To receive your unemployment insurance benefits, you must file a bi-weekly certification (Request for Payment) for each week you wish to claim benefits. You may certify for benefits by Internet or by Telephone. You will certify your eligibility by claiming benefits once every two (2) weeks. You can only claim weeks prior to the week you certify for benefits. All benefit weeks begin on a Sunday and end at midnight on Saturday.
To claim benefits you must certify that you meet the weekly eligibility requirements listed below. You must:
Be able to work. |
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Be available for work. |
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Actively seeking work. |
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Not refuse any offer of suitable work. |
Your date of claim is the Sunday of the week in which you filed your initial claim. The first time you claim benefits will be on a Wednesday, 17 days after your date of claim.
It is your responsibility to claim your benefits as instructed and to remain current with your requests for benefit payment. 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 or if you win your appeal, you will be paid these weeks at a later date. If you have not claimed weeks and you win your appeal, you will not be paid for these weeks.
You are advised to keep a record of your certifications as you will not receive any written notification informing you when to certify for benefits. There is a Claim Record in the back of the “Unemployment Insurance – Your Rights and Responsibilities” booklet for you to document your certifications.
CLAIMING BENEFITS ON THE INTERNET
The Internet application is the preferred method for claiming unemployment benefits. You can find the Internet application at www.njuifile.net. The Internet application is available for claiming benefits seven days a week, Sunday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM, Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM.
By certifying for benefits on Sunday, you will receive your benefits deposited into your checking/savings account or posted to your prepaid debit card a day earlier.
You will need to enter the four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN) that you selected if you filed your claim by telephone or be prepared to choose a four-digit PIN if you filed by Internet.
CLAIMING BENEFITS BY TELEPHONE
If you are unable to claim your benefits on the Internet, you can claim them by telephone. To claim unemployment benefits by telephone, you must use a push button telephone. Please be advised that a call waiting signal could interfere with your call and provide incorrect data to our computer; therefore, you should turn off the call waiting feature before you call. Also, using a cellular telephone is not recommended because of interference or loss of signal may result in incorrect data to our computer.
You will be assigned a Wednesday to call for the first time. After that, you will be asked to call on a Monday or Tuesday, every two weeks. It is your responsibility to file your continued claims (request for payment) on a timely basis. To claim your benefits by telephone, call one of the certification numbers listed on the Unemployment Insurance web page entitled "List of Telephone Numbers to Claim Weekly Benefits."
You must claim benefits according to the last digit of your Social Security number.
Individuals with Social Security numbers that end in an ODD number (1,3,5,7 and 9) will claim benefits on MONDAY. |
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Individuals with Social Security numbers that end in an EVEN number (0,2,4,6 and 8) will claim benefits on TUESDAY. |
Individuals who fail to claim benefits on their assigned day may certify on the OPEN CERTIFICATION DAYS of Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday. You are not permitted to file on Sunday or Saturday by telephone.
The telephone lines are open Monday through Friday from 8:30 AM to 6:00 PM (Eastern Time), including holidays.
