What Is the Base Period?

 

Find out how your past earnings are used to calculate your unemployment benefits amount in Oregon.

ADVERTISEMENT -

.
 

The base period is the length of time used both to determine your eligibility for unemployment benefits and to calculate the amount you will receive. 

In Oregon, the base period is the first four of the five complete calendar quarters immediately before you filed for benefits. For example, if you file for benefits on March 15, 2022, your base period will be from October 1, 2020 through September 30, 2021. It would not include the most recent complete calendar quarter before you filed (October 1, 2021 through December 31, 2021) or the first two-and-a-half months of 2022.

 

If you did not earn enough to qualify for benefits during the regular base period, you may be able to use an alternate base period that counts more recent earnings. In Oregon, the alternate base period is the last four complete calendar quarters before you file your claim. 

If you are incapable of working for most of one quarter of the base period, the Oregon Employment Department: Unemployment Insurance Division may extend your base period an additional quarter. This means the agency will count your earnings in the quarter before the regular base period starts. If you have received workers' compensation benefits for a temporary total disability during the base period, the agency will also count earlier earnings. In either case, the agency may not look back more than four calendar quarters before the regular base period began. 


ADVERTISEMENT -



Jurisdictional relevance: ST

There are versions of this article for each State.