# Collecting unemployment compensation for previous jobs **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [May 2, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882 "2002-05-02T16:22:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 4:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/1 "2002-05-02T16:22:26Z")
If I was employed for 1.5 years at a company, was laid off, went to work for another company for 6 months and then quit, would I still be eligible for the unemployment benefits from the 1st company? ---
**Author:** ![Gregor\_Samsa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/a6a055/32.png) [@Gregor\_Samsa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gregor_Samsa)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 4:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/2 "2002-05-02T16:47:11Z")
What country are you in? ---
**Author:** ![Church\_Key\_Kid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/f9ae1b/32.png) [@Church\_Key\_Kid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Church_Key_Kid)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 5:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/3 "2002-05-02T17:05:54Z")
I am in the United States (Ohio, to be specific)… ---
**Author:** ![lucwarm](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/e19adc/32.png) [@lucwarm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lucwarm)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 5:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/4 "2002-05-02T17:59:12Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by fatdave \* > \*\*If I was employed for 1.5 years at a company, was laid off, went to work for another company for 6 months and then quit, would I still be eligible for the unemployment benefits from the 1st company? \*\* I doubt it. In my jurisdiction, you have to have worked a certain amount of qualifying employment in the last 42 days before the period in which you are entitled to benefits. Qualifying employment doesn’t include employment that ends in a voluntary quit (without cause). I imagine that other states are not significantly different on this point, since it seems unlikely that legislatures would allow someone to collect unemployment in this sort of situation. But if this is a real situation, you (obviously) shouldn’t take my word for it. At a minimum, call up the unemployment insurance office and ask. If they are unhelpful, call up an unemployment insurance office in a different part of Ohio. (Standard disclaimer about legal advice) ---
**Author:** ![John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/ccd318/32.png) [@John\_Kentzel-Griffin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Kentzel-Griffin)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/5 "2002-05-02T18:27:17Z")
Probably not. As a general rule, if you have quit a job, you are not eligible for (I think) 6 months. If you have not quit a job within 6 months, but were fired or layed off, you are elegible. However, it’s not that simple. It depends on whether you quit “with cause”. One example if “with cause” is if you quit because you hours were cut back or your wages were reduced. And if you were fired, why you were fired. I worked for the LA Dept of Labor, but it was years ago, and it wasn’t in claims. You should contact your state Department of Labor for information about your specific case. ---
**Author:** ![Dale\_The\_Bold](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/41988e/32.png) [@Dale\_The\_Bold](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dale_The_Bold)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 7:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/6 "2002-05-02T19:31:48Z")
I’m collecting unemployment after recently being fired. The reason they gave was “unsatisfactory work quality,” (though the evidence points to quite the contrary). I think the way it works is an average of your income from the last 18 months is calculated, and you get 40% of what that would come to. Enough to significantly reduce your quality of living while you search for a job, but not so little to make you dry up. Benefits are the same regardless of why you were teminated, but I don’t know about quitting. ---
**Author:** ![kiz](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7feea3/32.png) [@kiz](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kiz)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2002, 7:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/collecting-unemployment-compensation-for-previous-jobs/106882/7 "2002-05-02T19:48:43Z")
> [@](#): > > \*Originally posted by Dale The Bold \* > \*\*I think the way it works is an average of your income from the last 18 months is calculated, and you get 40% of what that would come to. \*\* 40%?!?!? I’m getting 60%. Maybe it depends on the state in which you live – ???