Vermont Unemployment Benefits: Who Qualifies, How Much, and How to Apply
Vermont unemployment: can you get benefits if fired or you quit, weekly benefit amounts, how many weeks, work search rules, how to apply and appeal.
Quick answers for Vermont
- If you were fired
- If you are discharged for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified for 6 to 15 weeks after you file, as the Commissioner decides. Your total benefits are also limited to 23 full weeks. 21 V.S.A. § 1344(a)(1)(A), (a)(2)(B); VDOL, Calculating Your UI Benefit
- Weekly benefit amount
- Your weekly benefit is the total wages in your two highest base-period quarters divided by 45. The maximum is reset each year for July 1 through June 30. The department lists the current maximum as $751 a week. VDOL, Calculating Your UI Benefit
- How many weeks
- Your total benefits are limited to 26 times your weekly benefit amount or 46% of your base-period wages, whichever is less. A misconduct finding limits you to 23 full weeks. VDOL, Calculating Your UI Benefit; Claimant Handbook, "Length of Payments"
- How to apply
- Open a claim online through Claimant e-Services (using a myVermont login) or call the Initial Claims line at 877-214-3330. VDOL, Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook (B-11, 02/2026)
Last verified: 2026-10-27
Who qualifies
| If you were fired | If you are discharged for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified for 6 to 15 weeks after you file, as the Commissioner decides. Your total benefits are also limited to 23 full weeks. If you are fired for gross misconduct, you are disqualified until you work for a bona fide employer and earn more than 6 times your weekly benefit amount. Gross misconduct means flagrant, wanton and intentional disregard of the employer's business interest, such as theft, fraud, intoxication, intentionally damaging property or injuring someone, a felony, or repeated insubordination or public profanity after a written warning. |
|---|---|
| If you quit | If you quit without good cause attributable to your employer, you are disqualified until you work for a bona fide employer and earn more than 6 times your weekly benefit amount. You are not disqualified if you left to go with a spouse on active U.S. military duty who must relocate, or a U.S. Foreign Service spouse assigned overseas, when the move makes it impractical to keep working. Source: 21 V.S.A. § 1344(a)(2)(A) |
| Layoffs and reduced hours | Open a claim during the first week you are out of work or working less than 35 hours. Working 35 or more hours a week counts as full-time. If you work part-time, you may still get partial benefits. If your employer gives a definite full-time return-to-work date within 10 weeks of opening your claim and confirms it in writing, you may be excused from the work search. |
| Earnings needed to qualify | Under the main method, the base period is the first four of the last five completed quarters. You must have been paid at least the state's minimum quarter amount in one quarter, which can change each July when the minimum wage rises. Your wages in the other three quarters must total at least 40% of your highest quarter. If you do not qualify that way, the department tries alternate base periods: the last four completed quarters, or the last three completed quarters plus the current one. A special method applies after a workers' compensation injury. |
| Self-employed, 1099 and gig workers | A self-employed person is not automatically ineligible for unemployment benefits, but the more time and effort spent on self-employment, the less the person is available for work with other employers. If you had your own sideline business while working for a primary employer and keep it after losing that job, do not report the sideline earnings on weekly claims, but contact Claimant Assistance if your time or earnings from it go up by 20% or more. |
How much and how long
| Weekly benefit amount | Your weekly benefit is the total wages in your two highest base-period quarters divided by 45. The maximum is reset each year for July 1 through June 30. The department lists the current maximum as $751 a week. Maximum $751 per week, the 'current' figure on VDOL's page as of October 2026. The page does not give an exact effective date beyond the July 1 to June 30 cycle, or a minimum. |
|---|---|
| How many weeks | Your total benefits are limited to 26 times your weekly benefit amount or 46% of your base-period wages, whichever is less. A misconduct finding limits you to 23 full weeks. |
| Working part-time on benefits | Half of your gross earnings are disregarded, and the other half is subtracted from your weekly benefit. For example, $300 in earnings against a $400 benefit leaves a $250 payment. You are treated as fully employed and get no benefit for a week in which you work 35 hours or more, or earn more than your weekly benefit plus the disregarded earnings. |
| Severance and vacation pay | You cannot receive severance pay and unemployment benefits for the same weeks. Severance, vacation pay, wages in lieu of notice and back pay must be reported. Lump sums are spread over the weeks they represent based on your usual schedule, so six weeks of severance covers the six weeks after your last day. Pensions fully paid for by a base-period employer can reduce or eliminate benefits. A pension from an employer outside your base period does not. |
Applying and keeping benefits
| How to apply | Open a claim online through Claimant e-Services (using a myVermont login) or call the Initial Claims line at 877-214-3330. Then file a weekly claim certification online for each Sunday-to-Saturday week, starting the Sunday after you first contact the department. If you miss a week or worked full-time, you must reopen your claim first. Late claims are not backdated. |
|---|---|
| Work search requirements | Unless the department excuses you, make and report at least three job contacts every week you file. Valid contacts include submitting an application or resume for an open job you are qualified for and willing to take. Phone calls, browsing the internet, posting a resume online, and applying for the same job twice within five weeks do not count. You must register with Vermont Job Link, keep records of your contacts, and expect random checks. |
| Appealing a denial | Your appeal must be received within 30 calendar days of the determination date. Send it by mail to the Vermont Department of Labor in Montpelier, by email to Labor.appeals@vermont.gov, by fax to (802) 828-4289, or deliver it in person. An administrative law judge holds a phone hearing first. Later appeals go to the Employment Security Board and then the Vermont Supreme Court. |
| Logging in and filing weekly claims | The Vermont Department of Labor's Claimant e-Services is where you establish initial claims, file weekly claims, re-open prior claims and more. You can also file your weekly claim by automated phone at 1-800-983-2300 (Sunday 12:00 a.m.-11:59 p.m.; Monday-Friday 5:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). Claimant Assistance: 1-877-214-3332 (Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.). Claimant e-Services: https://labor.ui.vermont.gov/UI/Claimant |
Where to get help in Vermont
Unemployment Benefits FAQ
Can you get unemployment if you were fired in Vermont?
