- The calendar weeks (either one or two weeks) for which you are claiming benefits. Unemployment weeks begin on Sunday and end on Saturday. The weeks listed at the top of your form will have Saturday ending dates. There will normally be two weeks listed at the top of the form; however, depending on which bi-weekly schedule you are assigned, there may be times when only one week is printed.
- The date to claim your benefits will be printed at the top of the form. You will be assigned a Wednesday to claim your benefits for the first time by using either the telephone or the Internet. After that, you will be asked to claim your benefits on a specific Monday or Tuesday. If you miss your assigned date, you should claim your benefits on the Wednesday, Thursday or Friday immediately following your assigned date. If you don’t claim your benefits as directed, benefits may be delayed or denied.
- The telephone number and Internet address (www.njuifile.net ) will also be printed at the top of the form. Telephone numbers are assigned according to the One-Stop Career Center that provides reemployment services in your area. Occasionally, a technical problem may occur at the location you are calling. If that happens, you may call any of the other numbers assigned to the other offices. For a complete listing of telephone numbers to claim weekly benefits, click here. To claim continued benefits on the Internet, click here.
- Seven questions that you must answer for each week that you are claiming benefits.
- Instructions are provided for claiming benefits by telephone or by mail. Instructions for claiming benefits on the Internet are available on the web site, www.njuifile.net.
Important: If there is a problem on your claim that must be resolved before benefits can be paid or if you have been denied benefits and are appealing the determination, you must still claim your weekly unemployment benefits. You will receive "credit" for the weeks that you have claimed. If it is determined that you are eligible for benefits or if you win your appeal, you will be paid these weeks at a later date. Note: Even if you win your appeal, you will not be paid for weeks that you have not claimed.
Special Note About the "Claim for Benefits" Form and the
Unemployment Check
The "Claim for Benefits" form and the unemployment check are attached to one another; the form is actually the check envelope. A "Claim for Benefits" form cannot be issued without an unemployment check; and vice versa, an unemployment check cannot be issued without the "Claim for Benefits" form. This situation can be confusing when you receive a non-negotiable check (a check that cannot be cashed) or if you receive multiple unemployment checks. When you receive your "Claim for Benefits" form and unemployment check, please keep the following in mind:
- Use only the “Claim for Benefits” forms that have dates and other information printed in the blocks next to “Claim for Week(s) Ending.” This is because the blocks are left blank in certain situations. For example, if multiple unemployment checks are printed for you, only one of the checks will contain a “Claim for Benefits” form with information printed in these blocks. The dates and other information will also not be printed if you indicated that you returned to full-time work, if you exhausted all benefits in your claim, or if the benefit year of your claim has ended.
- Sometimes a non-negotiable check (a check that cannot be cashed) will be attached to your “Claim for Benefits” form. This may be because it is the first “Claim for Benefits” form issued to you for claiming your first two weeks of benefits. It may also be because there is a problem on your claim that must be resolved before benefits can be paid, or your claim is under appeal, or you have been denied benefits.
