Unemployment
Unemployment Insurance - If business is closed or employees told not to come in
Employees that are unemployed due to no fault of their own may be eligible for unemployment benefits. If a business is closed or tells people not to come in due to COVID-19, the employee may apply for benefits.
The State is waiving the seven day waiting period for those affected by COVID-19.
Employees who have lost their jobs or had their hours cut due to the COVID-19 outbreak are eligible for unemployment benefits.
Tipped employees are eligible for unemployment benefits and will receive benefits based on any wages they have claimed for taxation purposes.
In limited circumstances, business owners may also be eligible for benefits.
Employees must note that their unemployment claim is due to the COVID-19 outbreak.
There are two ways to file a claim for Unemployment Benefits:
ONLINE: File a new claim or refile your existing claim anytime using DLT's online claims system.
PHONE: Contact DLT at (401) 243-9100 to file a new claim or refile your claim during normal business hours.
DLT has estimated that it will take 1-2 weeks to get benefits.
Tipped employees are eligible for unemployment based on total amount of wages claimed.
When filling out the unemployment form, they should claim their hourly base wage, however, DLT will calculate their benefit amount based on all wages claimed.
No. DLT has waived this requirement.
Permanent residents are eligible for unemployment. They need to have their Alien Registration Number available. They will also need to send a copy or picture of their Alien Registration Card to dlt.uihelp@dlt.ri.gov
Probably not. The only people eligible for unemployment are those that pay into the system. J1 Visa applicants should contact the DLT helpline at: 401-462-2020 or the DLT call center: 401-243-9100.
We understand that many employees in the hospitality industry use it as supplemental income. If an employee has another full time job, as of right now, it is unlikely that they will be eligible for unemployment benefits.
Anyone has the right to file a claim. However, an undocumented immigrant would not be entitled to benefits as the wages earned were not during a period of authorized employment.
Potentially, if the hours are cut AND the person has gross wages less than the weekly benefit rate, the person would potentially be eligible for a partial benefit as long as they are otherwise eligible. In this case, the person files in the same manner. However, when they certify for benefits each week, they must report the weekly gross earnings.
A UI claim when filed is valid for 52 weeks. Once that 52 week period expires, the employees can file a new claim based on the wages paid during the most recent year. However, if the claim is still within the valid initial days and the person runs out of money, the claim is exhausted.