How to file for unemployment after a layoff

• $1,208Washington max for claims filed since July 5, 2026 - the highest cap in the US
• $1,105Massachusetts max since Oct 5, 2025, for up to 30 weeks, plus $25 per dependent
• $869New York max since October 2025, its first raise since 2019
• $605Texas max for claims filed since Oct 5, 2025
• $450California max, with a $40 floor
• $350North Carolina max, for 12 to 20 weeks depending on the state jobless rate
• $275Florida max, for up to 12 weeks while the state jobless rate is 5% or lower

• Your state pays the benefit and decides who qualifies, not your old employer. Employers fund it through payroll taxes.
• The state looks at wages from a base period - usually the first 4 of the last 5 finished calendar quarters before you file.
• Your weekly amount is a percentage of those base-period wages, up to the state cap. Higher earners hit the cap fast, so the check can be a small slice of an old salary.
• Some states hold back an unpaid waiting week. California and North Carolina don't pay your first eligible week, but you still certify for it.
• The Department of Labor says the first payment generally arrives 2 to 3 weeks after you file.
• You certify every week or every 2 weeks, reporting any pay, job offers, and turned-down work. North Carolina asks for at least 3 job contacts a week.
• Most states pay up to 26 weeks. North Carolina pays 12 to 20 and Florida currently 12, while Massachusetts goes up to 30.
• Benefits are federally taxable and reported on Form 1099-G. Form W-4V has the state withhold 10% of each payment, or you can make quarterly estimated payments instead.

Sources:DOL: State UI benefits fact sheetWA ESD: 2026 benefit amountsNY DOL: Maximum benefit rateTWC: Eligibility and benefit amountsNC DES: Unemployment FAQsIRS: Unemployment compensation

Regular unemployment is the weekly check your state pays after a layoff, funded by employer payroll taxes and free to claim. It's the main income bridge for anyone out of work with no paycheck coming in. The catch: caps are low in many states - $450 a week in California, $275 in Florida - and weeks you don't certify don't get paid.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: Starting a business instead of job hunting? 5 states pay the same weekly amount through Self-Employment Assistance.

• 25%Texas: earn up to 25% of your weekly benefit with no cut
• 125%Texas: earn more than 125% of your benefit and that week pays $0
• $25California: the first $25 or 25% of weekly pay, whichever is more, doesn't reduce your check
• 0-10 hrNew York: full benefit for weeks with 10 hours of work or fewer
• 22-30hrNew York: 25% of your benefit for 22 to 30 hours
• 31+ hrsNew York: no benefit for weeks with 31 hours or more
• $869New York: gross pay over $869 means no benefit that week, whatever the hours

• Every week you certify, you report gross pay - before taxes - including a single shift or gig.
• Texas math: multiply your weekly benefit by 1.25 and subtract gross pay. A $400 benefit with $150 in pay leaves $350.
• California math: earn $200 and $50 of it is ignored, so $150 comes off your weekly benefit.
• New York counts hours, not dollars, in 4 steps, and leaves self-employment earnings out of its $869 pay cap.
• Smaller weekly payments draw less from your total, and a claim stays open for a year, so the balance can stretch past 26 calendar weeks.
• Unreported pay becomes an overpayment. If the state finds fraud, federal law adds a penalty of at least 15%, and the debt can be taken from your federal tax refund.
• Hours cut but still on the payroll? About 30 states run work sharing (Short-Time Compensation), which pays a prorated benefit - but only your employer can apply.

Sources:NY DOL: Partial unemploymentTWC: Report your work and earningsEDD: Partial unemploymentDOL: State overpayment lawsDOL: Short-Time Compensation

Partial unemployment pays a smaller check for weeks you work part-time, freelance, or pick up gig shifts. It suits anyone taking temp work while job hunting, since every partial week leaves more of your total for later. The catch: each state does the math differently, and unreported pay turns into a bill later.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: If the side work is turning into a full-time business, Self-Employment Assistance in 5 states drops the job search requirement.

