Frequently Asked Questions From Employers Concerning Benefit Charges

1. Am I able to view my benefit charge statements online?

   Yes, benefit charge summaries are available online for recent quarters. Please click the link below and login to view your 'Online Benefit Charge Statement'. It is the same secure link used for online filing of Wage & Tax reports, viewing annual rate notices and other secured functions. If not already established, a User Login ID and Password are established by the user upon first entry to the secured site and is used for all subsequent visits. The Louisiana UI employer account number and Federal Identification Number (FEIN) are required to establish the Login. View Your Online Benefit Charge Statements.
   Note: If your account has recently been established, your online benefit charge statements may not be available for viewing yet.

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2. This claimant doesn't deserve to get unemployment, so why is he/she getting paid benefits?

   There are laws and regulations that determine a claimant's eligibility. If you have been charged on your benefit charge statement, then that determination has already been made as far as the claimant's eligibility. Therefore, the real issue for you, the employer, is that you do not want to be the one to pay for the cost of the benefits collected.

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3. But won't I have to pay if the claimant collects unemployment benefits?

   Not necessarily. If it is determined that your company is to receive a non-charge, your percentage (dollar amount) will be charged to a generic kitty (officially called a Social Charge account) instead of being charged to your account; therefore, you will not have to pay.

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4. What is a base period?

   A "base period" is used as the basis for an unemployment claim and consists of the wages paid to the claimant by any employer during the time period established as the base period. "Base Period" means the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters immediately preceding the first day of an individual’s benefit year. If a claimant’s benefit year begins anytime within the third quarter of 2009, the base period would be established as follows:
   
   Example:
   2009-3 = current quarter = does not count
   2009-2 = lag quarter = does not count
   2009-1 = in base period
   2008-4 = in base period
   2008-3 = in base period
   2008-2 = in base period
   
   The day a claim is established, a base period is determined and remains in effect until one year passes and the claim period expires. If a subsequent claim is filed, a new base period is determined using different calendar quarters. Base period quarters used for a previous claim are not used again as the basis of a new claim. An employee’s wages with your company would be used in the base period of any future claim as long as there were wages reported by your company in any of the quarters considered.

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5. This person worked for us a long time ago, so why are we being charged now?

   Because a claim is established with a base period that extends over one year prior to the actual filing of the claim and a benefit claim’s duration is one year, it may appear that you are being charged for a claimant that worked for you a long time ago. In the base period example above, the claimant could draw benefits into 2010 based on wages earned with your company back in 2008.

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6. This person only worked here for a couple of days, so why do I have to pay?

   If you paid wages, no matter how small, and those wages are within the established base period, you are responsible for your percentage (your share) of the total wages earned during the base period.

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7. I know the claimant worked for another employer longer than the claimant worked for me, so why is my percentage higher?

   The claimant made more money while working for you. The percentage is calculated by taking the total wages made in the base period (a year) and determining what portion was paid by your company.

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8. It has been quite some time since I received a non-charge for a claimant, and I have not been receiving charges. However, apparently the claimant is receiving benefits again and now my company is being charged. Why?

   A new claim period has been established for the claimant. When that happened, the non-charge stayed with the prior (old) claim period and did not transfer to the new claim period. Submit a Benefit Charge Protest (PDF) so the charges can be examined or adjusted.

   Remember, if the claimant returned to work for your company and separated again, a determination on the latest separation in the base period may not have been a non-charge. Therefore, the charge may be an accurate charge. If you submit a Benefit Charge Protest, we will review this for you.

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9. After I have submitted a protest or request for review, what can I expect?

   An analyst will review your records and the charge in question. Manual adjustments will be made, if required. Your company will receive notification of what was determined during the review and what adjustments were performed. We recommend that you keep this correspondence with your benefit charge statement for future reference.

   
   

   Remember, the benefit charge statements are sent to employers throughout the state all at the same time. Although a very small percentage of employers dispute their charges, the disputes that are made tend to come into us at the same time. Therefore, it can take a couple of weeks before your protest is reviewed, so we ask for your patience.

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