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Montana Unemployment Insurance Law

July 28th, 2006 Posted by Lindsay

I found some information on Montana Unemployment Insurance that I think is very helpful. Unemployment insurance, as you probably know, insures you so that you can get payments, called benefits, if you become unemployed. You can file for unemployment benefits if you are totally unemployed or if you are working less than 40 hours in a week. In Montana, your claim starts in the week you file the claim.

Be prepared to give your name, address, and information about your last job and dates of employment. You can apply either online or in person. If there are issues on your claim, you may be required to provide detailed information about these issues to the Customer Service Representative or enter this information into the Internet application form.

The amount of benefits you receive is dependent on your base pay period, which is the first 4 of the 5 previous quarters. The interesting thing, and the part that makes Montana a little different from other states, is the way the qualifying wage is calculated. To qualify, your pay must be 1-1/2 times more than the highest quarter of your base period or 7 percent of the average annual wage. Or your wage can be 50 percent of the average annual wage in Montana. The average annual wage changes yearly. It is calculated each July. In July 2005, the average annual wage was $27,060.71.

People who are injured in an on-the job injury and are not able to meet the requirements for unemployment benefits can usually use an alternative base period to calculate their eligibility.

In addition to the monetary eligibility, Montana has something they call non-monetary eligibility. That’s an issue that prevents you from receiving benefits, like if you quit the job for no reason or if you were fired for misconduct. If you don’t have childcare or transportation, or if you don’t actively seek work, you might not receive unemployment benefits.