Alabama Unemployment Benefit Eligibility Requirements

There will be at least two determinations made on your claim for Unemployment Benefit Eligibility. The first determination is the monetary determination. The monetary determination will tell you if you have earned enough wages to qualify for unemployment benefits.

1. The monetary determination requirements will indicate:

a. wages paid to you by your Alabama employer(s) within the base period quarters. (The base period is explained further under the section, Computing Monetary Eligibility of this handbook), and

b. your maximum and weekly benefit amount, if you qualify.

Be sure to review your monetary determination carefully! Notify the call center inquiry line if there appears to be any missing or incorrectly reported wages. Proof of wages, such as a W-2 form, pay stubs, or a letter from your
employer, may be required to correct your wage record.

If you have wages from another state, military or federal wages, school-related wages, or if some of your Alabama wages are missing or require an investigation, you may be issued another monetary determination after these additional wages are
recorded.

2. A second determination of your Alabama Unemployment Benefit Eligibility will be made regarding the reason you were separated from your last employer.

If no disqualification is assessed on your claim, you will receive unemployment benefits for any weekly certifications you filed, provided there were no questions regarding your eligibility.

If a disqualification is assessed, you will receive a written decision notifying you that Unemployment Benefits were either reduced, suspended, or denied for any length of time because of your most recent job separation. read more

Definition: 

• UNEMPLOYMENT COMPENSATION 

The Unemployment Compensation Division pays unemployment benefits to workers who are either unemployed or working reduced hours, through no fault of their own. Not everyone who applies for unemployment benefits will qualify. Certain conditions must be met in order to meet initial eligibility requirements and to remain eligible to receive benefits.

• SOCIAL SECURITY NUMBER

The Unemployment Compensation Division can process your claim only if you provide your social security number. We use your social security number to verify your identity, to locate your employer(s) and your wages, to determine other income, to determine eligibility, to keep records of your benefit payments, and to gather statistics. The authority to require your social security number is found under the Internal Revenue Code of 1954, and the Code of Alabama, 1975.