2025 Session Last amended: 2023 session

§ 268.085 — Eligibility Requirements; Payments That Affect Benefits

Plain-Language Summary

To keep getting unemployment benefits each week in Minnesota, you must file a continued request, be unemployed (working less than 32 hours and earning less than your benefit amount), be available for suitable work, and be actively looking for a job. Certain payments like vacation pay, severance pay, and pensions can reduce or delay your benefits.

Practical Notes
When this applies: Every week that you request unemployment benefits in Minnesota. Who this affects: All Minnesota unemployment benefit recipients. Key points: You must serve a one-week unpaid waiting period before benefits begin. You must be available for and actively seeking suitable work each week. If you earn money while on unemployment, 50% of your earnings are deducted from your weekly benefit. Vacation, sick, and severance pay can delay your benefits. Workers’ compensation payments offset unemployment benefits. If you refuse suitable employment without good cause, you are ineligible for 8 weeks. Pension or retirement payments from a base-period employer can also reduce benefits.