New Mexico Unemployment Benefits: Who Qualifies, How Much, and How to Apply

You may qualify if you were discharged for reasons other than misconduct. Benefits may be denied if you were discharged for reasons that amount to misconduct. When a separation is in question, the department asks you and your employer to describe what happened, and an adjudicator issues a written decision, usually within 4 to 8 weeks of the claim.

You may qualify if you quit for good cause connected with the work. Leaving a job because of a lack of child care is generally not considered good cause; NMDWS says employees should first take reasonable steps to keep the job, such as asking for a different schedule or a leave of absence.

Workers laid off for lack of work, or whose hours are cut so they work less than full time, may qualify. A worker on a temporary layoff of 4 weeks or less with a definite return-to-work date may have the work search requirement waived by providing a letter from the employer. A worker earning less than the weekly benefit amount from part-time work may be eligible for partial benefits.

Yes. The first eligible week of a new claim is an unpaid waiting week and is not counted in your weeks of payment. You must still certify for that week to get credit for it.

You must register for work services with New Mexico Workforce Connection within 14 days of filing, unless exempt. Each week you must be able, available and actively looking for full-time or part-time work of at least 20 hours a week and make at least two different work search contacts, reporting the details when you certify. Attending a workshop offered by NMDWS or a Workforce Connection Center counts as one contact. The department may waive work search in some situations.

File and manage unemployment claims online through the Department of Workforce Solutions' Unemployment Insurance Tax and Claims System.

File an appeal within 15 calendar days of the date the determination was issued, using the 'Request for a Hearing' information sent with the decision or online in the UI Tax & Claims System, and keep certifying each week while you wait. Hearings before the Appeals Tribunal are usually by phone; any documents must reach both the other party and the Tribunal at least 48 hours before the hearing. A hearing decision can be appealed to the Cabinet Secretary (who may refer it to the Board of Review) within 15 calendar days, and that decision to district court within 30 days.