Apply this week
Each state runs its own program under federal guidelines (U.S. DOL, read October 31, 2026). This is information, not legal advice.
- Find your state. Use the CareerOneStop Unemployment Benefits Finder and pick the state where you worked. If you worked in another state, or in several, the agency where you live can tell you how to file (U.S. DOL).
- Have this ready. Addresses and dates of your jobs (U.S. DOL). Texas also asks for your Social Security number, your driver's license or state ID number, and your last employer's name, address and phone (Texas Workforce Commission, read October 31, 2026). Other states ask for similar details.
- File as soon as you are out of work. Give correct, complete answers so your claim is not delayed.
- Keep claiming every week or two. You must ask for each payment, and report any work.
- Plan for a gap. It generally takes 2 to 3 weeks after you file to get your first payment (U.S. DOL). Tell your landlord early if rent is due.
Who usually qualifies
You usually qualify if you are out of work through no fault of your own and earned enough during a base period (U.S. DOL). In most states, the base period is the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters.
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| Your situation | Likely outcome | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| Laid off for lack of work | The usual case for benefits | File now |
| Seasonal job ended on its end date | Not settled either way. Ask your state | File, and bring your end date |
| Hours cut, still working | May get partial benefits | File, and report your pay |
| Temp assignment ended | Rules apply. In Texas, contact the agency by the next business day and allow 3 business days for a new assignment before you apply | Follow your agency's rule |
| Fired | Depends on the reason, under state law | File anyway. The state decides |
| Quit | Often denied. Some states accept some reasons | Ask first: see how to quit |
The January catch for seasonal workers. If you file in January 2027, the usual base period runs October 1, 2025 to September 30, 2026. Holiday pay from November and December 2026 does not count yet. File in April 2027, and the base period becomes calendar 2026. So if your seasonal job was your first work in a year, you may not qualify in January. Some states have an alternate base period, as Washington does (DOL, July 2026), so ask. If you worked steadily before the holidays, you may do fine.
Seasonal employer rules. Several states limit benefits for people who earned wages from employers operating on a seasonal basis, and definitions vary. Massachusetts uses 16 weeks and Colorado uses 26 (DOL Comparison of State UI Laws, 2023). The usual rule: seasonal wages count only for weeks inside the season. Ask your state if this could apply. Still looking for what comes next? See seasonal to permanent and jobs hiring in January.
Looking for part-time work only. Many states require you to be available for full-time work. DOL's 2023 comparison lists California, Colorado, Florida, Georgia, Illinois, Massachusetts, New York and Washington among those that allow it under certain conditions. Arizona and Texas are not on that list.
What 10 states pay
From DOL's Significant Provisions of State UI Laws, effective July 2026, unless a newer state figure is named. Your amount depends on your past wages, and many people get less than the top figure or fewer weeks. Weekly figures do not include dependent extras, except as shown.
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| State | Top weekly benefit | Weeks | Pay not counted against you in a week |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | $320 | 8 to 24. Law allows 26 x weekly benefit when the state rate is 5% or more | $160.49 |
| California | $450 (EDD, read October 31, 2026) | 14 to 26 | Greater of $25 or 1/4 of wages |
| Colorado | $804 or $884, depending on how wages are figured | 13 to 26 | 1/2 of weekly benefit |
| Florida | $275 | 9 to 12, by wages and state unemployment rate | $58 (8 x federal minimum wage) |
| Georgia | $365 | 6 to 26, by wages and state unemployment rate | $50 |
| Illinois | $628; up to $859 with dependents | 26 | 1/2 of weekly benefit |
| Massachusetts | $1,154 since October 4, 2026 (Mass. DUA) | 10 to 30 | 1/3 of weekly benefit |
| New York | $869 (NY DOL, read October 31, 2026) | 26 | Hours and pay tests apply: see NY DOL |
| Texas | $619 since October 4, 2026 (TWC) | 10 to 26 | Greater of $5 or 1/4 of weekly benefit |
| Washington | $1,208 for new claims from July 5, 2026 (Wash. ESD) | 1 to 26 | 1/4 of wages over $5 |
For every other state, use the finder above. These are the top numbers, so do not budget on them. Texas, for example, caps your total at 26 times your weekly benefit or 27% of base-period wages, whichever is less (TWC). New York's page still showed $869 on October 31, 2026, but a state form says the rate can rise each October, so check.
Work search and appeals, by state
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| State | Weekly job search rule | First appeal deadline | Agency |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arizona | 4 contacts on 4 different days | 15 days from the determination date | Arizona DES |
| California | Number not confirmed. Ask EDD | 30 days from mailing | EDD |
| Colorado | At least 3 to 5 activities recommended | 20 days from mailing | Colorado UI |
| Florida | 5 employers; 3 in a county of 75,000 people or fewer | 20 calendar days | FloridaCommerce |
| Georgia | 3 new job contacts | 15 days | Georgia DOL |
| Illinois | Number not confirmed. Ask IDES | 30 days from mailing | IDES |
| Massachusetts | 3 activities | 10 calendar days from mailing | Mass. DUA |
| New York | 3 activities, with a log | 30 days | NY Appeals Board |
| Texas | 3 contacts by default. Local boards can set another number | 14 calendar days from mailing | TWC |
| Washington | 3 activities, with a record | 30 days | Wash. ESD |
State agency pages, read October 31, 2026. Some were last updated years ago, so go by the date on your own notice. Save each week's job search in the application tracker. Never list a contact you did not make. States can audit: Colorado says it may check records for up to two years. Massachusetts counts job fairs as an activity (Mass. DUA). Elsewhere, ask.
