April 8th, 2020- The Illinois Department of Employment Security announced that employers will not face a penalty fee for filing their February 2020 wage reports late. The emergency rule was electronically filed with the Secretary of State on April 7, 2020, and becomes immediately effective.
Wage reports are filed by employers and businesses on a monthly basis and document the number of workers and the wages each worker is paid during that month. These reports, which reflect employment and wages for the previous month, are used to determine whether a claimant is monetarily eligible for unemployment benefits and the number of benefits for which the claimant is eligible. The timely filing of these reports is vital to the integrity of the unemployment trust fund, out of which unemployment benefits are paid.
Employers are still encouraged to file their February 2020 wage reports, which were due to the department on March 31, 2020, as soon as possible. This will assist with the department in making monetary eligibility determinations for workers who have been impacted by layoffs and job losses as a result of COVID-19 and are currently filing unemployment benefit claims.
IDES is continuing to work through and process an unprecedented number of unemployment benefits claims and questions, both online and through the call center. Over 300,000 unemployment claims were filed in the month of March, compared to the just over 36,000 claims filed in March 2019.
Workers who have experienced layoffs, job losses and business closures due to COVID-19 should visit IDES.Illinois.gov for more information about how they could qualify for unemployment benefits or file a claim.
