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How Do I Prepare to Make My Weekly Claim?

Making your weekly claim is easy if you take time to prepare. Follow these steps:

1. Have your social security number and your PIN (personal identification number) available.
2. If you worked and earned wages during the week you are claiming (including self-employment wages), or you received or will receive vacation, holiday, or W.A.R.N. pay for the week, be sure you know the gross amounts (total dollars and cents before any deductions) of the pay before you claim. You will not be allowed to claim the week without reporting the gross amount if you worked during the week. Be aware that wages you report are verified with employers to ensure proper payments.
3. If self-employed during the week you are claiming, be sure you know how many hours you worked. You must report the hours you worked in self-employment even if you had no earnings for the week.

By Internet

The Internet weekly claim filing system will ask the same questions as the telephone system. (See sample below.) However, you will respond by clicking on the correct answers or typing information in the appropriate spaces. You will receive a confirmation page to indicate your claim has been filed after you complete the questions and click "Submit". Your Internet weekly claim is not complete until you receive the confirmation page.

By Telephone

You may be asked questions in addition to those listed in the samples below.

• Do we have your current address?
• Before entering your claim through this system, you must understand that you can be penalized for giving false answers or withholding information. If you understand this, press 1. If not, press 9.
• Please stay on the line until you hear the message: "Your weekly claim has been filed". If you hang up before this message, your answers will not be recorded and you will have to call again.

  You must report all wages earned during the week you are claiming even though you may not be paid until later. In addition to wages, you must report tips, commissions, bonuses, show-up time, and military reserve drill pay. Board, lodging and any other payments not in cash or by check also must be reported. If your income for the week is from self-employment or National Guard drill, you need to discuss this with us each week. We will then instruct instruct you on how to answer.

• Were you physically able to work and available for work each day of the week?

  Being able and available to work means you had no illness, injury or personal circumstances that would keep you from starting a job or working during the week claimed.