ROCHESTER, Minn. - You may be one of the nearly seven million Americans who have filed for unemployment as the coronavirus continues to batter the U.S. economy.

In Minnesota there are close to a quarter of million people who have already applied for unemployment insurance benefits but the way you need to apply has changed.

Updated numbers this week show the state has received more than 239,000 unemployment applications since March 16th. That’s more applications than the Department of Employment and Economic Development got during the entirety of 2019.

Due to the influx of applications there are new guidelines for when you can start your application. You need to coordinate the day you can file with the last digit of your social security number.

That means if your last number is 0-2 you can apply on Monday. If it’s 3-5 you can apply on Tuesday. If it’s 6-9 you can apply on Wednesday.

The Rochester Area Chamber of Commerce says the changes are a good thing as they’ll help keep things moving smoothly for everyone.

President Kathleen Harrington said, “Efforts like this, to really bring more structure to the application process, is really in the best interest of everyone. The people who are processing the applications but most importantly the people who are applying for unemployment insurance.”

DEED does say anyone can apply on Thursday and Friday between 6AM and 8PM.

The date of application will not affect the amount of benefits you receive and applicants are being asked to not call the unemployment insurance office to ask about their status.