If you are collecting unemployment benefits, depending on the state in which you live, you may be receiving your benefit payments via a special debit card provided by your state unemployment office. With an unemployment debit card, your weekly payments are automatically loaded onto the debit card for you to use, but there may be times you may need to check the status of or balance on your unemployment debit card.
Insert your unemployment debit card into an ATM and enter your PIN to check the balance. You can also get a statement at the ATM, if you want to see when the last unemployment payment was added to the debit card.
Call the self-service hot line for your state unemployment office to check on the status of the debit card. If you don't have this number, you can usually find it on your unemployment office's website. Employeeissues.com lists all the unemployment office websites by state. The phone number may also be on the back of your debit card.
Visit the self-service website for the debit card. Not all states have a website just for the debit card. Look on the back of your debit card to see if there's a web address listed on it, or check on your state unemployment office website. For example, the Missouri Department of Labor's unemployment website has a link on the front page for the website to check the status of your unemployment debit card.
References
- Alaska Department of Labor: FAQ’s for Debit Card
- Missouri Access: Unemployment Debit Card Access
- Missouri Department of Labor: Unemployed Workers
- American Bar Association. "Automatic Teller Machines (ATMs) and the Law." Accessed March 24, 2020.
- CVV Number. "What Is My CVV Number and How Do I Find It?" Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Huntington National Bank. "How to Use a Debit Card: Online, ATM & Chip." Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "What Is the Difference Between a Prepaid Card, a Credit Card, and a Debit Card?" Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Visa. "Visa Prepaid Reloadable Personal Cards." Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "Understand the Fees You Will Pay." Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Federal Trade Commission. "Lost or Stolen Credit, ATM, and Debit Cards." Accessed March 24, 2020.
- Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. "What Is a Grace Period for a Credit Card?" Accessed March 24, 2020.
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Jamie Lisse has been writing professionally since 1997. She has published works with a number of online and print publishers. Her areas of expertise include finance and accounting, travel, entertainment, digital media and technology. She holds a Bachelor of Arts in English.