Minnesota Unemployment Insurance

Minnesota Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides a temporary partial wage replacement to workers in Minnesota who are unemployed through no fault of their own.

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

1. have lost a job through no fault of your own;
2. are unemployed or partially unemployed for reasons permissible under federal law;
3. are “able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work;” and
4. have earned at least a certain amount of money during a “base period” prior to becoming unemployed. In most states, this is usually the first 4 out of the last 5 completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.

To be eligible, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’ and meet the state’s minimum earnings thresholds, which generally include earnings in more than one quarter.

How much do I get for unemployment in Minnesota?

According to Unemployment Insurance Minnesota, your weekly benefit amount will be about 50 percent of your average weekly wage, up to a state maximum of $948, for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits per year.¹

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Minnesota?

Minnesota pays unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks within a benefit year. The benefit year generally lasts 12 months from the date the claim is filed, and weeks that go unused do not carry over into the next year.

How do I apply for unemployment in Minnesota?

You can apply for unemployment benefits either online or by phone using the Applicant Self-Service System , Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m.

As a condition of eligibility, you are required to actively seek suitable employment each week that you are collecting benefits.