(CNN) Lost your job? You're far from alone.
Around 22 million people -- roughly 13.5% of the US labor force -- have submitted initial unemployment claims since March 14 as the coronavirus pandemic decimates the US economy.
But the system has undergone unprecedented changes over the past month amid the outbreak.
Here's what you need to know about applying for benefits:
The rules vary by state, but typically workers who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own and have a minimum level of prior earnings from recent employment are eligible.
Until the pandemic, the jobless also had to be ready to take new positions immediately and be actively seeking work -- but state can now waive those requirements since hundreds of millions of Americans are staying home, and most states have closed nonessential businesses.
Many more jobless Americans are now temporarily eligible for benefits under the pandemic unemployment assistance program that Congress created last month as part of its $2.2 billion relief package.
Gig workers, independent contractors and the self-employed can sign up, as can those who have been affected by the coronavirus -- though those newly eligible under the pandemic program will have to wait longer to apply in most states and provide proof of earnings, such as 1099 tax forms or bank statements.
Only three states -- Louisiana, Rhode Island and Texas -- are administering pandemic claims so far. Other states are still creating new applications and reconfiguring their antiquated technology to process the new categories of filers.
Log onto your state unemployment agency's website or call its hotline -- and be prepared to wait.
State systems have buckled under the crush of applicants desperate to sign up for a financial lifeline. Many trying to file have reported they can't get through because websites crash or customer service representatives never pick up the phone.
States, who are in the process of receiving $1 billion in federal administrative aid, have been increasing their server capacity and adding legions of call center workers to staff the phones. Also, some states are asking residents to apply on certain days, based on their last names or Social Security numbers.
New York last week hired Google to update and streamline its online application system. Also, the state debuted a "call back" feature so residents don't have to wait on hold to submit additional information. Instead, the state Department of Labor will reach out to them.
Meanwhile, Florida last week rolled out paper applications, which residents can pick up at CareerSource locations and at more than 100 FedEx stores. Ariel footage showed hundreds of people in South Florida waiting for forms, despite the state's stay-at-home order.
How much you'll receive depends on your recent earnings and the state in which you live. Benefits range from about $200 to $550 a week, on average, and typically replace about 40% of one's wages.
But Congress just gave those weekly checks a big boost. The jobless will now receive an extra $600 a week for up to four months, through July 31 at the latest.
Some 33 states are already paying out this additional benefit. Others will take longer to update their antiquated technology, but the jobless won't lose out. Benefits are retroactive to as early as March 29.
But it may take a few weeks before your payments hit your bank account. It typically takes some time for states to approve initial claims, and the crush of applicants is expected to slow the process.
Also as part of the stimulus package, lawmakers added 13 weeks of extended benefits, on top of state programs, which typically vary between up to 12 and 28 weeks.
The extended benefits and pandemic program end by December 31.
Many people who been laid off may have also lost their health insurance. But there are a few options for new coverage, which many consider essential during a pandemic.
Those who lost their job-based policies can sign up for new insurance plans on the Affordable Care Act exchanges within 60 days. The federal government provides premium subsidies for lower- and moderate-income folks -- a category many newly unemployed may fall into.
Americans who have suffered major drops in income may qualify for Medicaid, particularly in the 36 states plus the District of Columbia that have expanded eligibility to low-income adults under the Affordable Care Act.
If you want to keep your job-based coverage, you can typically continue it for up to 18 months under COBRA. But this can be a very expensive option because you have to pick up the employer's share of the monthly premium too.
That alone can run about $14,600 annually for a family plan, according to the Kaiser Family Foundation. The employee typically pays about $6,000 a year in premiums.
Overall, the last four weeks have marked the largest and most dramatic rise in claims on record since the Labor Department started tracking the data in 1967. It is straining state unemployment agencies' ability to handle the crush of filers and threatening to drain some states' unemployment trust funds in coming weeks.
Other jobs crises have played out far more slowly. In the Great Recession, for example, employment declined by 8.6 million workers between its peak in November 2007 and trough in December 2009.
This time, mass layoffs and furloughs came suddenly as states enacted lockdowns of all but essential businesses to slow the spread of the coronavirus pandemic.