Unemployment Compensation
Information
Helpful Websites
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Unemployed Ohioans: unemployment.ohio.gov
Ohioans can file online 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
o Questions: uctech@jfs.ohio.gov

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Job Seekers: coronavirus.ohio.gov/jobsearch
Click on “Find Jobs Near Me” to be taken to postings for essential jobs that employers need
filled now.

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Businesses: coronavirus.ohio.gov/businesshelp
Businesses can visit this website to learn about local, state, and federal resources that might
be available to them.

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Individuals and Families Facing Challenges: benefits.ohio.gov
Ohioans can visit this website to see if they may be eligible for other forms of assistance. Be
sure to scroll to the bottom of this page to learn about multiple sources of help available to
those facing challenges.

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Information about COVID-19 and Ohio’s Response: coronavirus.ohio.gov

The Challenge
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For the week ending April 18, ODJFS reported more than 109,000 initial jobless claims.

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Over the last five weeks, our system has received nearly 1 million initial unemployment
claims, which was far more than the last two years combined. It also represents over 17% of
Ohio’s civilian labor force.

What We’re Doing
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Each claim is important to us. We understand the frustration our website and call center
issues have caused during what is already a stressful time. We also understand the urgency of
providing Ohioans with the resources they need to support their families.

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We are building our capacity to process this unprecedented number of claims and assist all
the Ohioans who need help. We will not rest until all eligible Ohioans are served.

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So far, we have paid more than $1.2 billion to more than 446,000 claimants, and both of
those numbers climb daily.

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We have been working around the clock to streamline performance and boost capacity 20fold by adding servers so the online claims system can handle the unprecedented influx of
claims.

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Regarding the call centers, we have taken an all-hands-on-deck approach and transitioned
hundreds of employees from other program areas to help staff them, increasing its size from
42 to almost 1,600 people, and extended our call center hours to 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9
a.m. to 5 p.m. on Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.

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We are implementing a new weekly claim filing process for those who have been approved
to receive benefits. Individuals filing weekly claims are asked to file based on the first letter
of their last name. This will streamline claims processing and expedite payments.
Recommended Schedule: Sunday: A-H, Monday: I-P, Tuesday Q-Z

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We have begun distributing weekly $600 supplemental payments to unemployed Ohioans, as
authorized by the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act. The weekly
supplements are available through July 25 and appear on claimants’ pay stubs with the
designation “FAC.”

ODJFS is Here to Help
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We encourage unemployed Ohioans to file for benefits online if possible at:
unemployment.ohio.gov. This website is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
o Those without internet access or who need assistance may apply by phone at
(877) OHIO-JOB (1-877-644-6562) or TTY at (888) 642-8203.
o Customer service representatives are available 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. weekdays, 9 a.m. to 5
p.m. on Saturdays, and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Sundays.

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We encourage job seekers to visit coronavirus.ohio.gov/jobsearch. You can click on “Find
Jobs Near Me” to be taken to postings for essential jobs that employers need filled now.

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We also encourage individuals and families facing challenges to visit benefits.ohio.gov to see
if they may be eligible for other forms of assistance. Be sure to scroll to the bottom of this
page to learn about multiple sources of help available to those facing challenges.

Five Most Important Helpful Tips
1. First-time applicants should provide their name and Social Security number as listed on their
Social Security card. If they are unemployed as a result of COVID-19, they also should enter
the mass-layoff number 2000180.
2. To ensure fastest processing, claimants should set their correspondence preference to
“electronic,” as opposed to U.S. mail.

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 3. If you get error messages, try clearing your history/cache. Do not hit the “back” button on
your browser.
4. Take advantage of the FAQ sheets available at unemployment.ohio.gov. We recently
redesigned this website to make it more user-friendly. We also added a “Chat Bot” feature to
help people find answers to their questions, and we post frequently tips and updates on
Facebook and Twitter.
5. For fastest payment, choose to receive payments via direct deposit. When you enter your
bank account number, make sure that you enter the entire number, with no special characters,
letters, or spaces.

