Arizona Unemployment Eligibility Calculator
How to qualify for Arizona unemployment benefits
The Arizona unemployment insurance program has eligibility requirements you must meet to receive benefits. These requirements include meeting specific wage and employment history criteria, actively seeking new employment opportunities, and being physically able and available to work.
In order to qualify for Arizona’s unemployment insurance benefit program, you must:
- Be unemployed through no fault of your own
- Be a resident of the United States or be legally authorized to work in Arizona
- Be able to work
- Be available to work
- Be actively seeking work
- Register with the Arizona Job Connection
- Participate in the Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Program
- Meet the wage requirements
Monetary eligibility requirements
To receive Arizona unemployment insurance benefits, you must have earned enough money during your base period. Your base period is the first four out of the past five completed work quarters.
You can add wages you earned in other states to qualify. Combining wages from different states can help you increase your weekly benefit amount.
Use the Arizona Unemployment Calculator to determine whether you are financially eligible for UYI benefits and estimate your weekly benefit amount.
Wage credits
A wage credit refers to any income that an individual earns while working, which is used to determine eligibility for certain benefits or programs, including unemployment insurance. Your employers will report your wages to the government every three months. All the wages you earned during your base period will be added up from all your employers to determine the amount of unemployment benefits you might qualify for.
In Arizona, you must have worked for an employer who paid unemployment tax while earning:
- At least 390 times the Arizona minimum wage in your highest earning quarter, with the other three quarters combined being worth at least half that amount. OR
- You need to have earned at least $7,000 over two quarters in the base period, with at least one quarter’s earnings being $5,987.50 or more
Non-monetary UI benefit eligibility requirements
In order to receive UI benefits in Arizona, there are a few non-monetary requirements that you must fulfill. First, you must be actively searching for new employment opportunities and be able and available to work. This means that you should be actively applying for jobs and attending job interviews.
Second, you must register with the state’s job matching service, Arizona Job Connection. This is normally done for you after you fill out the initial application for benefits, but you may receive a notice with instructions to complete registration if more information is required.
Third, you must make work search contacts on at least four different days of the week.
Finally, you must attend any job search assistance or reemployment activities required by the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
How many weeks of Arizona unemployment do I qualify for?
The number of weeks you can receive benefits depends on the unemployment rate in your area.
If the average unemployment rate in the previous three months is 5% or more, you can receive up to 26 times the amount of money you would get each week. However, if the average unemployment rate is less than 5%, you can only receive up to 24 times the weekly amount.
If anything changes during the time you are receiving benefits, you will be given a new statement that shows how much money you qualify for.
Maintaining Eligibility
Filing Weekly Continued Claims
If you are applying for unemployment compensation benefits, it’s important to know that you need to file a continued weekly claim every week, even if you don’t think you are eligible for benefits for that week.
If you work or earn any money during the week, you must report the total amount you earned before taxes when you file your unemployment claim, even if you haven’t been paid yet.
You also must actively search for work. This means that you should make contact with potential employers at least four days each week. Your search for work should focus on finding jobs that match your experience, education, and training.
What is considered suitable work?
Suitable work means a job that matches your training, skills, and experience. The job should also pay a similar amount to what you earned before.
If you turn down a job offer that fits this criteria, you may not be eligible to receive unemployment benefits anymore.
What does being unemployed through no fault of my own mean?
Being unemployed through no fault of your own typically means that you were laid off because of a business closing, a reduction in work, or some other economic reason.
However, if your separation from your last job was due to a different reason, a decision will be made about whether you are eligible to receive benefits. The decision about your eligibility will be made according to the laws that apply in Arizona or at the federal level.
In general, quitting or being fired for misconduct does not qualify for unemployment insurance.
Can I receive benefits while self-employed?
Self-employed wages will not be counted toward your base period earnings because they are not considered wage credits earned by someone working for an employer that pays unemployment taxes.
However, if you are engaging in self-employed activities while receiving unemployment compensation, you must report any work you do or income you receive on your weekly continued claim.
What would disqualify me from the Arizona UI benefit program?
Here are a few examples of issues that may affect your eligibility for unemployment benefits and prevent you from receiving payment:
- Quitting your last job without good cause
- Losing your last job due to misconduct
- Refusing an offer or referral to work
- Providing false information on your claim
- Failing to make a sincere effort to find suitable work
- Being sick or injured
- Attending school full-time
- Failing to search for work
- Being away from the area
- Not being ready or willing to work
- Missing a Re-employment Services Orientation appointment
- Failing to return necessary UI claim documents within specified timeframes
- Refusing or not responding to a referral for suitable work by the Arizona Department of Economic Security Employment Service
- Receiving retirement pay (other than Social Security)
- Receiving severance pay
- Receiving vacation or holiday pay during the period for which benefits are claimed.
It’s important to note that this list is not exhaustive, and all eligibility determinations are subject to Arizona law and the Arizona Department of Economic Security.
When do I no longer qualify for Arizona unemployment insurance?
You will no longer qualify for Arizona unemployment insurance once you return to work full time, earn more than your weekly benefit amount + $160, or exhaust the number of weeks that you’re eligible to receive benefits.
If any of these situations apply, you do not need to notify the Arizona Department of Economic Security—you can simply quit filing your weekly continued claims.
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