I currently work for a church full time. My employment will end. Am I able to claim unemployment benefits?

Q) I currently work for a church full time as a preschool director. My employment with the church will end in May or June. Are people who work for a church full time able to draw unemployment? Are part-time staff able to draw unemployment

A) Whether or not you can draw unemployment benefits depends on a few factors, including the reason for your termination, the length of time you worked for the church, and the laws of your state.

In general, you are eligible for unemployment benefits if you are laid off through no fault of your own and you have worked for the church for at least a certain amount of time. The amount of time you must have worked varies from state to state, but it is typically six months.

However, there are some exceptions to this rule. For example, if you are terminated for misconduct, you may not be eligible for unemployment benefits.

You can check with your state’s unemployment office to see if you are eligible for benefits.

Part-time staff may also be eligible for unemployment benefits, but the rules may be different. In some states, part-time staff must have worked for a certain number of hours per week in order to be eligible for benefits.

Generally churches and religious organizations are exempt from paying unemployment taxes. Therefore you may not be able to claim unemployment benefits as the church did not pay into the state unemployment benefit program. Please contact your local unemployment office to verify and enquirer what other options may be available to you in your state.