If you are unemployed, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits in Maryland. The Maryland Department of Labor's (DOL) Division of Unemployment Insurance handles the Unemployment Insurance program. There are four articles in this series with information on eligibility, applying, appealing a denial, and other resources. This article deals with eligibility and information you need to gather before applying.

Topics on this page:

• Overview
• Maintaining Eligibility
• COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance
• Information and documents you need to apply

Overview

Eligibility - Unemployment benefits may be available if you:

• are unemployed through no fault of your own
• earned a certain minimum amount in wages before you were unemployed; AND
  • Standard Base Period – must have earned income during two of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before filing a claim; or
  • Alternative Base Period – must have earned income during two of the last four completed calendar quarters
• are able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work.

Some individuals may be exempt from the requirement to be actively seeking work.. Exemptions may be granted to:

1. Civilian employees of the Federal Government who are furloughed due to a full or partial government shutdown. To be eligible for exemption, the civilian employee must be temporarily barred from work and in a temporary non-pay status.
2. Individuals temporarily laid off from work as a direct result of the event or occurrence that led to the Governor declaring a state of emergency. Individuals must remain able to work and available for work.

There are no income or asset eligibility requirements to be eligible for unemployment benefits.

Benefit Amount - The weekly benefit amount is the amount of money you may receive and ranges from $50 to $430. The weekly benefit amount is based upon the amount of money you earned from your previous employers during a specific time period as well as other factors (e.g., number of dependents). Learn more about the weekly benefit amount from the DOL's website.

Duration of Benefits - Unemployment benefits are available for up to 26 weeks. Benefits may exceed 26 weeks if a federal extension program is available. If this is the case, then the DOL will notify you that there is an extension in effect.

Read the Law: Md. Code, Labor & Employment § 8-101, § 8-802, § 8-803, § 8-808, § 8-903

Read the Regulations: Code of Md. Regulation, Title 9, Subtitle 32

Maintaining Eligibility

Once determined eligible and collecting benefits, a person must meet the following requirements to continue receiving benefits:

• Actively seeking work
• File weekly claim certifications on time and report all money earned
• Satisfy the “Actively Seeking Work” requirement by performing three re-employment activities per week (e.g., applying for jobs)
• Accept applicable job offers that could lead to employment

COVID-19 Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

Under the federal CARES Act, individuals who are not otherwise eligible for unemployment insurance benefits may be eligible for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), which provides up to 39 weeks of benefit during the period between January 27, 2020, and December 31, 2020, and can be claimed retroactively.

A person must be otherwise able and available to work, but unemployed or underemployed due to one of the following COVID-19 reasons:

• Diagnosed with COVID-19 or seeking a medical diagnosis
• Has a household member who has been diagnosed with COVID-19
• Is providing care for a household member with COVID-19
• Is a primary caregiver for someone who cannot attend school or another facility that is closed as a result of COVID-19
• Cannot reach a place of employment because of a COVID-19 quarantine 
• Is unable to reach a place of employment because a healthcare provider has told them to self-quarantine due to COVID-19
• Was scheduled to begin employment and now does not have a job because of COVID-19
• Has become the major support for a household because the head of the household died as result of COVID-19
• Has to quit their job because of COVID-19
• Has a place of employment but it is closed due to COVID-19

Information and documents you need to apply

Gather all the information and documents you need before applying. This will speed the application process and get you benefits faster.

Personal Information

• Social Security Number
• Date of birth
• Alien Registration Number, if you are not a U.S. citizen
• Residential and mailing addresses
• Telephone number
• Email address
• Name, date of birth, and social security number of all dependents under age 16

Employment history for the past 18 months

• Name, address, and telephone of each employer for the past 18 months
• Employment start and end dates for each employer
• Return-to-work date (if known and applicable)
• Union name and local number (if you are a union member)
• DD Form 214 (if you were in the military within the past 18 months)
• Form SF-8 (if you were a federal employee within the past 18 months)

Documents you may be asked to show 

• For W-2 hourly or wage employees:
  • Pay Stubs
  • IRS Form W-2
• For self-employed or independent contractors:
  • IRS Form 1099
  • Tax Return:  Schedule C
  • Summary of Quarterly Payments
  • Accounts Receivable Statement
  • Income Tax K-1 Schedule
  • Profit and Loss Statement
  • Business Formation Papers (Business Registration or Charter, EIN, etc.)
  • Independent Contractor Agreement

Documents you may need to apply if unable to work because of an impact by COVID-19

• Letter from your employer indicating that you were to begin working but cannot because COVID-19
• Letter from your employer stating that COVID-19 caused the business to close
• Letter from your child’s school or childcare facility stating that COVID-19 caused the school or facility to close
• Notification that a travel restriction prevented you from going to work
• Documentation from medical personnel showing that you or someone in your household was diagnosed with or sought treatment regarding COVID-19
• A statement about how COVID-19 has caused you to suspend self-employment activities

This article series was produced by the Economic & Food Security Committee of the Maryland Attorney General's Covid-19 Access to Justice Taskforce.