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Hello. I am currently collecting unemployment in NJ, however I have accepted a temp job from my former employer to cover a 2 week absence from March 22-April 2. The pay each week will be higher than my unemployment benefit. So do I go on and claim at my regular day and time anyway, just to let them know I worked that week? Or do I just skip it altogether? I know it sounds silly, but I am worried I will do the wrong thing and pay for it when I try to reopen my claim.
Hello. I am currently collecting unemployment in NJ, however I have accepted a temp job from my former employer to cover a 2 week absence from March 22-April 2. The pay each week will be higher than my unemployment benefit. So do I go on and claim at my regular day and time anyway, just to let them know I worked that week? Or do I just skip it altogether? I know it sounds silly, but I am worried I will do the wrong thing and pay for it when I try to reopen my claim.
Scrapr will be able to say for sure, BUT I think not claiming for 2 weeks would DEF shut down the claim.
Scrapr will be able to say for sure, BUT I think not claiming for 2 weeks would DEF shut down the claim.
Last time I worked it was only 1 day and my pay was less than my benefit, and I claimed it and got a partial benefit. But then the next week I didn't have any work, and it closed my claim anyway. Apparently, if you have a week of work followed by a week of no work, NJ closes your claim. So I thought maybe if I didn't claim at all it might give me a chance. It sucks knowing I might be totally screwing myself over. Some people have said even after they re-opened their claim, it took months to start getting benefits again. Seems stupid to punish people for working, but then what do I know, not getting the big bucks to make the decisions.
Last time I worked it was only 1 day and my pay was less than my benefit, and I claimed it and got a partial benefit. But then the next week I didn't have any work, and it closed my claim anyway. Apparently, if you have a week of work followed by a week of no work, NJ closes your claim. So I thought maybe if I didn't claim at all it might give me a chance. It sucks knowing I might be totally screwing myself over. Some people have said even after they re-opened their claim, it took months to start getting benefits again. Seems stupid to punish people for working, but then what do I know, not getting the big bucks to make the decisions.
Yes working then not working will cause the claim to be flagged for manual review.
But I think not claiming for two weeks will also shut it down.
Hello. I am currently collecting unemployment in NJ, however I have accepted a temp job from my former employer to cover a 2 week absence from March 22-April 2. The pay each week will be higher than my unemployment benefit. So do I go on and claim at my regular day and time anyway, just to let them know I worked that week? Or do I just skip it altogether? I know it sounds silly, but I am worried I will do the wrong thing and pay for it when I try to reopen my claim.
IMO any time you go from a week of earnings to a week of no earnings you need to reopen the claim. Normally a week of not claiming or a week of hrs over 32 and/or earnings over the WBR is supposed to turn the claim off. However, during COVID times NJ DOL has not turned off claims immediately, which IMO has created a lot of problems when people get laid off later on and try to claim benefits and the week is still dated back to the last week they collected on the claim. I would report the first week of work (3/21 - 3/27) to force the claim to turn off. When you report those earnings the confirmation screen "should" come back with "your answers indicate that you may have returned to work full time" (which is want you want to see, this means the claim was turned off). You don't have to report the next week of work since the claim is already turned off. The week you are not working you reopen the claim on Sunday 4/3 (the start of the UI week that you have no earnings). You put your first day worked (March 22nd) and the last day worked (April 2nd). It will ask for employer information as well as other questions. Reopening the claim should adjust the next payable week date to 4/10. It may take several days to adjust the next payable week date. DO NOT attempt to claim benefits until the next payable week date has adjusted to 4/10/21. That's my 2 cents on it. That is supposed to be the process.
My older daughter went through this last year. Her office closed due to COVID. She filed for NJ state unemployment. She collected for six weeks and then her office re-opened. The first week she worked, and then had to file, she reported her earnings which exceeded her standard WBR as well as the partial (WBR + 20% in NJ). On the certification it showed her earnings and unemployment payment was $0. It also popped up that she returned to work full time. She never logged back on to unemployment.
Five months later she got sick with COVID. She did not have any accrued PTO (paid time off) and her company had more than 500 employees so did not fall under FCCRA rules of mandatory 2-week COVID pay. So she logged on to NJ DOL and certified for the two weeks she didn't work and collected. The third week she worked and when she reported the earnings )again more than both the standard and partial WBR rates, it popped up that she returned to work full time and that week showed earnings and $0 unemployment.
If you work and collect, when your company files it employment reports and reports your earnings, the DOL will then follow up with them and ask for a break down of the earnings, week by week. If you collected and they find out you worked, you will owe them the money back. Don't mess around with the DOL.
IMO any time you go from a week of earnings to a week of no earnings you need to reopen the claim. Normally a week of not claiming or a week of hrs over 32 and/or earnings over the WBR is supposed to turn the claim off. However, during COVID times NJ DOL has not turned off claims immediately, which IMO has created a lot of problems when people get laid off later on and try to claim benefits and the week is still dated back to the last week they collected on the claim. I would report the first week of work (3/21 - 3/27) to force the claim to turn off. When you report those earnings the confirmation screen "should" come back with "your answers indicate that you may have returned to work full time" (which is want you want to see, this means the claim was turned off). You don't have to report the next week of work since the claim is already turned off. The week you are not working you reopen the claim on Sunday 4/3 (the start of the UI week that you have no earnings). You put your first day worked (March 22nd) and the last day worked (April 2nd). It will ask for employer information as well as other questions. Reopening the claim should adjust the next payable week date to 4/10. It may take several days to adjust the next payable week date. DO NOT attempt to claim benefits until the next payable week date has adjusted to 4/10/21. That's my 2 cents on it. That is supposed to be the process.
Thank you! Someone on one of the Facebook groups said I should re-open the claim before Saturday after my last week of work...I was planning on doing it that Friday night. But you're saying I do it Sunday?
My older daughter went through this last year. Her office closed due to COVID. She filed for NJ state unemployment. She collected for six weeks and then her office re-opened. The first week she worked, and then had to file, she reported her earnings which exceeded her standard WBR as well as the partial (WBR + 20% in NJ). On the certification it showed her earnings and unemployment payment was $0. It also popped up that she returned to work full time. She never logged back on to unemployment.
Five months later she got sick with COVID. She did not have any accrued PTO (paid time off) and her company had more than 500 employees so did not fall under FCCRA rules of mandatory 2-week COVID pay. So she logged on to NJ DOL and certified for the two weeks she didn't work and collected. The third week she worked and when she reported the earnings )again more than both the standard and partial WBR rates, it popped up that she returned to work full time and that week showed earnings and $0 unemployment.
If you work and collect, when your company files it employment reports and reports your earnings, the DOL will then follow up with them and ask for a break down of the earnings, week by week. If you collected and they find out you worked, you will owe them the money back. Don't mess around with the DOL.
I was never planning to not report it. Are you saying that she logged back on after 5 months of not claiming, and the claim was still open? I am surprised to hear that!
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Seems stupid to punish people for working, but then what do I know, not getting the big bucks to make the decisions.