New Federal Legislation
New legislation signed on March 27 creates 3 new federal programs for Americans who lost
their jobs as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic:
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The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) program will provide up to 39 weeks of
benefits to many who historically have not qualified for unemployment benefits, such as selfemployed workers, 1099 tax filers, part-time workers, and those who lack sufficient work
history. Individuals who have exhausted all regular unemployment and any federal and state
extensions also may be eligible.
o To be eligible, individuals must not qualify for regular unemployment benefits and
must meet one of the following circumstances:
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The individual has been diagnosed with COVID-19, or is experiencing
symptoms and is seeking medical diagnosis;
A member of the individual’s household has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
The individual is providing care for a family member or member of the
household who has been diagnosed with COVID-19;
A child or other person in the household for which the individual has primary
caregiving responsibility is unable to attend school or another facility is closed
as a direct result of the COVID-19 emergency, and the school or care is
required for the individual to work;
The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because of a
COVID-19 quarantine;
The individual is unable to reach the place of employment because a health
care professional has advised him or her to self-quarantine due to COVID-19
concerns;
The individual was scheduled to commence employment and does not have a
job or is unable to reach the job as a direct result of COVID-19;
The individual has become the breadwinner or major support for a household
because the head of the household has died as a direct result of COVID-19;
The individual has quit his/her job as a direct result of COVID-19;
The individual was laid off by his/her employer as a direct result of COVID19;
The individual’s place of employment is closed as a direct result of COVID19.
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The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation (FPUC) program provides an
additional $600 a week to existing benefit amounts for those in multiple programs, including
but not limited to regular unemployment benefits, PUA, Trade benefits, and SharedWork
Ohio benefits.
o The additional $600 is paid via a separate payment. The first payment includes any
retroactive payments claimants may be eligible for. This payment is available from
March 29 through July 25th.
o In their online accounts, claimants will see this payment with the label “FAC.”

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The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC) program will provide up
to 13 weeks of additional benefits for Ohioans who exhaust their maximum 26 weeks of
regular unemployment benefits. This program also began on March 29; it will end on
December 26. Those eligible will have to apply for this extension but will receive written
instructions prior to their exhaustion date for how to do so.

Regular Unemployment Benefit Eligibility Requirements
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You must be totally or partially unemployed.

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In 2020, you must have worked at least 20 weeks in covered employment and earned at least
$269 in the base period (four out of the last five completed calendar quarters).

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You must be unemployed through no fault of your own.

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If you had a prior unemployment claim that is expired, you must have worked in covered
employment since the beginning of the prior claim year to reestablish yourself as a worker.

FAQs
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Weekly Benefit Amount: Typically half the claimant’s previous wages up to a set
maximum; those with dependents receive more.

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When do benefits start? For most people, in about a week once their application has
processed, although the high claims volume has slowed processing times.

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Impact on Tipped Workers: That depends how the employer reported the employee’s
wages. If the employer reported tips as part of the employees wage, it would be reflected
on their tax reporting, and therefore the unemployment benefit would be based on wages
with tips. If the employer did not include tips in the wage, the employee will need to file
an affidavit with their tipped wages for ODJFS to review.

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Partially Employed Workers: Individuals who are partially unemployed due to lack of
work may be eligible for benefits. Any earnings from employment during the week
claimed may reduce the amount of benefits paid.

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Self-Employed Workers: As far as regular unemployment insurance goes, selfemployed individuals who have been solely self-employed for the last year or more may
not meet the monetary requirements to establish a claim because the wages they earned
from self-employment are not considered “covered” under unemployment law.

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Benefit Expansion: Many categories of workers – including self-employed workers,
1099 tax filers, part-time workers, and those who lack sufficient work history – are
ineligible for “regular” unemployment benefits but may be eligible for the new federal
Pandemic Unemployment Assistance Program (PUA). Visit unemployment.ohio.gov for
more information and to pre-register.

How Unemployment Insurance Works
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In normal times, the unemployment system is funded by employer taxes. The average tax rate
for Ohio employers is 2.14%, which is applied to the first $9,000 of income for each
employee. That amounts to about $193 per employee.

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When an employee is laid off, they apply for unemployment insurance. If the layoff is
determined to be from a lack of work, they are eligible for benefits.

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The average regular unemployment benefit in Ohio is around $380 a week and can be
received for up to 26 weeks. The average is only 14 weeks. 26 weeks of benefits would
average almost $10,000 per employee.

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The system is designed to handle a normal number of layoffs, with reserves created by the
large number of employees who are normally working and not getting benefits. In major
recessions, the reserves get depleted very quickly, and states must borrow to continue to pay
required benefits.

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After the recovery, those funds must be repaid, and a fund balance must be rebuilt through
some combination of revenue enhancement and benefit reductions to achieve solvency.

Employers
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Employer FAQs: unemployment.ohio.gov – Click on “Employers.”

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Thank you to all employers who are able to pay their first-quarter 2020 payments on
time. Employer payments are deposited into Ohio's Unemployment Insurance Trust
Fund and used to pay benefits to unemployed workers.

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Because the reports are used to calculate benefits for affected workers, employers are
urged to file them on time, if at all possible, throughout the state of emergency, even if
they are unable to pay their unemployment tax.

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Employers can file their quarterly wage reports and pay taxes at the Ohio Business Gateway
at gateway.ohio.gov or the Employer Resource Information Center (ERIC) at eric.ohio.gov.

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For employers affected by the coronavirus pandemic, Governor DeWine’s executive order
waives late-reporting and late-payment penalties for the duration of the pandemic, which
began on Sunday, March 15. Employers will need to request the waiver if a late report or
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 payment is a result of the pandemic. This waiver will apply to reports and payments for the
first quarter of 2020, which will be due April 30, 2020.

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