If you want to find out about Alabama unemployment benefits, go on over to https://dir.alabama.gov/uc/iccs/.
Unemployment benefits are a safety net of the US economy, meant to provide temporarily unemployed workers with cash to tide them over while they look for work. The benefits are funded by an unemployment insurance tax levied on all businesses. Generally, the unemployment insurance program is considered an important counter-cyclical force in the economy, helping to buttress demand in recessions and depressions.
To apply for unemployment benefits, a person must demonstrate that he or she has just involuntarily lost his or her job (i.e. not a voluntary resignation), and that he or she is currently looking for work. Unfortunately, unemployment claims are administered on the state level and details differ greatly from state to state, so it is important to check with the appropriate state agency for your state.
In Alabama, the Department of Industrial Relations is in charge of processing unemployment claims (UC). At the Department of Industrial Relations website https://dir.alabama.gov/uc/iccs/, you can make an initial claim for unemployment insurance, file your weekly claim certification, update your contact information and your receipt of payment method, as well as view your Form 1099-G tax documents.
While unemployment compensation usually lasts only for 26 weeks, in these difficult economic times, the duration of these benefits has been extended. Just a few days ago, Obama signed into law a one-time emergency six month extension of emergency benefits. So, even if you have previously applied for unemployment benefits and believe that your benefits are exhausted, you may be able to apply for an extension at the same website. Even if you have exhausted all regular state and federal emergency unemployment compensation, there is a program called the High Unemployment Extended benefits Compensation program that may provide you with an additional 20 weeks of benefits.
So, if you want to file an AL unemployment claim, or an extension to existing unemployment benefits, go on over to https://dir.alabama.gov/uc/iccs/, the Alabama unemployment insurance benefits claim site.