MONTGOMERY — Jobless Alabamians have started receiving a $25-a-week increase in unemployment benefits.

State Industrial Relations Director Tom Surtees said his department began depositing the additional benefits Monday night. That means people receiving benefits should start seeing the deposits on their bank statements or debit card statements.

Surtees says the new benefit is for the week ending Feb. 28. Another deposit for the week ending March 7 was planned Tuesday night. After that, the additional benefit will show up in peoples’ accountants each week as a separate deposit along with their regular unemployment benefits.

The temporary $25 increase comes from the federal stimulus package. The increase affects about 88,000 Alabamians. It runs through the end of the year and it boosts Alabama’s maximum weekly benefit to $280.