Base Year
The base year is a one-year period made up of the first four of the last five completed quarters. It’s based on the date you file your claim application, not the date you become unemployed. If you don’t qualify for a claim using a regular base year, we will automatically review your claim to see if you qualify for an alternate base year. An alternate base year uses the four most recently completed quarters.
A calendar quarter is a three-month period ending March 31, June 30, Sept. 30, or Dec. 31.
Wages and Hours Needed
There are two ways to qualify for a valid claim:
- You’ve been paid at least $1,000 in subject wages in your base year, and
- Your total base year wages are at least one and a half times the wages paid in the highest calendar quarter of the base year,
OR
- You’ve worked at least 500 hours and were paid some subject wages in employment during the base year. Subject wages are earnings on which your employers paid UI taxes.
If you don’t meet the required hours and earnings to qualify, your claim will be non-valid. You can file again at the beginning of the next quarter to see if you may qualify for benefits at that time.