Category Archives: Unemployment Insurance

Idahoans can get help with unemployment insurance at Labor mobile offices

NEWS RELEASEIdaho Department of Labor. Brad Little, Governor. Jani Revier, Director.

For Immediate Release: Jan. 19, 2023
Media Contact: Pam.Rogers@labor.idaho.gov

Idahoans out of work through no fault of their own can get help filing for unemployment insurance through Idaho Department of Labor staff in local and mobile office locations throughout the state.

Labor staff, known as unemployment insurance navigators, are available by appointment or through walk-in consultations during certain hours. Those in need of assistance can find hours and phone numbers for their nearest office at labor.idaho.gov/officedirectory.

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Navigators guide Idahoans through filing for unemployment insurance claims

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Nov. 25, 2022
Media Contact: Pam.Rogers@labor.idaho.gov

Unemployment insurance navigators are now available at Idaho Department of labor locations across the state to guide people through filing a claim for benefits.

Unemployment insurance is an eligibility program that replaces part of a worker’s lost income when they become unemployed through no fault of their own. Eligible claimants are paid these benefits through tax accounts to which their former employers have contributed.

As Labor employees, the navigators are assigned to help people identify and avoid mistakes that result in a delayed benefit payment, an overpayment that needs to be paid back, or fraud.

Unemployment insurance navigators can answer questions about the claims process, from first filing to continued claims. They are available in seven local labor offices, from Post Falls to Idaho Falls, and in mobile locations like Mountain Home, Kuna, Meridian, Payette, Emmett, Blackfoot, Preston, Malad City and more.

Find or call your nearest location at labor.idaho.gov/officedirectory.

Part of a $2.28 million Unemployment Insurance Equity grant through the U.S. Department of Labor is funding the program. The grant’s purpose is to make unemployment insurance more accessible to underserved populations in Idaho.

For more information about unemployment insurance and other job seeker services, go to labor.idaho.gov.

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Idaho Department of Labor’s Navigators program is funded in part by a U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Administration Grant totaling $2,283,000.

Employer workshops focus on unemployment insurance

The Idaho Department of Labor is presenting a series of free three-hour workshops throughout the state in October about unemployment insurance for employers.

The workshops will be led by unemployment insurance specialists, who will discuss the process followed when employees file for unemployment benefits and how that affects the employer.

Other topics include:

  • Using E-services
  • Claimant eligibility
  • Employer attachment
  • Investigating unemployment claims
  • Discussing separations — when laid off, discharged or quit
  • Determining claim outcome
  • Understanding a chargeable determination
  • Learning about the appeals process
  • Recent law changes
  • Discussing fraud

Schedule and locations are:

Nov. 17, ONLINE ZOOM MEETING – 9 a.m. to 12 Noon
Supervisors, managers, human resource officers and others are encouraged to attend. Contact Salvador Martinez at 208-332-3570 ext. 3473 or by email at Salvador.Martinez@labor.idaho.gov

Oct. 18, Lewiston, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Hells Canyon Grant Hotel, 621 21st St.
RSVP 208-799-5000 ext. 3524

Oct. 19, Post Falls, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Idaho Department of Labor Post Falls office
600 N. Thornton St.
RSVP 208-457-8789 ext. 4142

Oct. 20, Twin Falls, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
College of Southern Idaho
Taylor Building, Room 276
315 Falls Ave.
RSVP 208-735-2500 ext. 3784

Oct. 20, Sandpoint, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Edgewater Resort
56 Bridge St.
Sandpoint
RSVP 208-457-8789 ext. 4142

Oct. 25, Idaho Falls, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Idaho Department of Labor Idaho Falls office
1515 E. Lincoln Road
RSVP 208-557-2500 ext. 3966

Oct. 27, Caldwell, 8:30 to 11:30 a.m.
Idaho Department of Labor Caldwell office
4514 Thomas Jefferson St.
RSVP 208-364-7781 ext. 3932

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Idaho’s unemployment insurance programs are 100% funded by U.S. Department of Labor Employment and Training Administration grants totaling $40,761,255.

Unemployment insurance helps the economy as well as individual workers

Part five of an explainer series on Idaho’s unemployment insurance (UI) program.

While most discussions about the unemployment insurance benefits program focus on the role as a safety net for individual workers, this is only one of three major purposes it serves. The two others include as an automatic stabilizer for the greater economy during recessions and to preserve the workforces of industries that experience wide annual swings in business due to changes in weather throughout the year.

As an economic stabilizer, unemployment benefits are an insurance policy for the entire economy during recessions or economic disruptions that affect a large number of workers like the Great Recession after the 2008 global financial collapse or shutdowns caused by the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020.

During these types of events, with a large drop in employment and a reduction in economic activity as payrolls diminish and buying is curtailed, there is a risk of a snowball effect and greater economic consequences as businesses suffer from the reduction in demand. The stabilizer effect the unemployment insurance program provides is meant to hedge against greater economic turmoil that could lead to a much deeper and long period of economic decline.

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Idaho’s July unemployment rate shows slight increase to 2.6%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: Aug. 19, 2022
Media Contact: Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov or Karen.JarboeSingletary@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 2.6% in July, up 0.1 percentage points from June.

Map: Idaho counties and July 2022 unemployment rateThe number of Idahoans employed or looking for work grew by 3,938 people (0.4%) to 952,500. Labor force participation increased by 0.1 percentage points between June and July to 62.6%. Idaho’s peak participation rate reached 71.4% in September 1998.

