As an employer, you may be required to provide an unemployment compensation employer response if your former worker files for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits. The UI notice may require an employer response to reemployment assistance benefits, in which case you may need to provide information regarding the reason the former employee is now unemployed and job separation documents. This request for a UI employer response can occur after the employee completes the process to submit a claim for unemployment payments after separating from the company. If you are an employer listed on the claim, you may receive a notice notifying you of the request for benefits from your former employee.

Your unemployment compensation employer response will help your state unemployment insurance agency decide whether to approve or deny payment of unemployment benefits to an employee who has been separated from employment. Your employer response to reemployment assistance benefits, along with information provided by the employee, are used to determine if the employee is entitled to benefits after they have been separated from employment. When you receive a notice requesting unemployment compensation information about a former employee, you should respond to the claim in a timely and thorough manner. The requirements and process for submitting an unemployment compensation employer response may vary from state to state. For more information on how to respond to unemployment compensation claims from an employee, download our helpful guide.

What to Know Before Submitting an Employer Response to Reemployment Assistance Benefits

Before submitting an employer response to reemployment assistance benefits, you should have a basic understanding of unemployment benefits in your state. When determining how to file a response to reemployment assistance claims, you should understand that every state supervises its own unemployment insurance program within guidelines established by the federal government. To qualify for unemployment insurance payments, an employee must be unemployed through no fault of his or her own and meet other UI eligibility requirements under state law. Your unemployment compensation employer response could determine whether your employee meets the eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance benefits in your state, how much he or she receives and how long the former employee may receive unemployment benefits. Even though your unemployment insurance employer response may influence UI payments for a prior worker, the state can also use state laws for payment periods and payment amounts to determine benefits.

Your unemployment compensation employer response may affect you because unemployment benefits are financed by tax contributions from employers. As an employer, you may earn a lower tax rate when former employees make fewer claims on your employer account. Before you submit an employer response to reemployment assistance benefits, discover more about the unemployment insurance program through our helpful free guide.

What are the consequences for not submitting an Unemployment Compensation response as an employer?

If you fail to submit an unemployment compensation employer response, your state unemployment agency may determine the former employee’s eligibility for unemployment benefits solely based on the information your former employee provides. If you do not submit an employer response to reemployment assistance benefits before the deadline specified in your notice, you may lose your right to protest the claim. When submitting an unemployment compensation employer response, the UI agency reviewing the claim will examine your company to see if the place of employment submitted correct and on-time wage information. If the UI agency notices any discrepancies on your filing and reports of the former employee’s income during the review for an employer response to reemployment assistance benefits, you may face penalties. You may pay for improper payment of unemployment compensation claims in the form of higher taxes. In addition to increased employer UI taxes, your inaccurate unemployment compensation employer response could result in other penalties for failing to report accurate information. When replying to UI claims, you should learn more about failure to submit unemployment compensation employer response consequences to make sure you respond to the claim in a timely and accurate manner.

How to File an Employer Response to Reemployment Assistance Claims

You may receive a request for an unemployment compensation employer response notice when a former employee submits a claim after termination from the workplace. The UI employer response contains instructions from your state unemployment insurance agency on the ways to respond to the claim. The notice may inform you how to file a response to reemployment assistance claims. It can also include information about the former employee, the deadline for your response and your right to appeal the request for benefits.

Instructions on how to file a response to reemployment assistance claims will vary depending on your state. However, in most states, the quickest and easiest way to submit an employer response to reemployment assistance claims is online through a platform called the State Information Data Exchange System (SIDES) E-Response.

SIDES E-Response is an online tool that allows you to submit an unemployment compensation employer response in a fast, secure and standardized way. When using SIDES E-Response to submit your employer response to reemployment assistance benefits, you may be able to review any important documents from your state unemployment agency. When using the online tool, you should submit details about the reasons for the separation of a former employee and other key information, such as proof of the reasons for termination or evidence that disputes the former employee’s claim. You can provide information on the claimant’s employment, earnings, reasons for separation and supporting documents. When you learn how to respond to unemployment compensation claims using the SIDES E-Response, it will ensure that you submit your response accurately and quickly.