need on hand to apply for unemployment insurance benefits
• How to apply online for unemployment insurance benefits
• How to apply for unemployment insurance benefits by phone by calling the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation at 877-644-6562
• How to calculate the amount of unemployment insurance benefits you can receive, and
• What to do to keep receiving unemployment insurance benefits in Ohio.

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You qualify for unemployment benefits in Ohio if you meet two basic requirements:

• you must have earned at least a minimum amount in the time before you lost your job, and
• you must be out of work through no fault of your own.

If you meet these two qualifications when you apply, you will likely be eligible to receive unemployment benefits. (To keep receiving benefits after you are found eligible, you will also have to meet your state’s job search requirements; to learn more, see What Do I Have to Do to Keep Receiving Unemployment Benefits in Ohio?)

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In Ohio, you can earn up to $435 per week in unemployment benefits. 

Every state has its own rules for calculating unemployment benefits. Typically, the amount you receive each week is based on your earnings when you were employed. After all, unemployment benefits are intended to replace some of the income you lost along with your job, and tide you over until you find new work.

Calculating Your Benefit Amount

Your weekly unemployment benefit amount depends on your earnings during the base period.

To calculate your weekly benefit in Ohio, you must first figure out your average weekly wage. This is your total earnings during the base period divided by your qualifying weeks of employment (weeks during which you worked for an employer covered by the unemployment laws during the base period). Your weekly benefit is one-half of your average weekly wage. 

Currently, the most you can receive each week is $435 per week; the minimum amount you can receive is $118 per week. These limits are adjusted from time to time for inflation.

Ohio pays a higher weekly benefit amount to claimants with dependents. For children, a dependent is a child for whom you have paid more than half the support for the 90 days prior to filing for benefits. The child must either be under the age of 18 or older and unable to work due to a permanent disability. A spouse may qualify as your dependent if he or she had income less than 25% of your average weekly wage during the base period and you provided more than half of your spouse's support for the 90 days prior to filing for benefits. The additional amount you will receive depends on how many dependents you have and your average weekly wage during the base period. See Ohio's Worker's Guide to Unemployment Compensation for more information. 

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In Ohio, you can receive unemployment benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks.

Each state sets its own rules for how long unemployment benefits last. Until quite recently, virtually all states offered a maximum of 26 weeks of benefits. In the last five or six years, however, some states have changed their rules on duration of benefits (in most cases, to offer benefits for a shorter period of time).

There are two programs that provide additional weeks of benefits in times of high unemployment: extended benefits (EB) and emergency unemployment compensation (EUC).

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After your application for unemployment insurance benefits is approved by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation, you can’t just sit back and collect benefits—you have to do certain things to stay eligible. After your initial claim for unemployment benefits is approved in Ohio. You have to:

• be unemployed or underemployed (generally, earning close to what you receive in weekly benefits)
• be able and available to work
• be actively looking for work, and
• file to continue to receive benefits.

Unemployed Or Underemployed

You have to be unemployed or earning significantly less than you used to (also called being “underemployed”) to continue to receive unemployment benefits. You have to report any earnings from work to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation. In some states, you will still be entitled unemployment benefits if you earn less than your weekly benefit amount; about half the states will allow you to continue receiving benefits even if you earn a bit more than your weekly benefit amount. You will be allowed to set aside some of what you earn (the amount varies from state to state). The rest will be subtracted from your usual weekly benefit amount, and you will receive the difference. For more information about receiving partial unemployment benefits, see How Much Will I Collect in Unemployment Benefits in Ohio?

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If Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation denies you unemployment insurance benefits, you can appeal. After you file your initial claim for unemployment benefits, the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation will send you a written determination of your eligibility for benefits and, if it finds you eligible, how much you will receive in benefits. But, if the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation finds that you are not eligible for benefits or grants you benefits in a lower amount than you believe you are entitled to, you can appeal that decision. And, if the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation finds you eligible to receive benefits, your ex-employer can appeal that decision.

If you want to appeal the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation decision, check the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation website and handbook for:

• Any forms and instructions for filing your appeal
• The deadline for filing your appeal
• What to do if you are filing late
• Where and how to file your appeal
• How long the appeal process takes
• What happens to your benefits while you wait for a decision on your appeal, and
• A link to the Ohio Unemployment Compensation Review Commission that will review your appeal.

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Having your own lawyer to represent you in the unemployment insurance benefits process in Ohio will level the playing field for you—because your ex-employer will be represented. Your ex-employer is almost certainly going to have a lawyer or two offering guidance through the Ohio unemployment process. This legal advice can give your ex-employer an edge over you in the process, especially if they intend to challenge your claim for benefits. Your own lawyer can:

• Help you figure out if you are eligible for unemployment insurance benefits in Ohio
• Tell you if your employer’s stated reason for terminating you is valid and will bar benefits
• Guide you through Ohio’s unemployment insurance benefits claim process
• Advise you on how to keep receiving unemployment insurance benefits, and
• Assist you if you need to appeal a denial of unemployment insurance benefits by the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation

Check the website of the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation before you see a lawyer to get information about applying for unemployment benefits and your rights and obligations under the unemployment laws of Ohio. The website and the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Office of Unemployment Compensation claimant handbook, Worker's Guide to Unemployment Compensation, have answers to your questions about the filing process. To find a lawyer in Ohio, check the Ohio Bar Association lawyer referral services and the lawyer directory of Nolo.com.

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