How to qualify for unemployment in Colorado?
Colorado unemployment eligibility requirements include the following:
- Before losing employment, you were an employee of an organization that deducted income tax from your paychecks and reported your income on a W-2 tax form.
- You earned a minimum of $2,500 in wages within the state of Colorado through an 18-month timeframe. Please note that if you worked outside of Colorado during the considered timeframe, you will need to apply for unemployment insurance benefits with the state in which you worked.
- You must be currently either completely unemployed or working fewer than 32 hours per week and earning less income than the weekly amount that unemployment insurance benefits would pay.
- You must be able and available to accept suitable work when it is offered to you.
- You must be actively searching for suitable work.
Eligibility for Colorado unemployment benefits is not a one-time decision or process. For each week you claim your weekly benefit amount, you will be required to submit a weekly claim showing that you remain in compliance with all eligibility requirements listed above.
How much is unemployment in Colorado?
The specific amount of your unemployment benefits will depend on the wages you earned while working. As a general rule, Colorado unemployment insurance benefits are designed to replace roughly 55 percent of a worker’s average weekly income throughout a 12-month time period. In Colorado, the maximum weekly benefit amount is $742. Keep in mind that if you are working part-time while also collecting unemployment benefits, your weekly benefit amount will be reduced to offset your part-time earnings.
If you’re curious about what your expected weekly benefit amount may be, you can use our Colorado unemployment calculator to get a reasonable estimate.
How to apply for unemployment in Colorado?
If you’re wondering how to apply for Colorado unemployment insurance benefits, the quickest and best way is to apply online. You will be required to set up a MyUI+ account, which you can continue to access in order to submit weekly claims, check the status of your claim, change your direct deposit information, and more. Using this platform also provides claimants the ability to access their unemployment insurance information using a mobile device. Once you’ve established your account, you will simply follow the prompts to submit your application.
Before you start your claim, it’s a good idea to collect all your pertinent information so you’ll be able to move through the application quickly. You’ll need information like pay stubs, full contact information for your previous employer, dates that you worked, and your historical rates of pay. Having this all organized and in front of you as you start the application process will save time, energy, and potential frustration.
If a computer is not available to you, or if you have any trouble with the MyUI+ site, you can call the customer support center at 303-318-9000 or toll-free at 800-388-5515 to file your claim.
Are Colorado unemployment benefits taxable?
Yes. In Colorado, unemployment insurance benefits are classified as taxable income at both the state and federal levels. You have the choice of asking for income taxes to be taken out of your benefits before you receive your weekly payment, or paying your taxes separately when you file your yearly tax return. If you change your mind about how you’d like to handle your taxes, the state of Colorado will allow you to adjust your tax option once per each open unemployment insurance claim. After the one-time change, no adjustments to your tax withholdings will be allowed.
What are Colorado UI work search requirements?
Colorado work search requirements stipulate that you must actively search for new employment throughout the time you receive unemployment insurance benefits. Specifically, that includes activities like applying for jobs, reaching out to potential employers, and participating in job interviews for positions. To be considered a valid work search activity, your actions should reasonably be expected to lead to new employment, and the state recommends participating in a wide variety of activities wherever possible. The state of Colorado recommends that you complete at least five work search activities during each week you collect unemployment benefits.
It’s important to accurately document your work search activities – you’ll need to report them during your weekly certification. The state of Colorado reserves the right to audit your work search log for up to two years to verify that the activities you reported actually took place. The state also reserves the right to determine whether a work search activity you report is valid. Colorado uses criteria such as rate of pay, prior experience, and length of unemployment to determine whether a particular job is deemed suitable work. It’s important to make sure that the activities you’re participating in are focused on jobs you are qualified for and would be willing to accept if they were offered to you.
What do I do when I have found a new job?
When you file a claim, it is active for a period of one year beginning on the file date. You can use the benefits that you are entitled to any time you are unemployed during that year. When you return to work, stop filing for payment; this will close your claim. Your claim can be reopened at any time during the one-year life of your claim if you again become unemployed.
How do I cancel my claim?
If you wish to cancel your claim, you must write and mail a letter or call customer service within the first 12 days after filing your claim. Canceling your claim will completely remove the claim from the system as if you had never filed. After canceling your claim you cannot reopen the claim; you must file a new claim.
What happens if I move out of Colorado?
If you are currently receiving benefits Colorado and you move to another, you still receive benefits from your original state. You receive benefits from the state in which you worked for the past 18 months. All you have to do is provide your new address to your “original” state of residence and CDLE (Colorado Department of Labor and Employment) will mark you as an interstate payee. You then continue to file your weekly certification as normal. You will receive the exact same amount of benefits, it does not change. You are required to seek employment in the new state you moved to.
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