Utah unemployment insurance

Utah Unemployment Benefits

Utah’s unemployment insurance benefits program helps provide financial assistance to members of the labor force who have lost employment. 

Eligible recipients must be unemployed through no fault of their own, and they must be actively seeking work, enrolled in approved job training, or waiting to be recalled to work. Funding for the program comes from an employment insurance trust that is funded by Utah employers.

Utah Unemployment Services

Am I Eligible for Unemployment Benefits in Utah?

If you have lost your job through no fault of your own, you may be eligible for Utah unemployment insurance benefits. A claimant needs to meet the following eligibility requirements to receive unemployment compensation:

• Be partially or completely unemployed through no fault of your own.
• Be a resident of Utah
• Show documentation of sufficient income during base period to establish eligibility.
• Show documentation of earned wages in at least two base period quarters. Note that a base period is considered in Utah as the first four of the last five working quarters.
• Have earned at least $4200 in total earnings during base period, along with earning 1 1/2 times your highest quarter.

Once your initial claim is approved, you must continue to meet the following criteria on a weekly basis:

• File a weekly claim
• Be able and available for full-time work if and when offered

 Benefit Payments and Duration

How To Apply

Utah requires that all new unemployment insurance benefits claims be filed online, through the Utah Department of Workforce Services Unemployment Insurance Claim Filing website. The website is available for use from 2 a.m. to 11:45 p.m., seven days a week, and you can plan for the filing process to take approximately 30 minutes to complete for your initial claim – it comprises the following six steps:

• Initial Steps: Help verify ID and determine eligibility
• Personal Information: Enter your contact and demographic information (optional)
• Employment Information: Enter all employment information for the last several months, including everything associated with the circumstances of your separating from employment
• Eligibility Questions: Enter information about your current availability for employment
• Statements: Provides information from the state of Utah surrounding each employer separation.
• Finalize Your Claim: Review information and instructions to keep your claim active

How Do I Manage My Unemployment Benefits?

To submit your weekly UI claim, you’ll need to set up an account through the state of Utah’s Dept. of Workforce Services. Each week, you must provide both your Social Security number and a Personal Identification Number that you create in order to certify your claim.

You must submit a weekly unemployment claim for each week that you collect benefits. During the weekly certification process, you will be asked questions about your job search activity whether you were offered any employment. Your answers will help determine whether you are eligible for another week of unemployment benefits.

Failure to submit your weekly benefits claim may mean that you are unable to receive UI benefits for that week, so it’s important to be diligent and submit your information on time.

Filing an Appeal

You can file an appeal if you’re unhappy with the initial claim decision. You can request a hearing online through the Department of Workforce Services or submit a written statement of appeal via mail or fax at the contact information below:

Appeals Unit 
Phone: 801-526-9300 or toll-free at 877-800-0671

Address: PO Box 45244
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0244

Fax: 801-526-9242

On first appeal, your case will be reviewed by an administrative law judge. A second appeal will be reviewed by the Workforce Appeals Board. If it’s necessary to appeal the Board’s decision, you may do so through the Utah Court of Appeals.

How Do I Report Fraud?

Reporting incorrect information is considered fraud, and penalties include steep fines, loss of all future benefits, and sometimes even prosecution. If you suspect unemployment insurance fraud, you can file a report online, or you may print it out and mail in a Request For Investigation.

Utah Unemployment Office Locations

In a release on Wednesday, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox announced the discontinuation of the federal unemployment programs tied to the COVID-19 pandemic and the federal stimulus package, with programs ending June 26.

These programs include an additional $300 in federal stimulus to anyone qualified for unemployment, the federal extension of unemployment benefits, and one for self-employed or gig workers.

According to a release from the governor’s office, federal pandemic unemployment assistance in Utah totals $12.4 million a week.

The state has a 30-day opt-out period, and Department of Workforce Services Assistant Deputy Director Kevin Burt said the state will opt out soon.

“All of these programs were going to expire on Sept. 4th, but given Utah’s current economic situation we believe it is the right decision to end them as of June 26th as a state,” Burt said on Wednesday.

With Utah currently having no business restrictions, the COVID-19 vaccine being readily available, and Utah having the lowest unemployment rate in the country, Burt said he sees this as a natural step for the state as the economy continues to bounce back.

Burt added that these programs made sense during the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic, with business restrictions and other economic strain, to help buoy the economy.

“Currently on jobs.utah.gov, we have over 50,000 jobs posted and the total number of individuals in Utah on unemployment insurance is 28,000, so we do believe Utah’s economy is going to be able to carry these individuals through employment,” Burt said.

