How to File for an Unemployment Check

When you lose your job, you can apply for unemployment benefits in your state. If approved for unemployment in your state, you are eligible for weekly unemployment compensation. Simply being awarded unemployment does not result in checks arriving in your mailbox. In fact, you must fill out a weekly form in order to get an unemployment check. If you do not fill out the form, you do not get a check for your unemployment benefits.

Instructions

1

Look for and contact at least three potential jobs for each week that you are unemployed. You must keep a log of your job search efforts in the event that you are asked for this information by your state unemployment office.

2

Wait for your weekly claim form to arrive by mail, if you complete it by mail. If you complete your claim form online, you must wait for it to be available, which is typically on Sundays.

3

Complete your weekly unemployment claim form. The form asks about your job search efforts, and it may ask you to include the employers you contacted for a job during the week.

4

Sign and submit your weekly claim form back to your state unemployment office.