Unemployment Benefits
G.S. 96-14.5 — quitting takes good cause attributable to the employer
In North Carolina, the state division that decides unemployment claims determines why a person left work. A person who left for a reason other than good cause attributable to the employer is disqualified, and the burden of showing that good cause rests on the person who left.
Two cuts that count as good cause. Leaving solely because of a one sided, permanent cut in work hours of more than 50 percent of the customary full time schedule, or a one sided, permanent cut in the rate of pay of more than 15 percent, is presumed to be good cause attributable to the employer. The employer can rebut it by showing the cut was temporary or caused by the person's own misconduct.
A person unemployed for misconduct connected with the work is disqualified. Misconduct is willful or wanton disregard of the employer's interest, deliberately breaking standards the employer can expect or has explained, or carelessness so serious or repeated that it shows intentional and substantial disregard of the employer's interests.
Violating a written alcohol or drug policy, reporting to work significantly impaired, using alcohol or illegal drugs on the premises, and any physical violence related to the work are among the examples the statute treats as evidence of misconduct, which the claimant may rebut.
Sources for this section (2)
- G.S. 96-14.5 — Disqualification for leaving work without good cause attributable to the employer
- G.S. 96-14.6 — Disqualification for misconduct
Legal information, not legal advice. Verified as of September 2026. Applying it to a particular situation is the work of a licensed North Carolina attorney.