Do you hate your job? You may be thinking about giving your boss the bird and going on the dole, but wait, read this article first. Most states, if not all, have some sort of unemployment insurance scheme designed to give people money while they are out of work. So, how do you collect your money?

First of all, find out the rules. In many states, if you quit, you are not eligible for benefits, while in others you may be. In some states if you are fired you might not get benefits, while in some you can get benefits if you burn the place down (accidentally of course). So, the first thing you have to do is find out what are the rules in your state. Eligibility for unemployment, the amount you can claim and the length of time you can claim them are governed by the state law where unemployment claims are established.

Look up your state unemployment service online at the labor department website , there are also a lot of great references here as well. Make sure you have worked the correct amount of time, and that you meet all other criteria for filing for benefits. Most of the time, you will file in the state you worked in, so those are the rules you need to pay attention to. When you find out if you are eligible, then you can decide if you can file or need to start selling your plasma to drum up some money.

Even after filing there are some nasty surprises. Many states require you to wait a week before filing for benefits, so it may take up to three weeks to get a check. Also, even though the government is giving you money, guess what? They are still going to tax you on your benefits, lovely. In addition, many states are very conservative as to the maximum amount you can collect. Say you were making $100,000 a year as a stock broker, guess what? You may be limited to a couple hundred dollars a week maximum unemployment. It’s not like in Europe. If you are unemployed in the states, you are screwed.

If you really are laid off, there is not much you can do other than file for benefits, look for another job and read my articles on saving money. But, if you just want out of your job, think about your alternatives. Maybe you could emigrate to Madrid? Or, if you don’t like soccer, simply move back in with mom so that you won’t have to earn all that money and won’t have to go throught that daily slog just to get a few bucks.