Tag 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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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 →

Idaho’s Unemployment Insurance Program Part of a National System

Idaho’s unemployment insurance (UI) program purpose is to replace a portion of an individual’s wages on a temporary basis when they lose a job due to no fault of their own. While the purpose is simple, it is a complicated machine subject to misconceptions.

This is the first installment in a series about Idaho’s unemployment insurance program and how it fits within the national system. The series will perhaps dispel some misunderstandings about the UI program as well.

Idaho’s UI program is one of 53 in the U.S. system that includes every state, Washington, D.C., Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands (U.S. Department of Labor: Employment & Training Administration, 2021). All programs share certain characteristics that are foundational to their creation in 1935 (Price, 1985).

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Scammers Target Idahoans with Fake Unemployment Text Messages

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: June 14, 2021
Media Contacts: Joshua McKenna, joshua.mckenna@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, georgia.smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is reminding Idahoans to be alert for a text messaging scam involving unemployment insurance claims.

Individual personal information has been compromised, hacked or breached by fraudsters in a large-scale nationwide scam involving phony texts about unemployment insurance.

If you receive a text with a link regarding unemployment insurance, disregard the text and do not click on the link. A fraudster has obtained – or stolen – your telephone number and is most likely using it to access unemployment benefits and steal your personal information. The text states your Idaho unemployment insurance claim is on hold for verification and instructs you to click on a link to reactivate your benefits. This text is a scam and should be deleted immediately.

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FAQs – Idaho to End Federal CARES Act Unemployment in June 2021

Question: Is Idaho discontinuing federal CARES Act unemployment insurance programs?

Answer: Yes, Idaho will end its participation in federal pandemic unemployment compensation programs week ending June 19, 2021.

Q: What programs are ending?

A: The following programs will end June 19, 2021.

Q: Should I continue to submit my weekly certifications in case the decision to discontinue PUA gets overturned?

A: No. It is not necessary to continue submitting weekly certifications.

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ID.me Helps Stop Unemployment Insurance Fraud

by Idaho Department of Labor Director Jani Revier

Crime rings across the globe are exploiting the COVID-19 crisis by attempting to commit large-scale fraud against multiple state unemployment insurance programs, and Idaho is not exempt.

These crime rings possess large databases of stolen personally identifiable information which is used to submit a large volume of applications for unemployment benefits. Scammers use the names and addresses of Idaho residents, but then have payments sent to bank accounts in other states or have bank cards mailed to different addresses.

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Labor Department Advises Idahoans to Watch for Identity Theft

NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: March 2, 2021
Media Contact: Darlene Carnopis, Darlene.carnopis@labor.idaho.gov or Georgia Smith, Georgia.Smith@labor.idaho.gov

The Idaho Department of Labor is reminding people to be alert for identity theft related to unemployment insurance claims.

Many individuals have had their personal information compromised, hacked or breached by fraudsters in a large-scale nationwide scam involving phony unemployment benefits claims. If someone has applied for benefits using your personal information, it may have been stolen and misused by fraudsters for unemployment benefits. The Labor unemployment insurance system has not been hacked, nor subject to a data breach.

If you are notified by the Labor Department that a claim has been filed under your name when you did not file the claim, disregard the letter or email and do not click on the link in the email.

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