What about people whose hours have been reduced. Can they get unemployment insurance payments?

Yes. Individuals can receive benefits for what’s called “partial unemployment.” States allow individuals who have had their hours reduced to file for unemployment benefits to make up some of the wages that are lost. In a few states, an individual is considered totally unemployed in a week even though certain small amounts of wages are earned. 

 

While each state has their own computation for determining if an individual is eligible, a good rule of thumb is that individuals who are earning less than their weekly benefit amount may be eligible for some benefit from the state. Some states will offset a portion of the claimant's earnings (subtract a portion of their earnings to arrive at a smaller earnings amount) to help more people qualify for partial benefits.

 

 

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