New Mexico Unemployment Insurance

New Mexico Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary cash benefits to eligible workers who lost their job 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.

According to the New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions, as a condition of eligibility, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim.¹

If not eligible under the standard base period, an alternate base period (the most recent four completed quarters) will be used instead.

How much do I get for unemployment in New Mexico?

The current maximum weekly benefit amount in New Mexico is $624, which does not include any additional dependency allowance.

If you have dependent children under 18, you may receive an additional allowance of $25 per child for up to two children, capped at 50% of your weekly benefit amount.

For how many weeks is unemployment paid in New Mexico?

Unemployment insurance in New Mexico is paid for as many as 26 weeks in a benefit year. You must continue to meet the eligibility requirements and request payment for each week you claim.

How do I file for unemployment in New Mexico?

There are two ways to file for unemployment in New Mexico, either electronically  at New Mexico Workforce Connection online system or over the phone at (877) 664-6984.

New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions
Unemployment Insurance Division
(877) 664-6984