Filing for and Collecting Unemployment After an Internship
- 1. Filing for and Collecting Unemployment After an Internship By Amy Decker
- 2. The eligibility for a person to be able to file for and collect unemployment depends upon a couple of major factors. The first is if the internship was paid or unpaid. For paid internships they are generally treated as seasonal jobs in the eyes of the state unemployment office. As long as a person is regularly paid as compensation for their work, then the work either ran out or the assignment ended as scheduled, the person should be eligible to file for unemployment benefits. Many government employees are seasonal workers and are only employed during peak times of the year when their services are needed the most. The rest of the year they are generally eligible for unemployment compensation so long as they meet their particular state's requirements for working. Some states require a certain number of hours to be logged as an employee with that particular company before they are eligible to file and claim unemployment while other states do not care about the time spent with an employer and rather look at a history of the employee's work. 2
- 3. Internships are unique in that there is usually a time frame and pay expectation attached to the project when the intern agrees to the work with the company. While this seems black and white, either an intern is paid and eligible for unemployment or unpaid and not eligible, intern pay may not be regular like a salary or hourly job is. If the intern is paid a set amount upfront for their expected services, or paid after the project has completed, the unemployment process may be complicated due to these factors. Determining the specific state's unemployment laws would be the most beneficial in this situation. Having all the facts gathered on the particular internship that a person is pursuing, as well as a good understanding of the state's unemployment policies and procedures is a the best way to ensure understanding of the process once the internship concludes. Internships that provide a stipend for daily expenses, such as room and board or a daily allotment for food may or may not be enough to become eligible for unemployment. 3
- 4. Again, in this situation, it is best to locate or call an unemployment office and ask questions relating to a particular situation. Because each state is different, do not assume that living in one state, but taking an internship in another state will be covered under the home state's unemployment. Often times crossing state lines can hinder and complicate the process, and for those that are depending on this money after their internship ends it is especially important to fully understand the process they must go through to ensure the delivery of the benefits they may be entitled to. 4