FAQ – Workforce Alabama

You may file your claim online. You can also file from any touch-tone telephone by calling the Initial Claims Line toll free at 1-866-234-5382. Your call will be answered by an electronic interactive voice response system, which will ask some initial questions. You will then be automatically connected to a customer service representative to complete your claim. Do not use a cellular telephone for this process because calls may be dropped before the system saves the information. If you are on a temporary layoff and will be going back to work for the same employer, your employer may have arranged to file your claim at your place of employment. Check with your employer if you think this has been arranged.

You will need your Social Security number and the name, correct address and dates of employment for your most recent employer. To verify your identity, we also need a driver’s license or state-issued ID number and your mother’s maiden name. If you are separating from the military, you need the member 4 copy of your DD214. If you are not a U.S. citizen, you must provide your work authorization number.

Once your claim is filed, information is available online in the claimant portal. To protect your information, the portal uses an authentication process requiring a Google, Microsoft or Apple account to log in. Your account information is not shared with us. For assistance by phone, call (800) 361-4524 at 5 p.m. Sunday through Thursday for a next-day callback appointment. If you cannot secure an appointment on one day, try again the next day. Keep your phone nearby on the day of your scheduled callback.

You must have wages in at least two quarters of your qualifying period (base period). The base period is the first four quarters (12 months) of the last five completed quarters from the date your claim is filed. The total of your base period earnings must equal or exceed one and one-half times your highest quarter earnings.

Generally, you must meet certain requirements to be eligible. You must be able to work, available for work, willing to accept suitable work, actively seeking full-time work and be out of work due to no fault of your own. If you voluntarily quit your job, you must show you quit for a good work-connected reason. If you are terminated, your employer must show you were terminated for a work-connected cause.

If you did not ask for a reduction in hours, you may receive unemployment if you are working and your gross weekly earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount. If approved, you report your weekly earnings from Sunday to Saturday each week. If you earn less than your weekly benefit amount, you receive a reduced payment for the benefit week. Unemployment compensation is paid on a calendar week basis and must be filed during the week you are unemployed or working reduced hours with earnings less than your weekly benefit amount.

No. Unemployment compensation will not replace lost wages due to reduced work hours or a furlough. Whether you are eligible depends on your weekly benefit amount and your gross weekly earnings. If your gross weekly earnings are less than your weekly benefit amount, you receive a reduced payment for that week. If your earnings are greater than your weekly benefit amount, you are not eligible for unemployment compensation.

You should file immediately. Your claim will be effective the Sunday before the day you file for benefits online or by calling 1-866-234-5382. Your claim is in effect for 365 days from that Sunday.

Benefits per week range from a minimum of $45 to a maximum of $275, calculated using your base period earnings. After you file your claim, a form is mailed to you that lists all of your base period wages by employer and the total and weekly amount to which you may be entitled.

Generally, you qualify for a set number of full benefit weeks ranging from 14 to 20 weeks. The maximum amount allowable for the benefit year is based on the unemployment rate. If you return to work or have deductible income for any week, you may draw reduced payments and increase the total possible length of time you can draw. The total you can draw for the year is the maximum benefit amount shown on your monetary determination.

When you contact the call center, a representative can help you determine if you need to combine wages from other states to file a claim. You will need to provide your last 18 months’ work history, so the information is correct.

No benefit year is established on ineligible claims. This allows you to file again when your base period changes. Ask for a specific date when the quarters will change so you can file again as soon as possible. If you have worked for cash or received a 1099, this could have affected your unemployment benefits.

If your monetary determination has missing or incorrect wages, call 1-800-361-4524 immediately. A request for a re-determination may be needed to locate missing or incorrect wages. If you received a 1099, this could have affected your benefits.

When you file your weekly certification for benefits, you should report any wages you earn for any work performed during the week you are claiming. Report your gross earnings during the week in which they are earned, not when they are paid.

You can file your weekly certification online or by calling the weekly certification number provided to you during your initial claims filing process. Follow all instructions completely.

You must be available to accept full-time work and be able to perform work you have prior training or experience in to be eligible for any week of benefits.

