Unemployment Insurance Information

Claims Information

Establishing a UI Claim

What Determines Monetary Eligibility?
In order to establish an unemployment insurance claim, an individual:

must have worked and received wages during at least two calendar quarters of the current base period; and,
the sum of those wages must be at least six times the state average weekly insured wage.

What Wages Can Be Used To Establish A Claim for Benefits?
Any wages used to establish eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits must be earned in employment that is covered by the Employment Security Law. Employers who are liable under the Employment Security Law are required to post Form NCUI 524, Certificate of Coverage and Notice to Workers, in their place of employment.

Employers with questions about unemployment insurance tax liability should refer to "Who Is Liable for Unemployment Tax?" under Unemployment Insurance Tax Information.

Who Is The Last Employer?
For new claim purposes, the last employer is presumed to be the last employer for whom a separated claimant last worked for more than 30 days, regardless of whether work was performed on each of those days unless it is shown that such presumption would be a substantial injustice in view of the intend of the Employment Security Law.

An unemployment insurance claim is valid for one year from the date it is established. An individual who has established a claim, returned to work and become unemployed again during that one year period, may reopen an existing claim. For reopened claim purposes, the last employer is the one for whom the claimant most recently worked prior to reopening an existing claim, regardless of the duration of the job.

The above definitions of last employer do not apply to attached claims or to claims where an individual's last employment was military service.

What Is The Base Period for Unemployment Insurance Claims?
The base period in North Carolina is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the quarter in which a claim for benefits is filed. Wages earned during the base period determine both the amount and duration of an individual's unemployment insurance benefits. The table below shows how the base period is determined.

Note: An individual who fails to establish a monetarily eligible claim using the table above is automatically moved to an alternative base period (the last four completed calendar quarters before the quarter in which the claim was filed) regardless of the reason for the monetary ineligibility

What Is A Benefit Year?
Normally, a benefit year is a 52 week period which begins with the effective date of a valid claim. There are two exceptions to the 52 week benefit year: (1) when the benefit year begins on the first day of a calendar quarter, and (2) when the benefit year begins on the second day of a calendar quarter followed by a February 29 within that benefit year. In these two instances, the benefit year must extend for 365 or 366 days respectively. Therefore, these exceptional benefit years end either on a Sunday or Monday of the 53rd week. Since the next succeeding benefit year must begin on a Sunday, the net effect of these exceptions is a 53 week benefit year.

What Is The Weekly Benefit Amount?
The weekly benefit amount is the dollar amount of benefits a claimant can receive each week. It is computed by dividing the sum of the wages earned during the highest quarter of the base period by 26, rounded down to the next lower whole dollar. The result cannot exceed the maximum weekly benefit amount allowed by law. If the amount is less than fifteen dollars ($15.00), the individual is not eligible for benefits.

For example, Claimant A worked for XYZ Company during the base period and was paid total wages of $12,498.90 and high quarter wages of $3,639.38.

What Is Duration of Benefits?
Duration is the number of weeks a claimant can receive the full weekly benefit amount. Minimum duration is 13 weeks; maximum duration is 26 weeks. Duration is calculated by dividing the total base period wages by the high quarter wages and then multiplying the result by eight and two-thirds. A result which is not a whole number is rounded to the nearest whole number; a result that is less than 13 or more than 26 is raised or lowered to the minimum or maximum duration.

Based on the wage information reported for Claimant A, the duration of the claim is:

What Is A Wage Transcript And Monetary Determination?
Each claimant receives Form NCUI 550, Wage Transcript and Monetary Determination, which itemizes the quarterly wages paid by each employer in the base period. This form also contains the weekly benefit amount, duration, and effective date of the claim. If monetary eligibility is not established, the reason is shown on this form.

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