While these federal benefits may stop on June 26, Burt stressed that the state unemployment benefits will still be available but at a pre-pandemic level.

This means people would get a 50% replacement wage and it would last 26 weeks.

The biggest point that was brought up by Burt was that government benefits should not be competing with employers. Through some data he cited, people in Utah have been staying on unemployment for an average of 40 weeks compared to the usual 26. He said it should not be a disincentive to get a job.

“It just isn’t supposed to replace employment, it is supposed to be an offset for some of those lost wages until they are able to reconnect back into the workforce,” Burt said. “What we are hearing from employers is that they are supportive of the change because they are trying to find employees and so we certainly want to be supportive of that.”

Burt said there should be no impact on unemployment numbers due to the move, but the labor force participation rate should see a rise.

This is a statistic that looks at how many people are actively looking for work or are currently employed, and due to the vaccine availability, Burt sees people returning to the workforce.

Some people may have disengaged with the workforce during the pandemic due to health concerns, lack of child care, and more, but with vaccine availability, schools returning to normal, and childcare coming back, it should help.

“This is the natural next step in getting the state and people’s lives back to normal,” Cox said in a press release. “I believe in the value of work. With the nation’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.9% and plenty of good-paying jobs available today, it makes sense to transition away from these extra benefits that were never intended to be permanent. The market should not be competing with government for workers.”

Burt said he is confident that Utah’s economy is ready to absorb the people who will lose the benefits, with employment opportunities actively available.

Source:U.S. Employment and Training Administration  

Release:Pandemic Claims Weekly Report  

Units:  Number, Not Seasonally Adjusted

Frequency:  Weekly, Ending Saturday

Notes:

An initial claim is a claim filed by an unemployed individual after a separation from an employer.

The Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) is a program that temporarily expanded unemployment insurance eligibility to self-employed workers, freelancers, independent contractors and part-time workers impacted by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020. This program was established by the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act, which expanded states' ability to provide unemployment insurance to many workers affected by COVID-19, including people who aren't ordinarily eligible for unemployment benefits.

Information

The CARES act program that paid for the first "waiting week" of the UI claim will end after September 4th, 2021. Any new UI claims effective September 5th and beyond will no longer be paid for the waiting week.

The Utah department of workforce Services (DWS)will not ask for personal information by text or e-mail. The department will not send links for commercial products nor will DWS use links or web pages from any social media platforms (facebook, instagram, etc...) for official business. The only method to apply for Utah Unemployment benefits, enter direct deposit information, or make any changes is through this official state website or by calling the Claims Assistance and Re-Employment Team at 801-526-4400.

Pandemic Unemployment ends June 26, 2021 The state of Utah will be ending Pandemic Unemployment Benefits under the Cares Act. Programs that will be ending are the Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), self-employed workers(MEUC), and the $300 extra stimulus.

Joining a list of other states whose leaders say the pandemic-boosted jobless benefit is leading to a labor shortage, Utah Gov. Spencer Cox said the state’s unemployed will no longer receive the $300 weekly COVID-19 stimulus payment, as well as other federal unemployment programs tied to the COVID-19 pandemic, effective June 26.

“This is the natural next step in getting the state and people’s lives back to normal,” Cox said in a prepared statement issued Wednesday morning, which says he is encouraged by positive job growth.

“I believe in the value of work. With the nation’s lowest unemployment rate at 2.9% and plenty of good paying jobs available today, it makes sense to transition away from these extra benefits that were never intended to be permanent. The market should not be competing with government for workers.”

Other “safety net programs” will still be available, Cox’s office noted in Wednesday’s press release, such as rent, utility, food and medical assistance.

Cox is the latest of a growing number of Republican governors rejecting increased unemployment benefits meant to help Americans during the COVID-19 pandemic. On Tuesday, GOP governors of Iowa, Missouri, Tennessee and Idaho announced their states would be opting out of the programs. Governors from Alabama, Mississippi and North Dakota made similar announcements Monday, joining Montana, South Carolina and Arkansas, where officials announced their move away from the program by the end of June.

The announcements come as many U.S. employers tell stories of being unable to hire employees. As the U.S. economy rebounds from the COVID-19 pandemic, employers say they’re desperate for workers.

That challenge was highlighted Friday when employers nationwide added 266,000 jobs, far fewer than expected, and businesses reported they couldn’t find people to fill the openings they have to keep up with the rapidly strengthening economic rebound.

