12 Dec I’m rolling my pension to an IRA. Can I still get unemployment?

Q. After 35 years with my company, my job was eliminated. I will be receiving lump sum severance. I’m soon to be 62 and am in the process of rolling over my company paid pension into an IRA. I will not receive income from the IRA for the next several years. Am I eligible to receive unemployment? When I filed, it asked if I will be getting a lump sum pension so I answered yes. I can’t get anyone one the phone from unemployment.
— Stumped

A. We’re sorry to hear about your job.

As many have learned through the pandemic, answering a question wrong when you first apply for unemployment benefits can cause significant delays in some cases.

The reporting of retirement benefits has been an issue for many applicants.

“I think that you inaccurately stated that you are receiving a pension and are therefore clouding the picture,’ said Jody D’Agostini, a certified financial planner with Equitable Advisors/The Falcon Financial Group in Morristown.

You will need to clarify that you are not receiving a pension but instead, that you simply rolled it over to an IRA and you’re not receiving any monthly income from the account, she said.

As for getting through to the agency, if you can’t contact a human by phone, you can set up an in-person appointment online through the self-service guide when you log in to the Labor Department website. You can also get one by calling the agency — if you can get through, that is.

Email your questions to .

This story was originally published on Dec. 12, 2022.

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