Unemployment insurance eligibility has two main parts. First, you must have enough work and earnings in your base year to be able to have a valid claim with a weekly benefit amount available.
Your base year typically is a 12-month period that falls within the prior 18 months. Within your base year, you must have worked for a covered employer for at least 500 hours or have earned at least $1,000.
Your weekly benefit amount is 1.25% of your total base year gross earnings. Under Oregon law, it will not be less than the minimum or more than the maximum amounts you can receive.
Then, you must meet weekly eligibility criteria to receive benefits on the claim. We look at the reason you are out of work or not working full time. We confirm if you are able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work. And lastly, you must be considered unemployed based on your weekly work and earnings, if any.
A valid claim is good for 52 weeks before it expires and can pay up to 26 weeks of benefits during that time. Once it expires, you must file a new claim application to see if you again qualify for benefits.
If your claim is not expired but you have used all the benefits available on it, you cannot file a new Oregon claim until it has expired. If you have worked in another state in the most recent 18 months, you may be eligible to file a new claim application in that state. Contact the other state to learn more about eligibility and benefits.
To learn more about base years and the hours and earnings required for a valid claim, here are some available resources:
Read more details about the base year and the earnings and hours needed to establish a valid claim.
Find out how much you could receive in benefits from our online Benefit Estimator tool.
Read the Claimant Handbook, which contains more details about the base year and the earnings and hours needed to establish a valid claim.