Qualifying for Benefits

• To qualify for unemployment benefits after a separation from your nonprofit employer, you must not be at fault for losing your job. If the nonprofit closes or lays you off, you qualify for benefits. If you quit or got fired because of negligence, you do not qualify for benefits. You must have earnings of $750 or more in your base period to qualify for benefits. The state calculates your base period as the four calendar quarters before the quarter proceeding the date of your unemployment. For example, if you lost your job on May 4, your base period is the four quarters of the previous year. You must be seeking work and able to work to qualify for benefits.
  
  

Amount of Benefit

• Benefit amounts range from $39 to $415 per week for qualified claimants. The amount that you are eligible for depends on the amount of your wages paid by the nonprofit and any other employers you had during your base period. The Kentucky Office of Employment and Training provides a benefit estimator on its website. After you enter your earnings for your base period quarters, the calculator tells you if you are eligible for the benefit based on your earnings, the amount of your weekly benefit and the maximum benefit you can receive. While the calculator provides your weekly benefit estimate, Kentucky pays claims every two weeks.
  
  

Applying for Benefits

• You can apply for benefits online, over the phone or in person. You must provide the department your Social Security number, mailing address, contact information for your employers within the previous 18 months and the beginning and ending date for each job. You can file online during the week from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. and on Sundays from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m. You must apply from a computer using Internet Explorer version 8 as its browser and you cannot use the system on Saturdays. To apply by phone, call 502-875-0442 from 7:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Monday through Friday. Toll charges apply when you file by telephone.
  
  

Maintaining Your Benefit

• To continue receiving your unemployment benefit, you must report your work status weekly to the department. If you performed any work for pay, you must report the number of hours worked and the amount of compensation for the work. Every six weeks, the department sends an eligibility review card. You must visit your local unemployment office to return the card. List any places where you applied for work on the card before visiting your local office. Report to the office Wednesday through Friday at noon in the week specified on the eligibility review card.