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Introduction This guide provides important information about your Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits. (See the Glossary on page 19 for definitions of all underlined terms.) You must read all the information in this guide. If you don't understand something or have questions, please contact our agency for help at 1-800-361-4524. Please note that the information in this guide doesn’t take the place of Alabama Unemployment Compensation Law.

Nondiscrimination Notice The Alabama Department of Workforce Unemployment Compensation Division does not discriminate on the basis of a disability in the provision of services or employment. If you need this material interpreted, in a different form, or if you need assistance in using our service, please contact us.

TABLE OF CONTENTS PART ONE: UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE BASICS ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Page 1 • What is unemployment insurance? • The unemployment insurance trust fund • Your Social Security Number • Income tax withholding • Benefit payment options • AL Vantage customer service

PART TWO: FILING A UI CLAIM Page 2 • Preparing to file your claim • Filing a claim application • Filing online • Filing by phone • Claim processing time • Change of address • What to do if you return to work and become unemployed again • Disclosure of information

PART THREE: QUALIFYING FOR BENEFITS Page 4 • Qualifying for UI benefits • Computing monetary eligibility • Work performed in other states • Base period

PART FOUR: CONDITIONS FOR ELIGIBILITY Page 6 • What is an eligibility issue? • Separation issues • Non-Separation issues • Alabama Career Center system registration • Work search requirements