Unemployment insurance benefits are essential when workers have to leave their jobs at no fault of their own. However, the amount beneficiaries are eligible for as well as the duration may be different. Not only because of their work history but also due to the fact that they may live in a different state. Apart from that, there might be other requirements that jobless people have to meet to collect unemployment benefits.
Despite the fact that some people who were unemployed could earn higher unemployment checks and enjoy longer duration during the pandemic, this unemployment benefits boost finished. As we said before, there is no federal law regarding unemployment benefits duration or amounts. Besides, there might be great differences between states.
What is the most common duration for unemployment insurance benefits in most states?
Most states have a duration of up to 26 weeks, which is about six months. However, depending on the state and the personal situation of each person that is out of work it could range from just 12 weeks to half a year. Bear in mind that there are about thirteen states that offer less than 6 months for this sort of benefit. It could be enough or not, depending on the unemployment rate in your area and how easy it is to find a job in your field.
Luckily, for those unemployed who really need it and meet the requirements, there might be an extension available. This is commonly known as Extended Benefits or EB. Those citizens that live in Montana and Massachusetts are the luckiest ones since they can benefit from more than 26 weeks of unemployment benefits.
How long can you collect this benefit for the unemployed in Massachusetts?
According to the Department of Unemployment Assistance, you can collect full unemployment insurance benefits for workers for 30 weeks in Massachusetts. This duration could be lower when there are low unemployment rates. It will be unlikely that most beneficiaries qualify to get as many as 30 weeks though. Those who claim unemployment benefits in Montana could collect them for up to 28 weeks. That is according to their Unemployment Insurance Division.
Some states have fewer than 26 weeks. For example, Oklahoma, Iowa, and Arkansas have 16 weeks, South Carolina, Michigan, and Missouri have 20 weeks. Other states updated regularly depending on their rates. For instance, Florida, Kentucky, and North Carolina have 12 weeks. Alabama and Georgia 14 weeks, while Idaho has 21 weeks of unemployment benefits. The standard 26 weeks of benefits is for those remaining states.