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What is Unemployment Insurance? How and when should I file a claim for benefits? How are benefits calculated? Use the NEW benefits Estimator to calculate your benefit. What are eligibility requirements? How does the Unemployment Insurance Program determine who is eligible? What forms do I need to fill out to complete the processing of my claim? What should I expect after filing a claim? How do I get paid once I have filed a claim? How long will it take to get paid if the claim is approved? What do I do when I have found a new job?
Legal Presence RequirementsColorado law requires all persons 18 years and older to provide proof that they are lawfully present in the United States before receiving certain benefits, including unemployment insurance (UI). In order to receive UI benefits from Colorado, you must affirm that you are a citizen or a legal, permanent resident of the United States or otherwise legally reside in the United States in accordance with federal law. You must possess and provide information regarding one of the following forms of identification (ID):
NOTE: Unemployed workers living outside Colorado must provide information proving that they have a valid driver’s license or ID card issued by another state or by Canada. You must affirm your citizenship or legal presence in the United States by signing and returning Form UIB-1, Claim for Unemployment Insurance Benefits. Also, please provide information about your proof of ID on the same form. The form is mailed to you after you file a new UI claim, file an additional UI claim, or reopen an existing UI claim. You must provide this information only once during each claim year. The form must be completed, signed, and received by the UI Program within the timeframe specified on the form or your claim for UI benefits will not be paid for the weeks prior to the week in which the form is received by the UI Program.What is Unemployment Insurance?Unemployment insurance is an income maintenance program that may be available to you if you are unemployed through no fault of your own. The monies you receive provide temporary help until you return to suitable work. Thousands of unemployed workers each year apply for benefits to supplement their income while looking for new jobs, allowing them to continue making mortgage, car, grocery, and other payments. The unemployment insurance benefits program provides for:
All individuals may take advantage of the full range of job placement services listed in the Employment Services section on the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment home Page. How and when should I file a claim for benefits? You cannot be paid unemployment benefits for any period of time before the date you actually file a claim for benefits. If you are unemployed or if your work hours are reduced to less than full time, you may file a claim for benefits. If you file a claim Sunday through Wednesday, your claim will be effective the week you file. If you file a claim on Thursday through Saturday, your claim will be effective the following week. You have the right to leave a job for any reason at any time, but the circumstances of the separation will determine if and when you will receive benefits. When you file a claim, we will ask you and your employer for the reason for your separation. Based on this information, we will make a decision that will determine if and when you will receive benefits. In Colorado, unemployed workers have the option of filing a claim for benefits over the Internet or by telephone. You may file over the Internet by clicking here. You may file by telephone by calling 303-318-9000 (Denver-metro area) or 1-800-388-5515 (outside Denver-metro area). Please have your social security number available when you file and be prepared to supply information on any employer you have worked for over the past 18 months, including dates worked, rate of pay, and reasons you are no longer working. You can file for benefits anytime after your last day worked but you cannot claim benefits for any period of time you were unemployed prior to filing a claim. A formula is used to calculate the amount of benefits you may receive. The calculation is based upon wages paid to you during a prescribed base period. The base period is defined as the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. Use the benefits Estimator to calculate your potential benefit. What are eligibility requirements? To be eligible to receive unemployment benefits, you must be unemployed through no fault of your own and must be able to work, be available for work, and be willing to seek and accept suitable work. How does the Unemployment Insurance Program determine who is eligible? The Unemployment Insurance Program requests information from both the claimant and the employer as to the reasons for the job separation. Those facts are then evaluated according to the requirements as stated in the Colorado Employment Security Act. What forms do I need to fill out to complete the processing of my claim? All individuals must complete, sign, and return Form UIB-1, Claim for Unemployment Insurance Benefits, before any benefits will be paid on the claim. If you are required to complete any other forms, you will be instructed by the UI Program or by the Internet application. You may download a copy of some forms, including Form UIB-1, Claim for Unemployment Insurance Benefits, here.What should I expect after filing a claim?After your claim has been filed, you will receive various forms in the mail, as well as an unemployment insurance handbook that explains your rights and responsibilities while claiming benefits. Please read the handbook carefully and follow the instructions on the forms. Beginning with the first week of your claim, you must make a serious effort to find a job. You will be required to make and record at least five job contacts each week. You may register with your local Workforce Center in person or online at Connecting Colorado. Work registration with the Workforce Center is required to receive unemployment benefits. You must keep a detailed record of your work search efforts and be prepared to provide us with this record at any time. A work-search log that you can use to keep track of your job contacts is available in the claimant handbook; but do not wait for the handbook to begin your search for work. If you are a member of a union that has a hiring hall or have a definite date to return to work for your employer within 16 weeks of separation, you may not be required to look for work. How do I get paid once I have filed a claim?This answer was updated on January 5, 2009. To file for payment on your UI claim, you must certify that you meet the weekly eligibility requirements, listed below. You must:
Certification and a request for payment is typically made every two weeks either on the Internet (Colorado Unemployment Benefits Line [CUBLine] Online) or by telephone (CUBLine). Both CUBLine Online and CUBLine are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, but you must wait until after midnight Saturday of the second week for which you are requesting payment to file. The UI Program issues benefit payments either to your personal Colorado Automated Payment (CAP) Card, a Visa® debit card issued by the Colorado Department of Labor and Employment (CDLE) through its agent, Chase Bank, or by direct deposit into a checking or savings account of your choice. Your Cap Card account is automatically created when you file for UI benefits. The UI Program automatically deposits benefits to your CAP Card unless you select direct deposit from the Payment Selection web page. For more information, visit Direct Deposit Frequently Asked Questions. You will not be paid if your request for payment is late, unless you show good cause according to Regulations Concerning Employment Security for the late filing. Your request is considered late if you do not call within seven days following the week or weeks for which you are requesting payment. Refer to the claimant handbook for more information. CUBLine 303-813-2800 (Denver-metro area) In addition to requesting payment, CUBLine allows you to change your mailing address, hear recent payment history, or access general information about the Unemployment Insurance Program. How long will it take to get paid if the claim is approved?This answer was updated on January 5, 2009. Processing of a claim can take up to six weeks to complete. The first week of entitlement is a waiting week and is not a payable week, but you must meet all eligibility requirements to get credited for the waiting week. One nonpayable waiting week must be served each time a new claim is filed. If you are entitled and eligible to receive benefits, benefit payments for all payable weeks claimed are deposited to your personal CAP Card, a Visa® debit card issued by CDLE through its agent Chase Bank or by direct deposit into a checking or savings account of your choice. Your CAP card account is automatically created when you file for UI benefits. The UI Program automatically deposits benefits to your CAP Card unless you select direct deposit from the Payment Selection web page. Benefits are not be paid for weeks of unemployment prior to the date your claim was filed. What do I do when I have found a new job?When you file a claim, it is active for a period of one year beginning on the file date. You can use the benefits that you are entitled to any time you are unemployed during that year. When you return to work, stop filing for payment; this will close your claim. Your claim can be reopened at any time during the one-year life of your claim if you again become unemployed. How do I cancel my claim?If you wish to cancel your claim, you must write and mail a letter or call customer service within the first 12 days after filing your claim. Canceling your claim will completely remove the claim from the system as if you had never filed. After canceling your claim you cannot reopen the claim; you must file a new claim.
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