States

How To Apply For Unemployment In Oregon

The fastest way to file an unemployment insurance claim in Oregon is to visit the website for the Oregon Employment Department. You’re officially considered unemployed after a job loss or a reduction to part-time employment that pays less than the weekly unemployment insurance benefit you’re entitled to. Use the links below to get started.

• State of Oregon Unemployment Insurance
• Filing an Unemployment Claim Online or By Phone
• Oregon UI Claimant Handbook

Have your social security number and state ID or driver’s license handy when you file your initial claim. You’ll also need any work history that you have where you’ve collected qualified (insured) wages in the past eighteen months. Minimum wage requirement is $1000 received in over twelve months (your base period) or five hundred hours worked.

Base Period and Weekly Benefits Amount

Weekly unemployment benefits payment amounts are calculated using a “base period.” Add up your previous full five quarters of wages and then subtract the most recent quarter. The sum of the wages from the remaining four quarters (first four of the past five) represents your base period. Your weekly benefit amount is 1.25% of that number. See below.

• Let’s say you make $500 a week
• $500 x 52 weeks = $26,000 per year
• $26,000 x 1.25% = $325

According to the model above, if you made $26,000 during your base period year, you can expect to receive a weekly benefits payment of $325 per week. You can receive benefits for up to twenty-six times this amount, which will typically be 26 weeks. Your claim goes into effect the week you file your claim application. You’ll then be required to wait a legally mandated “waiting week” and receive your first payment one week after that.

Submitting Weekly Benefits Claims

After your initial claim, you’ll be required to file weekly benefits claims to maintain your eligibility. These claims should be submitted on Sunday nights starting on the first Sunday after you file your initial claim. You’ll be asked to confirm the following:

• That you are still partially or fully unemployed
• That you are still willing and physically able to work
• That you have been actively searching for work
• The amount of any wages you earned during the week

If you find a part-time job, you can still collect partial unemployment insurance benefits if your wages are less than your weekly benefit amount. If you are offered full time work, you are required to take the job. Refusal can result in the closure of your unemployment insurance claim and cessation of weekly payments. Reemployment will also close your claim.

Random Audits and Unemployment Insurance Fraud

Unemployment insurance claims are subject to random audits. Make sure you accurately report your base year wages and any income you receive while collecting weekly unemployment benefits payments. Deliberately altering this information in any way could be viewed as insurance fraud and result in heavy fines and penalties. Keep all personal banking and identification information private to ensure third parties don’t alter any of your entries.