How to File for Unemployment Benefits in Georgia
If you have recently lost your job in Georgia, you should file for unemployment benefits immediately to minimize the break in your income. You are generally eligible for benefits in Georgia if you have worked for most of the past two years and if you lost your job through no fault of your own. You may even be eligible if you were fired or if you quit, as long as you were not fired for willful misconduct or for committing a crime, or you quit your job for a work-related reason, such as a change in your job conditions.
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Instructions
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Determine if you are eligible to receive unemployment benefits in Georgia by asking yourself if you lost your job because of no fault of your own. If you are you out of work because of a layoff, you are almost certainly eligible for unemployment insurance.
Determine if you earned enough money in the base period to set up a claim.
Make sure you are able to work, are available for work, and you are actively seeking work each week you claim benefits.
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Prior to filing an unemployment claim find the following documents:
Your Social Security card
An employer-issued separation letter/notice, if one was provided
Names, addresses, and dates worked of all employers for the past 18 months
Proof of immigration status if not a U.S. citizen.
Personal check with account number and bank routing number if you want benefits deposited directly into a checking or savings account
If you separated from the military in the last 18 months, bring DD214 Member 4
If in the last 18 months you worked for the federal government, bring Standard Form 50 and Standard Form 8
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File your unemployment claim as soon as you lose employment. Claims filed in Georgia are not effective until the date they are filed and will not be considered retroactive to the last day worked.
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To file online, click on the link to the unemployment application in the References section and follow the steps.
Go to any Georgia Department of Labor Career Center if you want to file in person. To find the office nearest call 1-866-873-5676. The Career Centers are open Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
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Wait until you receive a written determination from the Georgia Department of Labor telling you whether you will receive unemployment benefits. The determination is typically issued about 14 to 21 days after the day you file. If are awarded unemployment benefits your first check will usually be mailed on the same day as the written decision.
Claim benefits each week you are unemployed prior to receipt of your determination in order to receive payment for those weeks as well. The final amount is based on the wages you earned in the base period.
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References
- Photo Credit georgia.gov
