I received this note from a visitor. The base of the question seems to be whether you can receive Minnesota unemployment benefits if you are self employed and not making ends meet, or if you’ve quit a job. Unfortunately in both cases you are generally not eligible for unemployment benefits. To receive unemployment insurance you must generally have lost your job and not left on your own by quitting. You also must not have lost your job due to “cause”. Lastly, if you are self employed and finding business slow you are also not able to receive unemployment. You’re best bet is to find some form of employment that provides at least as much as you would receive from unemployment. Then look for something better or try and improve your business. If then you lose your job through no fault of your own you may be eligible for unemployment benefits. Good luck to you on your future.
“I am 57 years old. I have worked all of my adult life (and most of my teen years). I am an interior designer. A little over a year ago, I voluntarily left a furniture store. (I was, however, very concerned about being let go, because you are required to meet a monthly minimum for 3 mos. in a row and with the economy tanking and over hiring on their part it looked as though I may have had only one month left. I chose to quit instead of being fired. Since then I have tried to work independently. I have made a little money throughout the year but for the last two months I have only made $116. And future prospects are not looking good. It looks as though I need to try to find employment through a company rather than independently. What are my eligibility options for unemployment while I give up trying to do it on my own and seeks employment elsewhere? “
If you’ve applied for Minnesota unemployment benefits and been approved you still won’t receive a unemployment check until the third week after your account has been approved. Actually, you won’t get an unemployment check at all most likely, you’ll get one of the new Minnesota unemployment debit cards called the Reliacard. You can also logon to the UIMN unemployment website and change your payment option to direct deposit if you wish. However back to the timing of your unemployment payment.
When you are filing a claim for unemployment benefits the request is for the week past. You can’t file for unemployment benefits for the week you are in or for weeks coming up. You also cannot receive unemployment for the first week so this is why you are filing for the second week that you are unemployed and you must wait for the third week to actually be paid your benefits.
There are also a few things that can delay your unemployment check, one of the most common that people forget about is severance packages or separation pay. When you are paid severance its ususally pay for a period of time, say 30 or 60 days. That pay is treated as if you were working for that period so your unemployment claim would be for the second week after the severance runs out and you would be paid on the third week after severance runs out. Other types of income that delay your Minnesota unemployment check include vacation pay or PTO as some companies call it. Timing is everything when receiving unemployment benefits. Understanding how the timing affects your payment will help you better navigate the UIMN benefits system.
If you have one of the new US Bank Minnesota unemployment debit cards called the ReliaCard you might have some trouble from time to time and need help. The easiest way to get help with your ReliaCard is to just call the 24×7 Reliacard customer service phone number at 1-866-276-5114. This is brought to you by US Bank to manages the ReliaCard unemployment debit card for the State of Minnesota. When you call the customer service phone number you press 1 for English or 2 for Spanish. You can just hold and you’ll hear more options. You will need to have the card number available to verify your account and also the pin number you established when you activated your Reliacard. This customer service phone number unlike many from other states connects you to a LIVE customer service rep who can assist you in many ways. You can obtain balance amount and transaction history or report a lost, stolen or damaged Reliacard. If you have not received a Reliacard and want to track it you can call 1-866-276-5114 and get assistance with all these items. You can even get your pin reset if you’ve forgotten it but be prepared to provide additional verifying information to the operator. If you prefer to conduct customer service items online the Reliacard also has a website you can use. Just visit www.reliacard.com and select Minnesota – Unemployment Insurance Program from the state dropdown list. Enter your userid and you can continue on and conduct your business. If you have not created a userid click the “First Time Signing On” link to establish your online account. If you’ve forgotten your userid click the link for help with that and you can get a reminder of your userid to help you continue forward. Another neat thing about the Reliacard is the ability to logon using a smartphone or tablet. US Bank has created a mobile banking app but you must enroll for it at www.reliacard.com
If you have one of the Minnesota unemployment debit cards from US Bank known as the Reliacard you might be wanting to switch payment of your unemployment benefits to direct deposit. Many times when people receive their payments on the Reliacard they are surprised, expecting that their benefits would be paid by check or direct deposit. The good news is that it is easy to switch to direct deposit but there are some specific actions you need to take to ensure this happens.
To switch your Minnesota Reliacard payments to Direct Deposit
Logon to the www.uimn.org website.
