Unemployment Benefits
Minn. Stat. 268.095 — a quit disqualifies unless an exception applies, and a discharge only for misconduct
For each week, an applicant files a continued request, is unemployed, is available for suitable employment and is actively seeking it. The weekly amount is reduced one-fifth for each day the applicant is unavailable.
A quit, with exceptions. An applicant who quit is ineligible unless an exception applies, among them a good reason caused by the employer, a quit within 30 calendar days of starting unsuitable work, a layoff notice for lack of work within 30 calendar days, or a serious illness or a family member's needs when the employer made no reasonable accommodation after being asked.
An applicant discharged is ineligible only for employment misconduct: intentional, negligent or indifferent conduct that seriously violates the standards the employer has a right to expect. Inefficiency, inadvertence, simple unsatisfactory conduct, good faith errors of judgment, and absence for illness with proper notice are not misconduct.
Ineligibility lasts for the rest of that unemployment and until wages from later covered work meet one-half of the requirement for a benefit account. A layoff for lack of work is a discharge, and so is an unpaid suspension of more than 30 calendar days.
Sources for this section (2)
- Minn. Stat. 268.085 — Unemployment: eligibility requirements
- Minn. Stat. 268.095 — Unemployment: ineligibility because of quit or discharge
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed Minnesota attorney.