Issue filing for unemployment? There’s an app for that: DoNotPay

By now you know, there’s literally an app for everything. But, DoNotPay is actually an important one. Almost 10 million people have filed for unemployment insurance over the last two weeks. (Typically, about 500,000 people file for unemployment every two weeks.) 

The unemployment wait times are long and it’s hard to navigate the site. As a result, the company has launched a free service that will file unemployment for you. All you have to do is answer a few questions through the apps chatbot and it will take care of the rest.

But how does it work? Their method might surprise you.

DoNotPay will mail an unemployment form on your behalf. Why mail? The company said mailing in a paper application can help the process move faster because filing online can be delayed due to overburdened sites.

After that it mails in a paper application or submits the information by fax or through the state's unemployment website during off-peak hours.

What’s the catch?

The company says it doesn’t actually store any of the data, they inject it in the form and then it disappears.

The app charges a $3 monthly subscription fee for services like disputing parking tickets, navigating small claims court and skipping the line for customer service, but the newly-developed unemployment service is being offered for free.