If you are discharged for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified for 6 to 15 weeks after you file, as the Commissioner decides. Your total benefits are also limited to 23 full weeks. If you are fired for gross misconduct, you are disqualified until you work for a bona fide employer and earn more than 6 times your weekly benefit amount. Gross misconduct means flagrant, wanton and intentional disregard of the employer's business interest, such as theft, fraud, intoxication, intentionally damaging property or injuring someone, a felony, or repeated insubordination or public profanity after a written warning.
Can you get unemployment if you quit in Vermont?
If you quit without good cause attributable to your employer, you are disqualified until you work for a bona fide employer and earn more than 6 times your weekly benefit amount. You are not disqualified if you left to go with a spouse on active U.S. military duty who must relocate, or a U.S. Foreign Service spouse assigned overseas, when the move makes it impractical to keep working.
Can you get unemployment if your hours were cut in Vermont?
Open a claim during the first week you are out of work or working less than 35 hours. Working 35 or more hours a week counts as full-time. If you work part-time, you may still get partial benefits. If your employer gives a definite full-time return-to-work date within 10 weeks of opening your claim and confirms it in writing, you may be excused from the work search.
How much do you need to have earned to get unemployment in Vermont?
Under the main method, the base period is the first four of the last five completed quarters. You must have been paid at least the state's minimum quarter amount in one quarter, which can change each July when the minimum wage rises. Your wages in the other three quarters must total at least 40% of your highest quarter. If you do not qualify that way, the department tries alternate base periods: the last four completed quarters, or the last three completed quarters plus the current one. A special method applies after a workers' compensation injury.
How much is unemployment in Vermont?
Your weekly benefit is the total wages in your two highest base-period quarters divided by 45. The maximum is reset each year for July 1 through June 30. The department lists the current maximum as $751 a week.
How long can you get unemployment in Vermont?
Your total benefits are limited to 26 times your weekly benefit amount or 46% of your base-period wages, whichever is less. A misconduct finding limits you to 23 full weeks.
What are the work search requirements for unemployment in Vermont?
Unless the department excuses you, make and report at least three job contacts every week you file. Valid contacts include submitting an application or resume for an open job you are qualified for and willing to take. Phone calls, browsing the internet, posting a resume online, and applying for the same job twice within five weeks do not count. You must register with Vermont Job Link, keep records of your contacts, and expect random checks.
Does severance pay affect unemployment in Vermont?
You cannot receive severance pay and unemployment benefits for the same weeks. Severance, vacation pay, wages in lieu of notice and back pay must be reported. Lump sums are spread over the weeks they represent based on your usual schedule, so six weeks of severance covers the six weeks after your last day. Pensions fully paid for by a base-period employer can reduce or eliminate benefits. A pension from an employer outside your base period does not.
How do I apply for unemployment in Vermont?
Open a claim online through Claimant e-Services (using a myVermont login) or call the Initial Claims line at 877-214-3330. Then file a weekly claim certification online for each Sunday-to-Saturday week, starting the Sunday after you first contact the department. If you miss a week or worked full-time, you must reopen your claim first. Late claims are not backdated.
How do I appeal an unemployment denial in Vermont?
Your appeal must be received within 30 calendar days of the determination date. Send it by mail to the Vermont Department of Labor in Montpelier, by email to Labor.appeals@vermont.gov, by fax to (802) 828-4289, or deliver it in person. An administrative law judge holds a phone hearing first. Later appeals go to the Employment Security Board and then the Vermont Supreme Court.
Can you work part-time and collect unemployment in Vermont?
Half of your gross earnings are disregarded, and the other half is subtracted from your weekly benefit. For example, $300 in earnings against a $400 benefit leaves a $250 payment. You are treated as fully employed and get no benefit for a week in which you work 35 hours or more, or earn more than your weekly benefit plus the disregarded earnings.
Can self-employed or gig workers get unemployment in Vermont?
A self-employed person is not automatically ineligible for unemployment benefits, but the more time and effort spent on self-employment, the less the person is available for work with other employers. If you had your own sideline business while working for a primary employer and keep it after losing that job, do not report the sideline earnings on weekly claims, but contact Claimant Assistance if your time or earnings from it go up by 20% or more.
Where do I log in to my unemployment claim in Vermont?
The Vermont Department of Labor's Claimant e-Services is where you establish initial claims, file weekly claims, re-open prior claims and more. You can also file your weekly claim by automated phone at 1-800-983-2300 (Sunday 12:00 a.m.-11:59 p.m.; Monday-Friday 5:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.). Claimant Assistance: 1-877-214-3332 (Monday-Thursday 8:30 a.m.-4:00 p.m.; Friday 9:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.).
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