Vermont Unemployment Insurance

Vermont Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides short-term replacement of lost wages to workers 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.

According to the Vermont Department of Labor, in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’ and must have:¹

1. earned at least the required minimum earnings in one quarter of the base period (this amount may change each July if the minimum wage increases), and
2. wages in the other three quarters of the base period equal to at least 40% of your highest-paid quarter.¹

For example, if your highest-paid quarter was $4,000, you must have at least $1,600 in wages across the other three quarters combined (40% of $4,000), and you must meet the state’s minimum-quarter earnings requirement in at least one quarter to qualify.

How much unemployment benefits can I get in Vermont?

Depending on how much you have earned in your base period, you may receive up to $751 per week for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits per year. According to the Vermont Department of Labor, your weekly benefit amount is the total wages in your two highest quarters divided by 45, and the maximum, currently $751, is reset each July 1. Your total benefits are limited to 46% of your base period wages or 26 times your weekly benefit amount, whichever is less.¹

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Vermont?

Vermont 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 Vermont?

Applications for UI benefits can be filed through Vermont’s Claimant Portal  or if you wish to file your claim over the phone, please call (877) 214-3330.

Vermont Department of Labor
Claimant Assistance
(877) 214-3332

Vermont Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA)

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) is a federal program designed to help people whose employment has been lost or interrupted as a direct result of a major disaster and who are not eligible for regular unemployment insurance benefits.

There is no work search requirement for employees who are temporarily laid off for 10 weeks or less. Individuals filing for benefits will need to provide an estimated return-to-work date in order to have the work search requirement waived.

If you believe you may qualify for DUA, file an initial unemployment insurance (UI) claim online through Vermont’s Claimant Portal  or by calling (877) 214-3330.

Vermont Department of Labor
Claimant Assistance
(877) 214-3332