If you have followed all the procedures, there are no issues to be resolved and your claim has been cleared for payment, normally if you certify before 5 p.m. your payment is made the next business day. If your payment seems unusually delayed, contact the Inquiry line. Allow 48 hours for the payment to be processed by the bank handling your account or debit card. Payments are made through direct deposit or the AL Vantage Prepaid Benefits Card based on the option you selected.

You may use your card at any MoneyPass ATM Network location. Use the MoneyPass ATM locator to find an in-network ATM where you can access your funds at no charge.

Read and listen to all the information provided when you file your claim. If you do not understand something or you feel something is wrong, ask your customer service representative when you make your claim or call the Inquiry line. Assistance is available.

Immediately report a lost or stolen card by calling AL Vantage Customer Support at 1-833-888-2779. As long as the card is reported immediately, you are not responsible for unauthorized merchant charges.

Yes, as long as you have not already requested a replacement card. If you have requested a replacement, destroy the old card because it is no longer valid. To verify the balance, call AL Vantage Customer Support at 1-833-888-2779 or go online to the AL Vantage debit card account.

Contact the Legal Division of ADOL at (334) 956-7470. They will instruct you on how to file for the benefits owed to the deceased.

The Form 1099G is available online for previous tax years. To access it, download the form to print a copy. For benefits paid prior to these tax years, send a written request to Alabama Department of Workforce, 649 Monroe St Room 2225, Montgomery AL 36131, or fax to (334) 956-4074. Include your name, Social Security number, the year you are requesting and your signature, along with your current mailing address or fax number.

The Form 1099G is based on the date payments were issued, not the date received. A payment issued in late December might not be received until January. Any payments used to offset an overpayment will appear as payments on the Form 1099G for that year.

To request written information from your claim for DHR applications, a mortgage or loan, complete Form 480. Complete the form, state the purpose for the request, sign and have your signature notarized. Include a $10 money order payable to Alabama Department of Workforce and mail to Central Cashier, Alabama Department of Workforce, 649 Monroe St Room 2684, Montgomery AL 36131.

To report suspected fraud, visit the fraud reporting site or call 1-855-234-2856.

Yes. Beginning January 1, 1997, you have the option of having federal withholding taxes withheld at the current rate of 10 percent.

You may be charged with an overpayment which you must repay before any further benefits can be paid. You may also be disqualified from receiving benefits. Claims are audited by comparing weeks you were paid benefits with wages reported by your employer.

If you are eligible to draw benefits, each week of benefits will be offset automatically as you claim until the full overpayment has been repaid. Overpayments due to fraud cannot be offset and you will not be eligible for benefits until the fraudulent overpayments, penalty and interest are repaid in cash or income tax offsets. You may repay the full amount or contact Benefit Payment Control at 1-800-392-8019 to arrange monthly payments. Payments can be made online or by personal check, money order or cashier’s check payable to Alabama Department of Workforce and mailed to Benefit Payment Control, 649 Monroe St, Montgomery AL 36131. Do not forward cash through the mail. Overpayments may also be withheld from state and federal income tax refunds.

Yes. If the overpayment is no fault of your own, a waiver may be approved by the director. All requests must be made in writing by completing a waiver questionnaire and returning it for review. Overpayments due to fraudulent intent or appeal reversals will not be waived.

Fraud is willful intent to make a false statement or misrepresentation or willfully fail to disclose a material fact to obtain benefits. Anyone who claims benefits with intent to willfully defraud the state may be charged with fraud whether or not the benefit is received.

You will be charged with an overpayment which must be repaid before any further benefits can be paid. A penalty may be assessed against your current or next claim equal to not less than four times your weekly benefit amount and not more than your maximum benefit amount. A warrant for your arrest may be filed, and fraud may be treated as a misdemeanor punishable by a fine from $50 up to $500, imprisonment for up to 12 months or both. Each week claimed is a separate offense. A person convicted of fraud is disqualified from voting under Alabama law.

You may report suspected fraud through the toll-free fraud hotline 1-800-392-8019 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. Reported incidents are investigated and you are not required to reveal your identity.