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Originally Posted by Axtman  should I ask my boss to lay me off so that I can collect unemployment? |
He may or may not go for this......
With a leave of absence, his net loss is zero. With you collecting, he will be out a certain amount of money which will be due to your State to cover your Unemployment Compensation
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We would have an agreement that I would be hired back when work picks up. They like my work and really need me....but they are slow.
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If you can get this in writing, that's great. Personally, I wouldn't put too much stock in a verbal agreement, and I would also be wary about asking for that "promise" in writing. IME pushing for a written agreement of this type can be *ahem* counterproductive with some bosses. Ultimately, this is a judgement call that only you can make, based on his personality and what you have observed about his ethical standards....
There are a couple of other factors you need to keep in mind:
This is #1
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make sure that if you are laid off that your unemployment will cover your bills
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For instance, my state only pays 70% of your Gross income, and that's
before taxes, which leads directly to......
2 - Unemployment may or may not be taxable income in your state, and it is
definitely taxable income as far as the Fed is concerned. If you're on Unemployment for any length of time, and do not have taxes taken out then it will have an impact on any tax refunds you may be used to getting - your Gross income for the year will rise without a corresponding take-out for the increased tax liability
OTOH having taxes withheld from your Unemployment check will take a sizeable bite out of that check. Go back and reconsider #1 in this light, then balance this factor against any possible end-of-year hit you may take at tax time
3 - If you do decide to go the layoff route, do it as quickly as possible. Unemployment Compensation is usually based on your gross pay for the previous few quarters. Being reduced to hourly - and presumably less Gross income per quarter - will probably have a direct impact on your Unemployment payout
4 - Don't pin your hopes on getting your old job back. S**t happens, and it is best to keep up a serious job search while you're collecting. The longer you're unemployed, the less attractive you are to potential employers - IME most prospects would rather steal you away from another employer than hire you off the street
Just my 2¢ worth....