If you are denied
A denial is not the end, but the clock is short.
- Find the date on the notice, and the last day to appeal. In Texas, it runs from the mailing date, not the day you got it.
- File a short appeal by the deadline. Say that more information will follow, and send it as soon as you can.
- Keep claiming each week or two. Texas and Washington both say to keep filing during an appeal (agency pages, read October 31, 2026).
- Gather proof: end date, layoff message, schedule, pay stubs, texts.
- Go to the hearing, by phone or in person, and answer truthfully. If you lose, there is usually one more level, with its own deadline. It is 14 days in Texas, 20 in New York and 30 in Massachusetts.
Word-for-word appeal: "I am appealing the determination dated (date) on my unemployment claim. My name is (full name), and the last four digits of my Social Security number are (four digits). I disagree because (one or two true sentences, such as: my job ended on (date) because the season ended). I will send more information. Reach me at (phone, address)."
A late appeal is hard to win. California, New York and Washington each ask you to explain why you are late, and a judge may still say no. Free help: American Job Centers can point you to local services, and the Legal Services Corporation lists legal aid by address.
Partial benefits: a part-time week in dollars
This example uses California's formula (EDD, read October 31, 2026). If you earn $101 or more in a week, the first 25% does not count. The rest comes off your weekly benefit. Say your weekly benefit is $300, and you earn California's $16.90 minimum wage.
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| Hours that week | Gross pay | 25% not counted | Taken off benefit | Benefit paid | Total for the week | More than not working |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $0.00 | $300.00 | $300.00 | None |
| 10 | $169.00 | $42.25 | $126.75 | $173.25 | $342.25 | $42.25 |
| 20 | $338.00 | $84.50 | $253.50 | $46.50 | $384.50 | $84.50 |
Figures are before tax and any rounding by EDD. So a part-time job pays only a little more at first. The upside is experience, a possible offer, and a slower draw on your total benefit if your state has a dollar limit. Other states count pay differently: see the table above. Texas works from your benefit, not your pay. On a $400 benefit, the first $100 you earn does not count, and your pay plus benefit tops out at $500 (TWC, read October 31, 2026). TWC says to report total gross pay from all work for the week you did it, even if you have not been paid. Leaving it out can be fraud.
Taxes on benefits
Unemployment pay is generally taxable income (IRS Topic 418, read October 31, 2026). You should get Form 1099-G showing what you were paid in Box 1, and any federal tax withheld in Box 4. Tax is not taken out automatically. You can ask for 10% to be withheld on Form W-4V, or your state's own form (IRS, Form W-4V, January 2026).
Worked example. $300 a week for 12 weeks is $3,600 on your 1099-G. Withholding 10% takes $360, and you get $270 a week. Whether you owe more depends on your total income for the year, so keep the form and file a return. State tax rules vary. More on withholding: your first paycheck explained.
Fraud warnings
Criminals file claims in other people's names, or take over real accounts (U.S. DOL, read October 31, 2026). Warning signs from DOL:
- Mail about an unemployment claim you did not file, or from a state where you never lived
- A debit card or payment you did not ask for
- A 1099-G for benefits you did not get
- A notice to your employer about a claim, while you are still working
- Payments that stop, or a changed bank account or address
If it happens: report it to your state through DOL's fraud reporting page, then go to IdentityTheft.gov. DOL also suggests checking your credit report. Never pay anyone to file for you. Filing goes through your state, and the finder above sends you there. See job scam warning signs.
When benefits run out
Extra weeks exist only in limited cases, such as high unemployment or approved training (DOL, July 2026). Ask your state before your last payment. Then:
- Get free help now, not later. An American Job Center offers job search help and may fund training, and it can tell you what else is available locally.
- Look at January hiring. See jobs hiring in January.
- Take part-time work if it helps. Where a claim has a total dollar limit, partial weeks use it up more slowly.
- Check for wages owed. A last check that never came can be claimed: see unpaid wages.
Current openings
See warehouse jobs, part-time warehouse jobs and part-time retail jobs. By city: warehouse in Atlanta, warehouse in Los Angeles.
Source-linked openings
Current source-linked listings could not be confirmed in this sample. Check the category search and each original posting for availability.
How to verify a listing
Every opening on JobPin links to its source posting. Check the date and confirm the job on the employer's own site before you log it as a job contact. Do not give your Social Security number or bank details before a real offer. More: job scam warning signs and how JobPin verifies listings.
How JobPin dates and sources listings: How JobPin verifies listings and events. Report a listing.