What You Need to Know About Unemployment Benefits in Minnesota
This site provides clear, accurate information on collecting unemployment benefits in Minnesota, including:
- whether you are eligible for benefits
- how to apply for unemployment benefits in Minnesota
- how much you'll get (and how long your benefits will last)
- what you'll have to do to keep collecting benefits, and
- what to do if your application is denied.
Here are three key things to keep in mind as you get started:
1. You can apply for benefits -- and find helpful resources -- at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program website.
Before you file for unemployment, you may want to learn more by reading our articles on benefit amounts, who qualifies for benefits, and so on.
Once you're ready to file, you can do it online.
Find detailed information and resources at the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development, Unemployment Insurance Program website, including:
- Minnesota's online portal where you can file your claim for benefits
- the Requesting Benefit Payments page, where you can learn how to file your weekly claims for benefits in Minnesota once your application is approved
- Seeking Suitable Employment, which explains the work search requirements you will have to meet in Minnesota in order to keep receiving benefits
- Minnesota Unemployment Information Handbook, a detailed guide to collecting unemployment in Minnesota, and
- information about how and when to file an appeal in Minnesota if your application for benefits is denied.
2. Eligibility rules, benefit amounts, and duration differ from state to state.
Unemployment insurance works pretty much the same everywhere: Employers pay into a fund or purchase insurance, then former employees receive benefits when they lose their jobs. But the rules about who qualifies for unemployment, how long unemployment lasts, and especially how much you will receive in benefits vary a lot from state to state.
Our site covers every state and the District of Columbia; this page gives you information specific to Minnesota.
In Minnesota, the base period is dependent on when you apply for benefits. If you apply in the first month of a calendar quarter (that is, you apply in January, April, July, or October), the base period is the first four of the five complete calendar quarters immediately before you filed for benefits, unless you qualify for an alternate base period.
However, if you apply in the second or third month of a calendar quarter, the base period is either the first four of the five complete calendar quarters immediately before you filed for benefits or the last four complete calendar quarters before you filed for benefits, whichever period included the highest wages. If your wages are the same in both, the last four complete calendar quarters are used as the base period.
If you applied for benefits in the first month of a calendar quarter (January, April, July, or October), and you didn't earn enough during the first four of the last five complete quarters before you file, you may use an alternate base period that counts more recent earnings. In Minnesota, the alternate base period is the last four complete calendar quarters before you file.
- For more, see:
3. You may be eligible for benefits even if you quit, you were fired for cause, or you are still working part-time.
Some people mistakenly believe that unemployment is available only to employees who are laid off. However, you don't have to lose your job in a layoff to qualify for benefits. The key question is whether you are out of work without fault on your part. So, if you were forced to quit your job in lieu of being fired, or you were fired because you don't have the necessary skills for your job, you could still be eligible for benefits.