Click on Applicant Login and View and Maintain Your Account.
Click Payment Method Options and follow the prompts to switch your unemployment payments to Direct Deposit.
You will need to provide the routing number of your checking or savings account which is actually your bank’s routing number.
You will also need to provide the account number of your checking or savings account.
You will need to keep using the Reliacard unemployment debit card until you’ve spend the balance. By selecting direct deposit you are not transferring any existing balance to your bank account but re-directing future unemployment benefit payments.
If you elect to have your benefits direct deposited you should not throw away your Reliacard. You will also receive a new Relacard if yours expires. The cards expire every three years and even if you’ve chosen direct deposit the Reliacard remains active in case you want to switch back to the debit card for benefit payments.
Minnesota’s unemployment rate usually fares much better than much of the United States. The unemployment rate was on a nice downtrend until the July 1 Government Shutdown that caused the layoff of thousands of State of Minnesota employees. In fact, due to the government shutdown the unemployment rate in Minnesota rose to 7.2%. While a short term increase that is likely to drop in future months, the increase in unemployment masks actual job growth in the state.
During the Minnesota government shutdown many services and departments were shuttered such as parks and some regulator and licensing departments. The state ran on the bare bones and Minnesota workers began drawing unemployment benefits. Many revenue producing sites such as Canturbury Downs and Running Aces the horse racing tracks were closed putting out of work even employees who don’t work directly for the state. So in summary, the shutdown of the Minnesota government had a ripple effect way beyond government workers that caused the unemployment rate to rise but we should see improvement over the coming months even if the economy lacks in any real economic growth.
Were you denied a claim for Minnesota unemployment benefits? Did you know that you have the right to appeal your claim that was denied? For those who like reading law here is the section of Minnesota law that covers appealing unemployment claims. But for those who just want to know how to appeal your denied claim you can do so online using the web at UIMN or you can appeal a unemployment claim by fax or mail.
– Appeal Your Minnesota Unemployment Claim Online.
Logon to your UIMN account at https://www1.uimn.org/ui_applicant/applicant/login.do and on My Home Page click View and Maintain My Account. Look for Determination And Issue Summary and click that. Click the Issue Identification Number that makes you ineligible for unemployment benefits and under the determination of eligibility click FILE. This will get you on the way to appealing a denied claim.
You can also appeal by Fax by sending a letter to phone number 651-205-4007.
You can appeal by US Mail by sending a letter to address PO Box 75576 St Paul, MN 55175-0576
When you submit your appeal letter all the following information must be included.
State clearly that you are appealing your denied claim for MN unemployment benefits.
State your reason that you are appealing.
Include the Issue ID Number
Include your social security number.
This will get your appeal started and based on the facts that come out your appeal will be granted or denied. Be sure to double check that you’ve provided all the nessary information in your claim to avoid any delays.
Did you know that when using your Minnesota unemployment debit card for purchases you can have amounts held or blocked that are larger than your purchase? If your budget is tight getting a chunk of your unemployment benefit held for days on your debit card can put a real crimp in your lifestyle and budget. Vendors sometimes place a hold on your credit card or debit card as a deposit for when you make a purchase or borrow and item that has a larger value than the fee to rent the item. Take for example the new Nice Ride bikes in Minneapolis. If you were to swipe your unemployment debit card to cover the bike rental you’d be unpleasantly surprised to have a large chunk of your unemployment benefits held while you use the bike and then put back several days after you return the bike. This similar situation can happen with pay at the pump gas. You might only want to pump $10 but the gas station may put a $75 hold on your balance just in case you drive off. So how do you avoid having your unemployment benefit blocked or held?
Watch where you use your debit card. Use it for direct purchases and never for rental transactions. Even drinking in a bar nowdays sometimes results in a tempoary charge placed on your card for fancy glasses etc. If you are buying gas avoid paying at the pump and go inside. Lastly if you have access to an actual credit card use that for rental type purchases. The hold will only go against the available credit and not your valuable unemployment benefits.
If you are on Minnesota unemployment benefits and out looking for employment you may come across what is known as unemployment discrimination. This is where an employer or a job search firm or recruiter screens out applicats who are unemployed refusing to consider their skills in favor of those currently employed. Not fair? Exactly and currently the practice of discriminating against unemployed workers is not illegal on its face but may have legal consequences if it has a disparate impact on protected persons. However what can you do to avoid unemployment discrimination? If you’re out of a job you’re unemployed right? Well not necessairly. There are many options and actions you can take to remove the appearance of being unemployed even if you are out of a job. Consider taking the following actions. All these will show a prospective employer that you are remaining active, keeping your skills sharp and that just becaust you are not being paid you are still being productive.
