Unemployment Benefits
Lost your job? Learn whether you qualify for unemployment, how being fired vs. laid off vs. quitting affects eligibility, what disqualifies you (misconduct), and how to appeal a denial — rules that vary by state but follow a common framework.
All Unemployment Benefits guides
- Am I Eligible for Unemployment Benefits? A Complete Checklist
A plain-English checklist to know if you qualify for unemployment benefits: work history, why you left your job, and the weekly rules that vary by state.
- Constructive Dismissal: Quitting With Good Cause and Keeping Unemployment
Forced to quit by harassment, a demotion, or a hostile workplace? How constructive dismissal can protect unemployment benefits and support a legal claim.
- Do Employers Have to Pay for Unemployment Insurance?
Yes, most employers must pay state and federal unemployment taxes (SUTA/FUTA). Learn who pays, how rates work, and how claims affect your costs.
- Can My Employer Change, Cut, or Withhold My Benefits Without Notice?
Can your employer change, cut, or withhold benefits without notice? Learn the federal rules, ERISA notice rights, and what counts as unlawful withholding.
- Can My Employer Deny My Unemployment Claim?
Your employer cannot deny your unemployment claim - only the state can. Learn how contesting works, why firing isn't automatic disqualification, and how to appeal.
- How Long Does an Employer Have to Respond to an Unemployment Claim?
Employer deadlines to respond to and appeal unemployment claims vary by state, often 10 to 15 days. Here is how the windows work for workers and employers.
- How to Fire an Employee Without Triggering Unemployment Liability
An employer's plain-English guide to lawfully documenting misconduct, contesting unemployment claims, and avoiding retaliation when firing an employee.
- Can My Employer Fire Me for Filing for Unemployment? (Retaliation)
No. Firing or punishing a worker for filing an unemployment claim is illegal retaliation in every U.S. state. Here's how to spot it and what to do.
- How Long Do You Have to Work to Qualify for Unemployment?
Unemployment eligibility depends on your earnings and hours during a state-defined base period, not a fixed number of weeks. Here is how it works.
- How to File an Unemployment Claim and Certify for Weekly Benefits
Step-by-step guide to filing an unemployment claim, certifying for weekly benefits, and finding your state's unemployment phone number and contacts.
- Can an Employer Mark You as 'Not Eligible for Rehire'?
Yes, employers can usually flag you 'not eligible for rehire.' Learn what it means, when it crosses into defamation, and how it affects unemployment.
- Can You Get Unemployment If Your Employer Cuts Your Hours?
Yes, many workers whose hours are cut qualify for partial unemployment benefits while still employed. Here's how partial unemployment works and how to file.
- Can I Quit My Job and Still Collect Unemployment?
Quitting usually disqualifies you from unemployment, but 'good cause to quit' is a powerful exception. Learn when you can still collect and how to appeal a denial.
- Severance Pay and Unemployment: Can You Collect Both?
Can you collect severance and unemployment at the same time? How severance offsets benefits, why timing and state rules matter, and what to check before signing.
- Can You Sue an Employer for Lying to Unemployment?
Can you sue an employer for lying to unemployment? Learn your real options: fighting the appeal, fraud and perjury reporting, and when defamation applies.
- Can You Get Unemployment If You're Fired?
Fired from your job? You may still qualify for unemployment. Learn how 'misconduct' rules work, how to file, and when to appeal or call a lawyer.
- Unemployment Benefits Calculator: How Much Will You Get?
How unemployment benefits are calculated: weekly-benefit formulas, base periods, state caps, and how to estimate your check before you file.
- Unemployment Benefits in New York and New Jersey: How to Apply
How to apply for unemployment benefits in New York and New Jersey, including where to file, the NY claims phone number, eligibility, and weekly certification.
- When Are Employers Required to Provide Benefits?
Which employee benefits are legally required versus optional, the federal laws behind them, and whether your employer can change or mandate your benefits.