The total weeks of unemployment benefits of a state is determined by the state Unemployment Insurance Agency and the state’s unemployment rate. This article will look into the different unemployment compensation programs available in Michigan, the maximum number of weeks you are entitled to and what is the the time limit to apply for each program.

Michigan Unemployment Insurance Compensation.

Michigan offers up to 26 weeks of unemployment benefits to unemployed workers who are able and willing to search for a job and have earned a minimum of $4,307 in their previous base year ($2,871 must have been earned in one of the previous four quarters). Of course the size of your unemployment benefits paycheck will depend on how much you earned in your base period.

Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation, EUC Program.

The federal EUC program provides up to 53 weeks of unemployment benefits to unemployed workers who exhaust their standard Michigan UIA benefits. The program is divided into four tiers. Tiers III and IV are reserved for states, like Michigan, which unemployment rates. The amount you receive in your EUC checks drops with every tier you claim for. Tier I provides 80 percent of your basic UIA check, tier II 54 percent, tier III 50 percent and tier IV 24 percent. States with an unemployment rate higher than 6 percent qualify for tier III, while only states with a rate of 8.5 percent or higher qualify for tier IV.

Thanks to the fourth extension of the EUC program signed by President Obama on December 22, 2010, unemployed workers have up to January 3, 2012 before the EUC program phases out. In practical terms, this means unemployed workers applying for tier 1 have up to December 31st, 2011 to file for benefit weeks, while applicants of tiers II, III and IV have up to January 7, 2012.

Extended Benefits Program

When a state hits high unemployment rates for an extended period of time they can qualify for extended benefits programs. On January 10th, 2009 Michigan surpassed the 5 percent mark, a 42 percent increase from the unemployment rate of 2007. The week ending January 31st, 2009 was the first week Michigan unemployed workers were eligible for EB. The current extended benefits schedule will exhaust on December 25, 2010. You must have exhausted your EUC by this date to qualify for y0ur extra 20 weeks of EB. This brings the maximum weeks available to long term unemployed workers to 99.

Once you start receiving you state unemployment benefits you can roll from one program to another as long as you still meet the basic requirements of each program and are within the programs operating periods.

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