Minnesota Unemployment Benefits

The state of Minnesota offers Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits to those who have lost their job through no fault of their own. The program is administered by the Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) and funded by employers in the form of UI taxes.

Eligibility To Apply For UI Benefits In Minnesota

An applicant must meet monetary and job separation requirements to qualify for unemployment benefits in Minnesota.

Monetary Eligibility

To monetarily be eligible for Minnesota Unemployment Insurance, an applicant must earn minimum wages in his or her base period.

In Minnesota, the base period is the four recently completed calendar quarters or the first four of the most recently completed five quarters. If an applicant applies for benefits in the first month of a calendar quarter (i.e., January, April, July, October), his or her base period will be the first four of the most recently completed five quarters.

If the applicant applies in the second or third months of a calendar quarter (February, March, May, June, August, September, November, December), his or her base period will be the first four of the most recently completed five quarters.

Note– The Department will also look at the most recently completed four quarters and pick the period of time that has the highest wages.

Find out more about eligibility requirements

Job Separation

The applicant must have lost his or her job through no fault of his or her. He or she will not receive benefits if he or she was fired for misconduct, failed a drug test, and broke organizational policies and property. The applicant will also be eligible to receive benefits if he or she quit the job unless the quit falls into any of the following categories:

• To accept better employment
• Had a medical condition and was unable to work
• The employment was unsuitable (considered only the applicant quits the job within 30 from the starting date of the employment)
• The company had notified about the lay-off
• Due to domestic abuse
• Loss of child care and efforts were made to find new child care
• To move out with his or her spouse

Eligibility requirements – overview

Maintaining Eligibility

The applicant should maintain his or her eligibility as long as he or she is unemployed and wants to receive the unemployment benefits in Minnesota. The eligibility can be maintained in the following ways:

• Accepting a suitable job (part-time job or a seasonal job)
• Actively looking for a suitable job
• Being able to and available for work
• Preparing and submitting resumes in response to job ads
• Contacting employers to arrange for job interviews
• Networking in the occupational field and industry
• Maintaining contact with professional organizations
• Meeting with a career counselor and taking interest and skills tests
• Attending creative job-seeking skills classes, workshops, job clubs, or other related job search activities.
• Searching jobs using Internet job banks, bulletin boards, and professional/trade publications.
• Researching companies and exploring current labor market conditions
• Attending a reemployment session conducted at the nearest CareerForce location

Note –

1. If the applicant is a member of a referral union who is not allowed to seek employment on his or her own can meet the work search requirements by remaining in good standing with the union.
2. If the applicant is accepted into a full-time reemployment assistance training program, he or she is not required to seek or accept work while he or she is attending school.

Find out on job search requirements

How To Apply For UI Benefits In Minnesota?

To receive UI benefits in Minnesota, the applicant must submit the following documents:

Online

The applicant can file for Minnesota unemployment benefits online at www.uimn.org 6 a.m. to 8 p.m. Sunday through Friday.

Telephone

The applicant can also file for benefits by telephone using the Applicant Self-Service System. At times, when the unemployment rate is high, there may be a surge in applications, and applicants would have to wait while applying for benefits by phone.

How To File Weekly Claims

Claimants should file weekly certifications for weeks he or she wishes to receive unemployment benefits. The claimant can request weekly payments online, Sunday through Friday, from 6:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

Learn how to claim weekly benefits

UI Benefits Amount

The UI benefit amount depends on the base period wages. In Minnesota, the weekly benefit amount is about 50% of the claimant’s average weekly wage, up to a maximum of $762.

Know more about the Benefits Calculator

Things To Know After Filing An Application

A claimant must know a few aspects after filing for Minnesota Unemployment Insurance.

Overpayments

Sometimes, the claimant may receive unemployment overpayment. The overpayment could be due to:

• An audit of the applicant’s account
• A job separation issue
• Correction of base period wages
• Failure to accurately report earnings during the benefit year
• An appeal decision finds that the applicant is ineligible for benefits that he or she has already been paid
• Intentional misrepresentation or failure to disclose the requested information

Overpayment Through Fraud

If an applicant receives overpayment due to wilful misrepresentation or false statements, he or she will have to pay a penalty of 40% of the total amount overpaid. In some cases, an extra administrative penalty of ineligibility of up to 104 weeks may be assessed.

Benefits Extension

Normally, the state offers benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks. But if the state’s unemployment is too high, it may provide benefits for additional weeks. Visit the Department to know more about the extended benefits.

Job Training Assistance

The state offers reemployment assistance training programs to those who need the training to get reemployed. The programs help people who are unemployed due to: competition from foreign imports, outdated skills, and occupation in decline, or an inability to work in their usual occupation.
Job seekers can choose the training programs according to their needs. However, if a job seeker is unable to decide on a suitable training program, a reemployment assistance representative or dislocated worker counselor may recommend a program that he or she needs to become reemployed.
Dislocated worker counselors will consider several factors when determining a suitable training program. They include:

• Current labor market conditions
• Current skills, work experience, physical capabilities, past training, and level of education
• Description of the training program (duration, curriculum, academic/vocational nature of the training, etc.)

Know more job training opportunities in MN