Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance Update

January 1st, 2007 Posted by Mark

We have seen some states where there are different cut offs for different types of businesses when it comes to unemployment insurance. For instance, we have seen states where for-profit companies have to be paying a certain amount in payroll in order to be liable for unemployment insurance tax, whereas nonprofit companies would have to be paying a different amount of payroll, or have a different number of workers on staff, in order to qualify and be liable.

Well, in Oklahoma, the qualifying factors may be simpler to follow, at least when it comes to for-profit and nonprofit companies. That is because the qualifying factors are the same for both. In both cases, if you employ one or more workers in 20 weeks over the course of the year, or if you have a payroll of more than $1500 in a quarter, then you are liable for unemployment insurance taxes.

There are certain nonprofits, however, that do have their own rules when it comes to unemployment insurance taxes. Those companies are ones designated as nonprofits by the code of the Internal Revenue Service. If you are one of these nonprofits, then you are only liable for unemployment insurance if you have four or more workers employed in 20 weeks over the course of the year.

In Oklahoma, all state companies and organizations, local government entities, school districts, and public trusts must also pay unemployment insurance for each and every one of their employees. Agricultural employers have their own set of rules under the Oklahoma unemployment insurance system. They are liable for unemployment insurance tax if they have a total payroll of more than $20,000 in a quarter, or if they have more than 10 employees working for them in 20 weeks out of the calendar year. Then they are liable to pay the tax too.

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Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance Posters

August 28th, 2006 Posted by Emily

The Oklahoma Employment Security Act provides that under certain conditions payments of money may be made to unemployed individuals from an unemployment compensation fund contributed to by employers subject to the Act. Oklahoma employers and nonprofit organizations (other than those described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS Code) pay the tax if they employ one or more workers in each of twenty different calendar weeks during a calendar year or if they have a payroll of $1,500.00 in a calendar quarter or are liable under the Federal Unemployment Tax Act.

Nonprofit organizations as described in Section 501 (c) (3) of the IRS Code will be liable if they employ four or more workers in each of twenty different calendar weeks during a calendar year. All state agencies, cities, towns, counties, public trusts or local school districts, including nonprofit elementary and secondary schools, also pay unemployment taxes.

Agricultural employers who have a total payroll of $20,000.00 in any calendar quarter during a calendar year or have ten or more employees in twenty different calendar weeks during a calendar year are required to pay this tax. The same holds true for domestic employers such as private homes, local college clubs or local chapters of college fraternities or sororities who pay $1,000.00 cash remuneration in any calendar quarter during a calendar year must also pay the tax.

If you are an employer in any of these situations, you are required by law to post Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance posters for your employees to see.

As described in Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance posters, a claimant can qualify if, during his base period, he received wages from employers subject to the Oklahoma Employment Security Act amounting to: (1) not less than $1,500.00 and (2) one and one-half times the amount of wages during that quarter of the base period in which such wages were highest. However, any claimant with $13,500 or more of taxable base period wages is eligible even of these wages were all in one quarter. A claimant’s earnings after the beginning of a previous benefit year in which benefits were paid must equal ten times the weekly benefit amount in the new benefit year.

Claimants must register for work at a State Employment office and file a claim in order to establish unemployment benefit rights. A notice is mailed to the last covered employer for whom the claimant worked at least 15 working days. The claimant must continue to file claims as directed by the Employment Service. On each continued claim filed, the claimant must certify as to his/her eligibility to receive unemployment compensation. These requirements are listed on Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance posters.

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Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance

September 21st, 2005 Posted by Nicole

I was recently comparing the unemployment insurance benefits that are offered by each of the 50 states. I know this information is available on the Oklahoma Complete Labor Law poster ,that encompasses all of the state, federal, and OSHA requirements but I decided to write a bit about it because Oklahoma tends to be the norm for their unemployment insurance policies.

Oklahoma unemployment benefits run about median, compared to the benefits in other states. Some states have weekly payments, for example, in the $200-300 range while others have benefits in the $400-500 range. Oklahoma’s weekly benefits can be up to $275.

In Oklahoma, individuals wishing to file unemployment claims must have earned at least $1,500. The total base amount of time one must work for the year also needs to equal 100 hours. The unemployment weekly rate is then 1/23 of the base pay rate. The minimum compensation is $16 and the wages that are subject to tax is rather high (at $14,300.)

As in any state, if an individual wishes to apply for unemployment benefits, he or she must have first been employed according to the guidelines put forth in the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. Then the unemployed individual needs to have been unemployed through no fault of his or her own. Following acceptance for unemployment benefits, the individual needs to file on-going claims each week and needs to make him or herself available to questioning by the state. The person must also actively be looking and applying to jobs dring the period of unemployment. If the person is offered a job that he or she refuses, she or he is expected to have a valid reason.

While Oklahoma’s unemployment benefits are in the low-to-medium range compared to the other states, the amount of work that one needs to do prior to receiving unemployment benefits is rather minimal, therefore, the program can benefit people who have only worked a total of less than three weeks. Employers with companies larger than 15 workers are required to have unemployment insurance for their workers. Smaller companies are exempt.

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Oklahoma Unemployment Insurance

June 10th, 2005 Posted by Nicole

I was recently comparing the unemployment insurance benefits that are offered by each of the 50 states. Oklahoma unemployment benefits run around the medium rate, compared to the benefits in other states. Some states have weekly payments, for example, in the $200-300 range while others have benefits in the $400-500 range. Oklahoma’s weekly benefits can be up to $275.

In Oklahoma, individuals wishing to file unemployment claims must have earned at least $1,500. The total base amount of time one must work for the year also needs to equal 100 hours. The unemployment weekly rate is then 1/23 of the base pay rate. The minimum compensation is $16 and the wages that are subject to tax is rather high (at $14,300.)

As in any state, if an individual wishes to apply for unemployment benefits, he or she must have first been employed according to the guidelines put forth in the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission. Then the unemployed individual needs to have been unemployed through no fault of his or her own. Following acceptance for unemployment benefits, the individual needs to file on-going claims each week and needs to make him or herself available to questioning by the state. The person must also actively be looking and applying to jobs dring the period of unemployment. If the person is offered a job that he or she refuses, she or he is expected to have a valid reason.

While Oklahoma’s unemployment benefits are in the low-to-medium range compared to the other states, the amount of work that one needs to do prior to receiving unemployment benefits is rather minimal, therefore, the program can benefit people who have only worked a total of less than three weeks. Employers with companies larger than 15 workers are required to have unemployment insurance for their workers. Smaller companies are exempt.

The Oklahoma Complete Labor Law poster explains in greater detail the requirements for any possible benefits and/or insurance. 

 

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