Unemployment Eligibility Requirements: Who Qualifies

Being laid off, having your position eliminated, or a company closing generally qualifies you. Being fired for documented misconduct (not just poor performance or being a bad fit) usually disqualifies you.

Quitting is presumptively disqualifying, but most states carve out "good cause" exceptions, such as unsafe working conditions, a documented medical reason, or, in many states, fleeing domestic violence.

Your state looks at wages earned during a specific window called the base period, typically the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed, not your most recent paycheck.

You must show a minimum amount of wages earned and, in most states, a minimum number of weeks or quarters worked during that window. Both thresholds vary widely by state.

You must be physically able to work, available to accept suitable work, and, in nearly every state, documenting a certain number of job-search activities each week you claim benefits.

Part-time workers can often still qualify, depending on whether their hours and earnings meet the state's thresholds. Self-employed workers and 1099 contractors generally don't qualify for regular state unemployment, because that income isn't taxed as "covered employment." See this site's guide to unemployment benefits for self-employed and gig workers for the exceptions. And being fired over a single unrelated incident isn't automatically "misconduct" in the legal sense a state agency uses to deny a claim.