Oregon unemployment benefits offer short-term compensation to those workers meeting the eligibility requirements of Oregon law. The Oregon Employment Department manages it own unemployment program within Federal guidelines.
The value of unemployment benefits in Oregon varies from that of other states because each state unemployment office employs its own formula and limits when computing the level of unemployment compensation. The duration of benefits is 26 weeks in Oregon, but benefits may be extended during high unemployment periods.
How Much Do I Have to Make to Get Utmost Unemployment Benefits in Oregon?
Oregon bases unemployment benefits on your earlier wages, meaning that it considers earnings before filing to decide eligibility and payment amounts. Irrespective of what you made in the year before you filed your claim, Oregon state law limits your benefits to not more than $538 per week. In order to get this maximum, you must have earned as a minimum $$39,680 in covered wages during your base period.
Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount
The unemployment weekly benefit amount is the sum you are entitled to collect per week. State law restricts the WBA is limited to stop you from obtaining large unemployment payments. It also preserves the spirit of program by keeping claimants with prior high earnings from draining the fund. The maximum WBA may vary by year. Since April 2011, your Oregon weekly compensation payment will be no more than $496.
Calculating Your Weekly Benefit Amount
When Oregon determines how much to give you per week, it uses a formula mandated by state law. It uses the average wage method and calculates the weekly benefit amount using the total wages in the base period.
Average Wage Period: Several states calculate the weekly benefit as a percentage of annual wages in the base period. This way reflects the view that annual wages decide the worker’s standard of living. Nearly all states employ a weighted schedule, which gives a bigger proportion of annual wages to lower-paid workers to decide their weekly benefit amount.
Formula for calculating weekly benefit amount:
AW (Average Wage Method)
1.25% BP Wages
Claimants can receive 1.25 percent of the total earnings up to the maximum amount.
Base Period
Only the covered wages that crop up during your base period can count toward your weekly benefit amount calculation. Your base period is the first four of the last five full calendar quarters before you filed your first initial unemployment claim.
For instance, if you file a new claim in May, your base year is all four quarters of the major calendar year.
Alternate Base Year
Some claimants don’t make enough wages in their base periods to meet the criteria for benefits and Oregon allows them to use their alternate base period. The alternate base period is the last four full calendar quarters.
If you worked in the 3 month time straight away following the base year shown on your wage and potential benefit report, and you have not by now asked the Employment Department to assess your claim under the provisions of an Alternate Base year, call your Unemployment Insurance Center.
Covered Wages
You can only utilize earnings from your base period that are covered wages to decide your weekly benefit amount.
Covered wages are those that you get from employment covered under Oregon’s unemployment compensation laws. The state leaves out self-employment, independent contract work or work that that you paid only through commission under these laws. A good way to determine if work was covered or not is whether you obtained a 1099 tax form or a W-2 tax forms for the work.
Extended Base Periods (EBP)
Base period can be extended up to 4 quarters if the worker is disabled for the majority of a quarter. If the worker collected worker’s compensation, base year can be extended up to 4 quarters prior to the illness or injury.
Qualifying Wages or Employment
All states need a worker to have earned a definite amount of wages or to have worked for a definite period of time (or both) within the base period to be financially eligible to collect any UI benefits. Most workers are entitled for benefits based on employment and wages in a single state. On the other hand, some workers who work in more than one state will not have sufficient employment and wages in any single state to set up monetary eligibility, or would be qualified for a smaller WBA. Workers with wages and employment in more than one state can opt to file a claim combining wages and employment earned in all states where they worked into a claim filed under the law of any of the states they worked.
To make sure you qualify for benefits, check out OR unemployment eligibility section.
The qualifying formula for wages and employment used by Oregon is:
1½ x HQW (High Quarter Wage) in BP (Base Period) and $1,000 in BP or,
alternative: flat-amount requirement 500 hours of employment in BP
The minimum wages needed to qualify for UI in Oregon is $667 for high quarter and $1,000 for base period.
Work Search Requirements
The Oregon Department of Employment needs claimants to conduct a work search while collecting benefits. The state does not want claimants to make contact with a specific number of employers each week while obtaining compensation; however claimants must keep a record of employer contacts to provide proof of work search efforts.
Length of Unemployment Benefits in Oregon
The maximum length of unemployment benefits is usually 26 weeks. Due to changing conditions unemployment benefits may be extended. During times of high unemployment in Oregon, individuals may become qualified for unemployment benefit extensions.
Oregon Unemployment Extensions
There can be extended benefits provided to individuals who have exhausted their regular unemployment insurance. Work search requirements become stricter while collecting extended benefits.
Non Monetary Eligibility
The basic requirements for collecting unemployment are:
- Unemployed through no fault of your own
- Able to work
- Available for work
- Be actively seeking work
For complete details see the Oregon Unemployment Compensation eligibility section of our website.
If you are qualified, then you can get ready with paperwork to file the application. Even though you file by phone or mail, online claim system is the most precise method to apply for benefits.