I was laid off in December – Shouldn’t I have been paid for prior weeks
Q) I was laid off in December, made to work till Feb 10th, 2014. Got my final severance check 3/14/14. Filed unemployment on 3/16/14 and it was zero. Shouldn’t I have been paid for prior weeks since severance pay is not considered?
A) It depends on the state you live in. In some states, severance pay is considered income and can reduce the amount of unemployment benefits you receive. In other states, severance pay is not considered income and does not affect the amount of unemployment benefits you receive.
If you live in a state where severance pay is considered income, you may still be able to receive unemployment benefits, but the amount of your benefits will be reduced by the amount of your severance pay. For example, if you receive a severance pay of $1,000 and your weekly unemployment benefit is $200, your weekly benefit amount will be reduced to $0 for the week you received the severance pay.
If you live in a state where severance pay is not considered income, you will still be able to receive your full weekly unemployment benefit amount.
You can contact your state’s unemployment office to find out more about how severance pay affects unemployment benefits in your state.
Again this all depends on your state requirements. Please read your state requirements https://unemploymentoffice.us/unemployment-eligibility-requirements-state/