For Claimants

Eligibility for Regular Unemployment Insurance

What if I quit my job because I am generally concerned over the COVID-19 virus?

An individual who leaves work voluntarily generally cannot receive UI. Your eligibility in this situation will depend on whether you can demonstrate you had a good reason for quitting, and that the reason was because of your employer. You generally must make a reasonable effort to work with your employer to resolve whatever issues made you consider quitting.

What if I can’t leave my home because I must care for my child during the pandemic or because I have COVID-19?

An individual in any of those situations would be unemployed through no fault of their own and might be eligible for UI benefits. However, to qualify for UI, they would still need to meet all other eligibility requirements. For example, the individual must be able and available for work, and show that they are seeking work from home. Individuals can be considered able and available to work if there is some work that they could perform from home (e.g., transcribing, data entry, virtual assistant services).
This individual also must prove that they left their job due to their employer. However, there is an exception to the requirement that the reason for leaving is due to the employer. That exception is when an individual quits a job because a licensed and practicing physician deems them unable to perform the work; or when their employer is unable to accommodate the individual’s need to care for a family member who has been verified to be in poor health or to have a disability.

What if I leave work because my child’s school has temporarily closed, and I have to stay home with the child?

If an individual quits a job due to day care, that individual is generally considered to have quit the job for a reason that is not due to the employer, and will therefore not be eligible for UI benefits.

What if I have reduced wages (part-time work)? Can I work and receive benefits?

Yes, if your earnings for a particular week are less than your weekly benefit amount (WBA), you may be eligible for all or partial benefits for that week. (For this situation, the WBA does not include any dependent allowance.)

Learn more about partial benefits and working part-time.

Am I eligible for unemployment if I am currently receiving income using my vacation days, sick days, or receiving FMLA payments?

Money received from your employer for using your vacation days (under some circumstances), sick days, and FMLA payments, are normally considered wages. This income will impact the amount of benefits you will be eligible for.

What determines if I’m able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work?

To be considered able to work, an individual must be mentally and physically capable of performing a job in an occupation where jobs exist.

To be considered available for work, an individual cannot impose conditions on the acceptance of work if those conditions essentially leave them with no reasonable prospect of work.

To be considered actively seeking work, an individual must reasonably try to return to work. An individual cannot refuse a suitable job offer or they could lose eligibility for benefits.

How do I look for work?

The job search tool makes it easy to look for your next job on IllinoisJobLink.com. If your work search history is requested by IDES, you can use your IllinoisJobLink.com history to prove your work search activities. 

Am I required to use IllinoisJobLink.com?

Normally, yes. Individuals are required to register with IllinoisJobLink.com (IJL) to be eligible for unemployment benefits. You will need to register and upload a resume to www.IllinoisJobLink.com. unless IDES informs you that you fit into one of the narrow exceptions.

I am receiving wages from an employer, and I also have a side business where I am an independent contractor. I lost all of my independent contractor work, but I am still receiving some wages from my employer. Am I eligible for benefits?

The fact that you lost either your side business or a part time job does not make you “unemployed” if you are still working full time or are earning more than your weekly benefit amount (WBA). If you are not employed full time but are still receiving some wages from your employer, you may be eligible to receive benefits if the wages earned from your employer are less than your weekly benefit amount (WBA). Since you have no work as an independent contractor, then you have no earnings outside of your wages with your employer to reduce the benefits that you may be eligible for.

What income do I have to report when I certify every two weeks for benefits?

You must report the amount of all income before taxes or any other deductions are taken out. This is called your gross income. For each of the two weeks you are certifying, you must report the gross income that you earned, even if you will not actually receive the money until later.

I am an undocumented individual. Am I eligible for any unemployment benefits?

In general, individuals who are not lawfully permitted to work in the United States are not able and available to work. In addition, wages earned by an individual who is not lawfully permitted to work cannot be used in establishing a weekly benefit amount. Therefore, that individual would not eligible for unemployment benefits.

I have a green card and was recently laid-off due to COVID-19. Am I eligible for benefits?

Individuals with green cards issued by the federal government are generally able and available to work. Therefore, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you meet all the requirements.

I receive a 1099 for the job(s) I do as an independent contractor. Am I eligible for regular UI?

You may be eligible for regular unemployment insurance, as a “1099 employee” is not synonymous with “independent contractor” as defined by the Unemployment Insurance Act.
In Illinois, every individual who is unemployed or underemployed should file a claim for unemployment benefits, even if they have been told they’re not covered by the state’s regular unemployment insurance program – because they’re an independent contractor, part of the “gig economy,” or for some other reason. It is possible that whoever told them they were not covered was wrong. Even if an individual’s employer does not consider the worker to be covered and doesn’t pay unemployment taxes on the individual’s wages, the individual can qualify for regular UI benefits if IDES determines he or she is covered under Illinois law. An employer’s failure to contribute to the unemployment system will not impact a claimant’s eligibility for benefits.

I am an independent contractor, but I am only partially unemployed (i.e., my revenue has taken a significant loss, but I am not completely out of work). Can I receive unemployment benefits?

This depends. IDES must determine if your work as an independent contractor is covered under Illinois law, the amount of wages from covered employment you received in the past, and what you are earning currently. You will receive a weekly benefit amount based on your past covered wages. If your current weekly income does not exceed your weekly benefit amount, not including dependent allowance, you may be eligible for benefits for that week. If your income exceeds your weekly benefit amount, then you would not be eligible for benefits for that week.

Certain non-academic school employees were made potentially eligible for unemployment insurance in Summer 2020 and 2021. Was this potential eligibility extended for Summer 2022?

No, the General Assembly did not extend potential eligibility for these workers in 2022.