• $869New York: severance above this per week, starting within 30 days of your last day, pauses benefits
• 30 daysNew York: severance that starts more than 30 days after your last day doesn't affect benefits
• SameNew York: a lump sum and paychecks count the same way
• $0 cutCalifornia: severance isn't wages and doesn't affect eligibility
• DelayedTexas: severance under an employer policy delays benefits until the weeks it covers end
• ExemptTexas: pay for signing a release or settling a claim doesn't count
• PausedNorth Carolina: no benefits while severance is paid, then eligible once its weeks end

• The label on the check doesn't decide it. California looks at the policy or agreement, not what the payment is called.
• In New York, a lump sum covers the period your severance agreement spells out. If the agreement doesn't say, the Telephone Claims Center sets the period.
• New York asks you to call the Telephone Claims Center right away if severance starts within 30 days of your last day.
• In Texas, severance delays benefits rather than canceling them. Severance owed under a negotiated agreement doesn't cause the delay.
• Texas mails a written decision on whether your severance affects your benefits.
• Severance can't count as work wages for a later claim. New York builds claims only on pay for actual work.
• Severance and unemployment are both taxable income, even when the state pays benefits alongside severance.

Sources:NY DOL: Severance pay FAQsEDD: Severance payTWC: Final pay and severanceNC DES: Unemployment FAQs

Severance and unemployment can overlap, depending on your state. California lets you collect both, while New York, Texas, and North Carolina push benefits back until the severance period ends. The catch: the same payment can count differently depending on how your agreement words it.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: Haven't signed yet? Our severance agreement guide covers what to check in the paperwork before you sign.

• 5States with active programs: Delaware, Mississippi, New Hampshire, New York, Oregon
• 13 wksNew York: weeks of benefits you need left to apply
• 20 hrsNew York: minimum entrepreneurial training
• 2New York: minimum meetings with a business counselor
• $0New York: business income taken out of your weekly benefit
• 45 daysOregon: to send your business ID numbers and business plan after acceptance

• You have to qualify for regular unemployment first. States aim it at people laid off for good whom the state's screening flags as likely to use up their benefits.
• The weekly payment matches your regular benefit and replaces it. You work full-time on the business instead of applying for jobs.
• New York requires orientation videos before you apply and written acceptance before you run the business while collecting.
• Oregon takes questions at its UI Special Programs Center, 503-947-1800 or 800-436-6191, and excludes some businesses, such as cannabis.
• Congress made the program permanent in 1998, but states choose whether to run one.
• The payments are unemployment benefits, so they're federally taxable and show up on Form 1099-G.

Sources:DOL: Self-Employment AssistanceDOL: SEA fact sheetNY DOL: SEAPOregon: Self-Employment Assistance

Self-Employment Assistance pays your regular weekly benefit while you build a business instead of job hunting. It's made for people in 5 states who were laid off for good and want to work for themselves. The catch: you need state approval before you start, plus required training and counseling.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: Outside those 5 states, the partial unemployment rules decide how side-business income changes your check.

• SF-8Notice about unemployment your agency gives you when you leave
• SF-50Personnel action form showing your last official duty station
• 1 yearHow long a claim stays open once filed
• $0Taken from your federal paychecks - agencies repay states dollar for dollar
• 1099-GTax form showing what you were paid, same as any claim

• You file with the state where your last official duty station was. Worked another job after leaving federal service? File in that job's state instead.
• If your last duty station was outside the US, you file in the state where you live. The program doesn't take claims from people living outside the US.
• Eligibility, the weekly amount, and the number of weeks follow the same state rules as any other claim.
• You still certify every week or every 2 weeks under your state's instructions.
• States pay the benefit on the federal government's behalf, and your agency reimburses the state.
• Benefits are federally taxable. You can have tax withheld, and you get Form 1099-G.
• Denied? Your written decision lists the deadline to appeal - 30 days in California, 14 days in Texas.

Sources:DOL: UCFE fact sheetCareerOneStop: Find your state's officeEDD: Unemployment appealsTWC: File an unemployment appeal

UCFE is unemployment for former federal civilian employees, paid through your state but funded by your old agency. It works like any state claim, with the same weekly amount and certification. The catch: the duty-station state's rules and cap apply, and you'll need your SF-8 and SF-50 to set it up.

If the catch is a dealbreaker: Took a non-federal job after leaving? Regular state unemployment in that job's state is the claim to look at.