04 Aug Can I get unemployment and my ex’s police pension?

Q. I receive part of my ex-husband’s monthly police pension payments as part of our divorce. If I lose my job and I need unemployment, will this count against my benefits?
— Divorced

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

There are a few items to consider here, and the determination will depend on the specifics of your situation.

New Jersey does allow you to collect a pension and unemployment benefits under some circumstances, said Jody D’Agostini, a certified financial planner with The Falcon Financial Group in Morristown.

For 2023, the weekly maximum unemployment benefit is $830 per week.

“You qualify if you worked for at least 20 weeks, and you earned at least $260 a week or earned $13,000 over the past 18 months,” she said. “Unemployment pays up to 60% of your average wages and lasts for 26 weeks.”

D’Agostini said if the police department paid the entirety of the benefit for the pension, then your unemployment would be reduced by 100% of the value of your weekly pension payment. If both your ex-husband and the police department contributed, then the unemployment benefit would be reduced by 50%, she said.

“It looks like participants need to contribute at least 10% of their base salary to be eligible for the pension, so it is likely that the unemployment benefit would be reduced by 50%,” she said.

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This story was originally published on Aug. 4, 2023.

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