Will Working a Temp Job Affect My Unemployment?
Working a temporary job enables dislocated workers to start earning an income. Although most state labor and workforce development departments approve of unemployed workers securing temporary jobs, landing a temporary position can affect their ability to continue to receive weekly unemployment insurance benefits.
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Eligibility Requirements
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Before dislocated workers can receive unemployment insurance benefits, they must meet state labor and workforce development department eligibility requirements. Although the requirements vary from state to state, generally workers must have earned wages during the first four of the last five quarters. State unemployment offices consider this the base period. Workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own are eligible to receive the benefits.
Working and Unemployment
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Dislocated workers can work temporary jobs. However, if their weekly wages exceed their weekly unemployment benefits, states will put their unemployment benefits payments on hold. All temporary workers have to do is contact their local labor or workforce development department and request to have their benefits reactivated if the weekly wages at their temporary job drop below their weekly unemployment benefits amount. Workers whose temporary jobs pay less than their weekly unemployment benefits amount have the amount of money they receive from their temporary job deducted from their unemployment benefits check. For example, if someone's weekly unemployment benefits check equaled $600 and the person earned $400 on a temporary job, that person would receive $200 in her weekly unemployment benefits check.
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Length of Temporary Work
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The length of time a person works at a temporary job can affect the number of weeks he can file to receive unemployment benefits. For example, unemployment benefit payments are paid out for up to 26 weeks, although claims remain open for 52 weeks. Therefore, if someone works a temporary job for 52 weeks, she would exhaust the number of weeks she could receive unemployment. She would also forfeit any monies remaining in her unemployment benefits claim.
Temp to Full-Time Work
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One of the benefits of working at temporary jobs is that the jobs sometimes translate into full-time positions. If temporary workers exceed employers' expectations, they could be offered permanent work. If this happens these workers must contact their local labor or workforce development departments and inform staff there that they found full-time work. Their unemployment benefits will cease.
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References
- New York State Department of Labor: Unemployment Insurance Division Homepage
- New York State Department of Labor: Employer's Guide to Unemployment Insurance, Wage Reporting, and Withholding Tax
- Texas Workforce Commission: What Is Unemployment Insurance?
- Ohio Department of Job and Family Services: Ohio Unemployment Benefits Online
