- The first calculation in which your gross wages affect your Ohio unemployment benefits is your eligibility verification. The state reviews the wages in your base period, which is the first four of the last five full calendar quarters before you filed for benefits. During this time, your gross wages must average at least $215 per week to qualify for unemployment, at the time of publication. You also must have 20 weeks in which you earned wages, or qualifying weeks, in your base period.
- When the DJFS determines you’re eligible to receive benefits, it calculates your weekly benefit amount, which is the amount of unemployment you can collect each week. The gross wages in your base period play an important factor in this calculation as well. It totals the gross base period wages and divides the total by half. The DJFS enforces maximum benefit amounts as determined by Ohio law. With no dependents, the maximum is $387 per week. Up to two dependents increases your maximum to $470 and three or more dependents puts it at $524, at the time of publication.
- The weekly benefit amount is just one part of your benefit picture. The other is the total amount of benefits you can receive per benefit year. The DJFS looks at your base period gross wages again to find your credit weeks, or the weeks in your base period that you earned any income at all. Then it multiplies the number of credit weeks by your weekly benefit amount to determine the most unemployment you can collect. Ohio state laws limits it to no more than 26 times your weekly benefit amount.
- Finally, gross wages can affect your benefit payments once the DJFS grants you benefits and calculates weekly payments. You can earn some money while collecting unemployment but the wage you earn reduces your weekly benefit payments. The state allows you to earn up to 20 percent of your weekly benefit amount before affecting your benefits. Everything above that is deducted from your payments and you get the rest as a partial payment.