Doing AM while collecting unemployment?

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pizzafari

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Jan 15, 2009
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Hello, long time lurker - first time poster. I'll get to the point - my IT project is probably about to get canned, and the group of us are almost certainly going to be laid off, really, really soon. Maybe I should go to the newbie forum, but my situation is more like this, so I thought I'd post it here.

If (when) it happens, I'm going to file for unemployment. It'll be a blessing in disguise, since I'll finally have much more time to focus on learning PPC with Affiliate offers. Up to now I've only had time to dabble with some vertical banners on a site I built, and that's nothing.

The whole point is to get get up-and-running quickly with PPC/AM, and get OFF of collecting unemployment. I'm sure I won't be the only one in that boat in this economy.

I'm thinking ahead that if I can start to get offers to convert, there's going to be a transitional period where I'm earning a little Affiliate commissions, but still collecting the unemployment checks. Is there anyone out there who's doing a little AM while collecting unemployment? How are you reporting that income when you do your weekly filing?

Might it be a good strategy to set the commission payment threshold fairly high (I don't know, say $1000?), so that I don't get a check until later? (collect full UC benefits now) Or set it to a long payment interval, like say 90 days? Or does that money accumulating in the Affiliate account count as "income earned" and must be reported to unemployment, even before I receive it? (I want to stay within the law, and not do something that'll cause trouble later).

And of course, then there's the issue that it cost money spent on Adwords to make that commission check, so do I report net income, even though the affiliate is reporting my gross commissions?
 


My first 5-6 weeks I seriously did am I was on unemployment. I didn't claim my weekly earnings at first simply because I didn't have any, my first 3 unemployment checks paid for testing and domains. Once I got things rolling pretty good, I stopped claiming unemployment. Once I was not employed I was super motivated and within about 3 months replaced and shortly thereafter doubled my previous salary. Word....

oh and as far as paying for ppc, look at it as money spent on educating yourself on ppc. It is worth it in the long run.
 
Unemployment is an excellent opportunity for you to learn affiliate marketing and not have to worry too much about bills. Technically, I think that if you're engaging in self-employment activities you are technically not allowed to claim unemployment for that day, because they expect that you are looking for employment to replace your previous job in the same field. Each state has rules for this, and I'd check it in case you want to be exactly and precisely within the law.
 
Generally you are allowed to work while collecting unemployment as long as you report your earnings. There is a max amount you can make and any earnings over that are deducted. In my state the absolute cap is your benefit amount. For example, let's say your benefit is $300 a week. My state used to have something like you could make upto $100 a week beore it affects anything. Make you get a part-time job and get paid $8 an hour. This week you work 10 hours for $80 in earnings. You claim that and it doesn't affect anything at all. Next week you work 15 hours for $120. Then they would deduct $20 from your unemployment check. You go like this for awhile but eventually you work 40 hours and make $320. Well when you claim that, then your benefits would stop. If you dip below your benefit amount again, you would re-open your claim.

In my state looking for Work means you have to have 2 job contacts a week. That can be online, on the phone, in person,etc. Cold application, resume, or even a phone call asking if they are hiring. " Are you hiring?" "No." "Ok, thanks." OK, Job contact one, called so and so and spoke to manager- they arent hiring. Job contact two- filled out online app for a company that I am severely under- or overqualified for, that I know wouldn't hire me, and/or is going out of business soon. If you want to make job contacts and not get hired, it's pretty easy to do. In the town I grew up the seasonal uneployment rate is like 20% and half the town shuts down in the winter and loses 97% of its consumers. There are thousands of people who file unemployment every year for their entire lives. And I have never known anyone to seriously look for a job or be denied benefits because they didn't. The only time they ever check the Job Contacts is when there is some dispute- usually brought by a previous employer. One time it happened to me and they asked for my last 2 job contacts. I just made something up on the spot.

I also know people who have been laid off and worked full time while collecting unemployment for several months. Here your yearly benefit amount can be a max of 26 weeks x your weekly benefit. If you collect partial benefits based on income from a new job you can collect that amount spread over the year. How does that happen? Well if you make $40,000+ and get laid off and can only find some shitty job in retail where "full-time" pays $8 an hour and you only get 30-32 hrs, you endup making less working than from unemployment ( here its 50% of your peak earnings capped at $350. If you made $700/week at your old job you get 350, if you made $1500 a week you get 350, if you made $400 a week you get 200, and so on).

As far as the self-employment goes, it's pretty easy and common not to make much money ( or probably lose money) your first several months. So you could work and claim a low or no income because you have low or no income. And if you wanted to lose money on paper for several months, that's easy to figure out. I would say it would be in your best interest to either make a shitload of money to the point where you don't think of unemployment or keep earnings very low and collect until you exhaust it or start making said shitload.
 
Thanks guys, especially JohnCJackson for that great post.

And a big Hello to all the new ex-Circuit City employees who suddenly may be interested in this topic :(

Another question -- say I were to start collecting UC and doing PPC campaigns the first week of Feb. Most networks pay Net 30. Assuming I surpass the minimum payment threshold (usually $100) the amount accrued up to the end of Feb would be payable 30 days later, about April 1. So could I collect full UC all throughout Feb and Mar and not have to declare that income until I receive the first commission check in early April? Is that allowable?

Better yet, what if I go with a network that allows a minimum payment threshold of $1000, which would take longer to hit (being a newbie) and delay the first payment check even longer - can I keep collecting the full benefit through Feb, Mar, maybe even April and May, and not declare affiliate income until that first $1000 check arrives? Is that allowable? Anyone know?
 
pizzafari said:
Thanks guys, especially JohnCJackson for that great post.

And a big Hello to all the new ex-Circuit City employees who suddenly may be interested in this topic :(

Another question -- say I were to start collecting UC and doing PPC campaigns the first week of Feb. Most networks pay Net 30. Assuming I surpass the minimum payment threshold (usually $100) the amount accrued up to the end of Feb would be payable 30 days later, about April 1. So could I collect full UC all throughout Feb and Mar and not have to declare that income until I receive the first commission check in early April? Is that allowable?

Better yet, what if I go with a network that allows a minimum payment threshold of $1000, which would take longer to hit (being a newbie) and delay the first payment check even longer - can I keep collecting the full benefit through Feb, Mar, maybe even April and May, and not declare affiliate income until that first $1000 check arrives? Is that allowable? Anyone know?
Click to expand...

I'm quite sure that if you speak with your AM you can have them put you on any threshold.
 
As a follow up to what ROIshare posted (for anyone)


Is it possible to ask your affiliate manager to just hold onto your commissions, until a given future date, say June1?

Why? Assuming by then I'd have AM figured out, so I could quit UC at that time then collect a big check of my commissions and not have to report it?


Or would the commissions I've earned while doing AM while collecting UC count against UC as income earned?

Or does my Aff networks commission report create a weekly/monthly audit trail which could be considered as weekly income EARNED though not collected until June 1?
 
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