Unemployment Benefits Eligibility

General Benefits Eligibility Criteria

To receive unemployment insurance benefits in Oklahoma, you must meet all   eligibility requirements. The OESC requires you meet both work and wages eligibility criteria. The best way to find out if you are eligible to receive unemployment insurance benefits in Oklahoma is to file a claim.

Work Eligibility Criteria

To meet work eligibility requirements, you must:

• Be out of work or had hours reduced through no fault of your own
• Work less than 32 hours per week
• Earn less than $505 per week
• Available and able to work
• Accept any suitable job offers within your qualifications  
• Actively seek employment every week
• Register for work with Oklahoma Works
  

Wages Eligibility Criteria

To meet wages eligibility requirements, you must:

• Have made at least $1,500 during your base period
• Have earned at least 1.5 times more during your total base period than you did in your highest quarter
• Make less than $505 per week

Your base period is the 12-month period consisting of the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the effective date of your claim. Once a monetarily eligible claim is established, the base period cannot be changed. For base period purposes, quarters change after the first Sunday in the quarter.

Unemployment Availability Limits

In 2016, you can collect a minimum of $16, and a maximum of $505 per week for up to 26 weeks per calendar year of unemployment insurance benefits. Your benefit amount is determined when you file your claim.

Your benefits could be taken away if you do not meet work search requirements, if you begin working full-time (32 hours or more), or if you earn as much income as your benefits pay in a week.

Unemployment Extensions

If you were not eligible to collect unemployment benefits because you received workers’ compensation for an injury suffered on the job, you might be able to file an extended base period claim. You should speak to an agent at your local Employment Security Commission who can assist you file an extended base period claim.