To encourage people to return to work, more states are making it harder for people to stay on unemployment. Many blame the easy benefits that followed the pandemic, including the $300-a-week supplemental federal payment on top of state benefits. Their argument is that people make more money staying home than going back to work.

Several states have begun requiring those receiving unemployment benefits to show they are actively searching for work, and a few will stop providing the additional federal supplement.

President Joe Biden, however, has argued the enhanced federal benefits aren’t why people aren’t going back to work.

“The line has been because of the generous unemployment benefits, that it’s a major factor in labor shortages. Americans want to work. Americans want to work,” Biden said on Monday, CBS News reported. “I think the people claiming Americans won’t work even if they find a good and fair opportunity underestimate the American people.”

Labor experts say the shortage is not just about the $300 payment. Some unemployed people also have been reluctant to look for work because they fear catching the virus. Others have found new occupations rather than return to their old jobs. And many women, especially working mothers, have had to leave the workforce to care for children.

House Minority Leader Brian King, D-Salt Lake City, pointed to those factors while expressing his frustration with Cox’s decision to end the benefits in Utah.

“I mean, this is the perfect example of a disconnect between people in regular lives and people who are struggling to get back on their feet,” King said. “There are many, many people who are concerned — afraid — about returning to the workplace.”

What “frustrates me the most,” King said, is Cox’s decision “reflects this thinking of many on the other side of the aisle that people don’t want to work. That’s fundamentally wrong.”

King, who owns a law firm where he works as an attorney specializing in insurance claims, said he’s had “very few people coming to me and saying anything other than, ‘I very badly want to get back to work, and I can’t do it.’”

“I’m not saying there’s nobody out there that wouldn’t take advantage of the system,” King added, “but the reality is ... it’s a very low number.”

“And the frustrating thing to me is they’re pulling the rug out from under a bunch of people who rely on the assistance,” King said, noting that in order to receive those benefits Utahns had to have already gone through the process of qualifying for unemployment.”

For businesses who are struggling to find employees, King said perhaps they need to pay more to be more competitive.

“That’s the world we live in, it’s called a free market,” King said, adding there’s “nothing wrong” with employees expecting more from their employers. “We’re so used to looking at things from the perspective of the employer. ... How about workers for crying out loud?”

In Utah, about 28,000 Utahns are currently receiving the additional $300-per-week federal benefit, according to the governor’s office. Of those, 11,000 are receiving federal extended benefits, 2,500 individuals receive federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance, and 200 receive federal Mixed-Earner Unemployment Compensation. Currently, federal pandemic unemployment assistance in Utah totals $12.4 million a week.

“With the state’s economic recovery in full swing, there is no shortage of jobs in Utah,” Cox’s office said in a press release, noting Utah’s Department of Workforce Services website, jobs.utah.gov, has 50,000 available job openings, while job listings aggregator Help Wanted shows 72,000 available jobs in Utah.

“As employers compete for workers, we are ready to help those local businesses recruit and hire employees,” Casey Cameron, executive director of the Department of Workforce Services, said in a prepared statement, “For job seekers, we can provide career coaching, education assistance, job search help and more, either online or in-person at an employment center. For many workers, this transition can be a great time to gain additional skills and open doors to new opportunities.”

Utah’s business community leaders applauded Cox’s decision to end participation in the federal program.

“All across Utah, in a variety of industries, we are seeing the significant need for new employees,” Derek Miller, president and CEO of the Salt Lake Chamber and Downtown Alliance, said in a prepared statement. “The challenge our economy currently faces is not the scarcity of well-paying jobs, but the lack of workers. For our state to remain a national economic leader and for our communities to be prosperous, we need to normalize the labor market by assisting those currently unemployed to find opportunities to rejoin the workforce as soon as possible.”

The Utah Democratic Party criticized Cox for the move in a tweet posted Wednesday.

“All talk, all friendly on Twitter, then the wrong choices — that’s just how @SpencerJCox rolls,” the party posted. “Gov. Cox is failing Utah and our neighbors by ending pandemic unemployment benefits. COVID-19 is far from over, and treating it like it is will only exacerbate it.”

Cox’s office noted the state and the Utah System of Higher Education has dedicated $16.5 million to help over 5,700 Utahns get training and find better employment opportunities. An additional $15 million will be awarded over the next several weeks to training institutions throughout the state to help those who want to upgrade their skills. Funding is also available for career and education advancement through the states’ Department of Workforce Services, Cox’s office stated in Wednesday’s news release.

Those who need help finding employment can visit jobs.utah.gov for more information about additional pandemic relief programs and details about the federal unemployment insurance programs ending.

Contributing: Associated Press