July’s labor force growth was caused by increases in both employed and unemployed persons. Total employment grew by 3,364 (0.4%) to 927,974 while total unemployment increased by 574 (2.4%) to 24,526.

According to Help Wanted Online, there were 63,010 online job postings in Idaho during July, equating to 2.6 job openings for every unemployed Idahoan looking for work.

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Labor Department works hard to prevent fraud, protect trust fund

This is the fourth article in a series on unemployment insurance.

A key aspect of the Idaho Department of Labor’s administration of the state’s unemployment insurance program is safeguarding it against fraud, misuse and malfeasance on the part of employers or individuals. The vast majority of fraud cases are individual claimants who submit ineligible claims for benefits, or those accepting unemployment insurance payments that were paid to them in error, knowingly or not.

The Idaho Department of Labor takes the issues of fraud and overpayment very seriously and actively works to recover money paid out inappropriately.

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Idaho’s January Unemployment Rate Drops to 3%

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: March 14, 2022
Media Contact: Karen.JarboeSingletary@labor.idaho.gov or Craig.Shaul@labor.idaho.gov

Idaho’s seasonally adjusted unemployment rate was 3% in January – down slightly from a revised December rate of 3.1%. Due to the Bureau of Labor Statistics’ annual benchmarking process, December 2021’s unemployment rate was revised from a record low 2.4%. This realignment of labor market variables is not an indicator of any negative directional changes in the state’s economy.

The number of Idahoans employed or looking for work grew by 2,743 people (0.3%) to 924,469 – a larger over-the-month increase than during any month of 2021.

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Explainer on the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund and Taxes

Episode 3 – Trust Fund and Taxes:

For the third installment on Idaho’s unemployment insurance (UI) program, we explain the UI Trust Fund and its influence on the taxes employers pay.

The Trust Fund:

The UI Trust Fund is the center of the UI program.

The most basic function of the UI Trust Fund is as the pool where UI taxes Idaho employers pay are deposited and from which benefits paid to claimants are withdrawn. The diagram of figure 1 compares it with a holding tank shaped like Idaho. As the amount of funds in the tank goes up or down, it determines the tax rates on employers.

Trust Fund Graphics

All 50 states, Washington, D.C. Puerto Rico and Virgin Islands have a UI Trust Fund. The Federal Unemployment Tax Act (FUTA) requires the UI trust funds be kept with the Unemployment Trust Fund at the U.S. Treasury, and the funds can only be used to pay unemployment benefits.

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Why Did I Receive a 1099-G Tax Form?

The article was updated January 12, 2023.

Why did I get a 1099-G tax form from the Idaho Department of Labor?

A 1099-G form is a summary of your unemployment insurance benefit payments. You were mailed this form if you collected or repaid benefits the prior year. The 1099-G form shows you the total taxable amount on the benefits you were paid in that calendar year.

Are unemployment insurance benefits taxable as income?

Yes, unemployment insurance benefits are taxable. Benefit payments are reported to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

Are unemployment benefits provided through the CARES Act taxable as income?  

Yes, CARES Act benefits are taxable income. You will owe taxes on these benefits to the IRS and Idaho. For more details, visit the Idaho Tax Commission website at https://tax.idaho.gov.

Can I access my 1099-G information online?

Yes. Your IRS 1099-G information will be available online by Jan. 31 at https://www2.labor.idaho.gov/ClaimantPortal.

To view your Form 1099-G:

  1. Sign into your account with ID.me. This is a secure identity verification process that makes sure you’re you. Everyone who files for unemployment benefits online must log in with ID.me.
  2. Click on the HISTORY tab.
  3. Click the Details link in the 1099-G reporting tile.
  4. Open the 1099-G Doc link for the year.

I collected or repaid unemployment insurance benefits and have not received my 1099-G tax form yet. Where is it?

The department mails 1099-G forms at the end of January to the address on your Claimant Portal account. If you move and do not update your address, the U.S. Post Office may return a Form 1099-G as undeliverable.

You must make sure the Idaho Department of Labor has your most recent and correct address. If your address has changed:

  1. Log into your Claimant Portal account.
  2. Click the ACCOUNT tab.
  3. Click the Edit Profile link.
  4. Check and update your Address Information if necessary.

You can also download your 1099-G form online through your Claimant Portal.

IMPORTANT:

  1. If you don’t update your mailing address, your 1099-G tax form could go to the wrong address. This would put your identity at risk! Your 1099-G includes your entire Social Security number, as required by the IRS.
  2. DO NOT print your 1099-G on a public printer. Continue reading →

Explaining Idaho’s UI Tax System – Claimants and Benefits

Idaho’s unemployment insurance (UI) program is generally like any other insurance program. It has the same basic components – an intake of funds from insured entities that go into a pooled reserve from which pre-established, eligible losses some experience are covered (Grollier, 2003). Where it differs is it is government run and the source of funds is taxes on employers pooled into a regulated trust fund, with the output the replacement of partial wages for eligible workers.

Though the basic components are similar, this straightforward comparison is too simplistic for the complex UI machine. Explaining how modern cars work by describing the basic components of an engine combusting gasoline to make wheels turn around and around does not really provide enough insight into the inner workings of the car to understand how it works. There is more to a car’s operation and to make it is easier understand, it’s useful to focus in on one aspect at a time. For our overview of the UI program we will take the same approach and focus on benefits and claimants.

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