Unemployment Eligibility and Qualifications

General Benefits Eligibility Criteria

There is a set criterion that must be met to qualify for benefits. The New Mexico Department of Labor will review your employment history, the means in which you became unemployed, and provide requirements to maintain eligibility. While specifics are given below  the best way to determine if you are eligible is by applying with accurate information.

If you were self-employed, worked for a religious organization or nonprofit, you will not be eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits in New Mexico.

Work Eligibility Criteria

To qualify for benefits, you must meet all of the following requirements along with the Wages Eligibility Criteria.  

• Became separated from your previous employer based on no fault of your own  
• Cannot have quit under own volition or because of disobedience
• Be available and able to work at least 20 hours a week (A few examples of situations that would disqualify an individual from being available and able to work would be a medical limitation, an injury, travel, lack of childcare or transportation, or being incarcerated)  
• Complete all work search requirements
• Willing to accept suitable work if offered without unreasonable restrictions around commute, wages, or hours

Wages Eligibility Criteria

Meeting the work eligibility criteria list above is only a portion of the requirements needed to qualify for New Mexico unemployment benefits. You must also earn enough wages over a set period. The Wages Eligibility Criteria is typically determined by looking at your base period, or the first four quarters of the last five quarters, since you filed your claim. If it has been decided that you have met the wages eligibility criteria, a Monetary Determination will be sent to you, but this does not mean that you are eligible since you must also meet the work eligibility requirements.

If you did not make enough during the normal base period to qualify, you could try to use an  Alternate Base Period instead. The Alternate Base Period would review the most recent four completed quarters.

Unemployment Availability Limits

You can collect unemployment benefits weekly until they are exhausted or until you are able to find employment and return to work. For calendar year 2017, you can receive a minimum of $79 to a maximum of $425 per week for up to 26 weeks over a 52 week period (Benefit Year), depending on your past quarterly earnings. Additional benefit weeks may be available dependent on funding by the Federal Government.   

There are a variety of circumstances that could cause you to be no longer eligible for benefits. For example, if you become self-employed or can collect commission payments through activities like real estate, you would no longer be able to receive unemployment.

Unemployment Extensions

While New Mexico does allow for specific extensions when an Extended Unemployment Compensation window is opened, at this time, Congress has not passed a ruling declaring a state of the economic downturn that calls for unemployment extensions to be necessary. Therefore, if you have exhausted your benefits, there will be no extensions offered.