Cashay logo

Empowering your money

Here’s what you need to know about unemployment benefits eligibility

Some of the requirements for unemployment insurance have changed and the more than 30 million Americans receiving benefits will have to check more boxes to stay eligible.

When applying for unemployment benefits you have to file a claim with your state's unemployment insurance program as soon as possible after losing your job or getting hours cut.

Many Americans who are ineligible for unemployment insurance (UI) may qualify for the Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) that covers self-employed individuals, contractors, and others and is available until the end of January 2021.

Employment insurance claims in Canada during the Coronavirus pandemic
Employment insurance claims in Canada during the Coronavirus pandemic

What are the requirements for UI?

The first requirement is that you should have lost your job through no fault of your own and you lost your job because of a lack of available work.

The second requirement is to meet the criteria for wages earned or time worked. In most states, this means you had to be employed at your company for at least four out of five complemented calendar quarters.

We have a weekly newsletter! Click to sign up.
We have a weekly newsletter! Click to sign up.

The rest of the requirements vary by state but include:

  • Ability to work

  • Actively seeking work

  • Available for work

  • Not refuse an offer of suitable work

The “actively searching for job” requirement was waived in all 50 states at the beginning of the pandemic, but is now being re-imposed in some states, which may make the application process more complicated for some jobless Americans.

How are the requirements changing?

The requirement exists in all states but was waived due to the pandemic in exchange for emergency federal funding. The work search requirement is being reinstated on a state-by-state basis.

The states that have already reimplemented the requirement or are about to include Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, Maine, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, and South Dakota.

Community members protest against evictions and in support of the movement to "cancel rent" outside the Bronx housing court on August 10, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)
Community members protest against evictions and in support of the movement to "cancel rent" outside the Bronx housing court on August 10, 2020, in the Bronx borough of New York City. (Photo by Angela Weiss / AFP)

The requirement usually applies only to Unemployment Insurance (UI) recipients and not to Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).

Unemployed Americans have to perform one or more of the following qualifying activities to meet the work search criteria, depending on your state:

  • Applying for jobs online in person, or by mail (the weekly number depends on your state)

  • Registering with a state career center

  • Interviewing with potential employers

  • Registering with private employment agencies, placement services, unions, and placement offices of schools, universities, and others

  • Attending job search seminars, scheduled career networking meetings, job fairs or workshops

To keep up with the latest changes in eligibility requirements for unemployment insurance, contact your state’s labor department or equivalent agency.

Denitsa is a reporter for Yahoo Finance and Cashay. Follow her on Twitter @denitsa_tsekova.

Read more information and tips in our Planning section

Read more personal finance information, news, and tips on Cashay

Follow Cashay on Instagram, Twitter, and Facebook