Consider volunteer work: This goes back to the fact that just because you are not paid doesn’t mean you are not employed. If you are on a job hunt nothing looks better on a resume than continued employment. Why not engage in some volunteer work at a church, food shelf or other charitable organization. Chances are your professional skills are transferrable to volunteer work and you may even aquire new skills. It would certainly appear impressive for an employer to see you are using your free time while job hunting to serve your community. Another benefit to volunteer work is that it increases your social network and may lead to new references or even new job opportunities.
Consider self employment: Just because you don’t work for someone else doesn’t mean you are not employed. Consider self employment while job hunting to bring in additional income, expand your social and professional network and keep a continued work record listed on your resume. Much like volunteering, showing that you are taking action beyond the job search to keep skills sharp is impressive even to those employers who engage in unemployment discrimination.
While not fair, the key to avoiding unemployment discrimination is to avoid falling into the category of unemployed while still being truthful. The actions you take will not only allow you to be seen as employable but will likely help you land that next job opportunity.
If you are receiving Minnesota unemployment benefits a great opportunity is available to work at the Minnesota State Fair. Between August 25 and September 5 2011 the Minnesota State Fair will need thousands of workers to perform all sorts of jobs. You can work while receiving unemployment benefits (though it could reduce your benefit) and get some valuable experience trying something new. The Minnesota State Fair has an employment center that is open various hours but generally 9:00am – 4:30pm Monday – Wednesday. You cna also register online for employment at the State Fair. Detailed information can be found at http://www.mnstatefair.org/general_info/employment.html which is the employment center website. Because State Fair jobs are fluid you won’t find specific job opportunities listed at the website. The employment center takes in the applicant information, then refers the information to the various State Fair employers who will interview you and decide on hiring and how much you would be paid. To work at the Minnesota State Fair you must be 16 years of age or older and be able to work all 12 days that the State Fair is open. The Minnesota State Fair employment center address is 1129 Cathlin Street and additional address and phone number information is listed below.
Minnesota State Fair
Employment Center
1265 Snelling Avenue North
St. Paul, MN 55108
Telephone: (651) 288-4475
E-mail: employment@mnstatefair.org
So if you are looking for some tempoary employment while you are unemployed, consider working at the Minnesota State Fair. You’ll meet lots of interesting people, earn some extra income and have a great time ensuring that the fair is safe and fun for all.
The Minnesota Unemployment UIMN webpage is offered to applicants seeking to apply for unemployment benefits and employers in the state of Minnesota. The Minnesota Unemployment UIMN page has a simplified navigation menu running down the left hand side of the webpage that separates information for applicants, employers, and agents. On the Minnesota Unemployment UIMN page, applicants can login into their account, request updated payment information, apply for benefits for the first time, or they can use a benefits calculator that allows them to determine what they will get from the department in terms of weekly benefits. A digital unemployment handbook is offered, and the site is bilingual offering details in Hmoob, Soomaliga, Spanish or English. Job finding tools are also supplied on the Minnesota Unemployment UIMN website.
The Minnesota Unemployment UIMN section for employers offers details to employer registration, obligations, reportable wages, wages that can be excluded from reporting, covered and non-covered employment, agricultural employment, domestic employment, sole proprietorships, partnerships, LLCs and corporations, s-corporations, non-covered employees, employment in more than one state, independent contractors, leased employees, taxable wages, tax rates, tax rate buydowns, wage details and wage reporting, and fees and penalties. The site also supplies information on how to report business changes, how to terminate an employer account, how to appeal a determination, and more.
You can contact the unemployment department of the state between 8:00 am and 4:30 pm Monday through Friday excluding state recognized holidays. You call the Twin cities phone number: (651) 296-3644, the Greater Minnesota phone number: (877) 898-9090, or the hearing impaired TTY line: (866) 814-1252. For information on appeals you are encouraged to call (651) 296-3745 or you can call (652) 296-6141; if you are looking to speak with a customer service representative, you may do so by pressing the number four when prompted by the automated voice.
