COVID-19 information for workers

You may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you meet all other eligibility requirements; and:

• You have temporarily or permanently lost your job or had your hours reduced because of COVID-19.
• A healthcare professional or health authority recommended or ordered you to avoid contact with others due to COVID-19.
• You have been ordered not to come to their workplace due to an outbreak of COVID-19.
• You have received notification from a school district, daycare, or other childcare provider that either classes are canceled or your usual childcare is unavailable, as long as you made a reasonable effort to find other childcare and requested time off or other accommodation from your employer and no reasonable accommodation was available.

You should apply for unemployment benefits. We will determine whether you are eligible.

Under Governor Walz’s executive order, you may be eligible for benefits if you are on a leave of absence and:

1. A health authority or a health care professional has recommended or ordered you to stay home from work OR
2. You have been notified that your ordinary childcare is unavailable and you are unable to find either A) alternative childcare or B) an accommodation from your employer

You may also be eligible for benefits if you took a voluntary layoff to avoid the layoff of another employee. View eligibility rules associated with voluntary layoffs.

Visit our web page for self-employed and independent contractors.

Unemployment benefits are available to individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own. If you are not able to start a job as scheduled, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits (assuming you meet other eligibility requirements).

The law says that you are not eligible to receive unemployment benefits for any week that you:

1. Perform services of 32 hours or more, in employment, covered employment, noncovered employment, volunteer work, or self-employment regardless of the amount of any earnings, or
2. Had any earnings for that week that are equal to or more than the amount of your weekly unemployment benefits (this is before taxes are taken out).

You need to have earned at least $3,000 in your base period (approximately the last year) to be eligible for regular unemployment benefits. If you have not earned at least $3,000 in your base period, you may qualify for a new benefit program under the CARES Act. We will review your eligibility for that program automatically.

We understand that the COVID-19 pandemic presents a financial challenge for many Minnesotans. You can find other community resources listed on our Financial help and community services page.

If you are temporarily laid off, stay in regular contact with your employer about your employment.

If you are permanently laid off, you will need to actively seek suitable employment. Under Executive order 20-05, you can meet this requirement by seeking suitable employment that does not create a risk to your health or to the health of others. Activities like updating your resume, researching businesses, and going online to CareerForceMN.com for job seeking help are considered looking for work.

Executive order 20-05 provides a list of COVID-19 exemptions for workers, including those with underlying health issues or caretaking responsibilities.

Workers who qualify for these exemptions will continue to qualify for Unemployment Insurance benefits.

If you made a mistake on your application, please wait until we determine your eligibility and weekly benefit amount before attempting to contact us with changes. 

We will mail you a Determination of Benefit Account that shows your weekly benefit amount and total amount of benefits available. A form to correct missing employers and wage information will be included with that mailing. 

If your mistake is not related to wage and employer information, don’t worry. If we need any additional information to complete your application or determine your eligibility, we'll send you a request for information. This is your chance to provide us with details. 

When submitting information to us, please help us help you. Submit your documentation once - either by fax or mail. Submitting documents multiple times only slows down the process to get you and other people paid.

This message displays if you are past the original date you told us you expected to return to work. It doesn’t mean your payment will be affected.

Each week you submit a benefit payment request, you will be considered actively looking for work, if you are:

• Temporarily laid off and have been staying in regular contact with your employer about your employment. 
• Permanently laid off and are available for work and actively looked for work. Under the Executive order 20-05, you can meet this requirement by looking for work that does not create a risk to your health or to the health of others. Activities like updating your resume, researching businesses, going online to CareerForceMN.com for job seeking help are considered looking for work.

If you worked until the end of the last school term and have reasonable assurance of continued employment the next school term, you will not be able to use your wages from the educational institution to qualify for an unemployment benefit account.

If you don’t have reasonable assurance of continued employment next term, or if you have other employment that you recently separated from due to COVID-19, you should apply. We will review your application to determine if you are eligible for unemployment benefits.

Not necessarily. If you see this message, you can still apply for benefits. We will determine if you are eligible.

Unemployment benefits pay about half of your average weekly wage over the last year, up to a maximum of $740. You may be eligible for unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks.

In addition to your regular unemployment benefit, you may qualify for an additional payment (if an additional payment program is available).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, two short-term additional payment programs were made available:

• The first program, which is now expired, paid an additional $600 per week. 
• The second program, which is currently active, offers an additional $300 per week.

If you meet the weekly eligibility requirements, these additional payments are paid automatically.

If you are working part-time, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you are:

• Working less than 32 hours per week, and 
• Your weekly wages are less than what your weekly unemployment benefit would be (about half your normal pay)

The UI Program asks questions about other sources of income when you request payment (vacation pay, sick pay, Social Security benefits, pensions, etc.). Report the payments you received accurately and we will determine your eligibility for the week.

If you are working part-time, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits if you are:

• Working less than 32 hours per week, and 
• Your weekly wages are less than what your weekly unemployment benefit would be (about half your normal pay)

The UI Program asks questions about other sources of income when you request payment (vacation pay, sick pay, Social Security benefits, pensions, etc.). Report the payments you received accurately and we will determine your eligibility for the week.

If you are eligible for unemployment benefits, you will likely only receive about 50 percent of your average weekly wage. Your vacation leave/sick leave/paid time off will likely pay you at a higher rate.

If you worked or received income during the week you are requesting benefits for, indicate that when you submit your weekly payment request. View Working while collecting benefits for details on how to report work when requesting benefit payments.

Yes, PPP money is considered wages. You will need to report the gross income/hours the payment represents on your weekly benefit payment request.

To learn more, visit Working while collecting benefits.

Report the pay you received from your employer. We will determine if you need to repay any unemployment benefits you have previously received.

During COVID-19, most accounts will show a pending “eligibility issue” until we have completed our final review. 

We will contact you if we need you to do anything. We are currently processing a record number of applicants. 

While most eligibility issues can be resolved very quickly, some may not be completed without manual review by unemployment staff.

If you see an “eligibility issue”, it means that we are reviewing your account to determine whether you qualify for unemployment benefits. We will let you know if we need additional information from you. Continue to submit weekly payment requests.

NOTE: Some pending eligibility issues are due to outages with a federal database. We are regularly checking with the federal government to determine when these outages will be resolved. We have also set up alternative ways to resolve those issues in the meantime. Thank you for your patience.

If your employer reopens and you are able to return to work (and not otherwise exempt under Executive Order 20-05), you need to do so. Refusing to return to work or quitting a job may affect your continued eligibility for unemployment benefits.

Each week when you submit a payment request, we ask if you quit a job or refused an offer of suitable employment. You must answer these questions truthfully. Intentionally providing incorrect information to obtain unemployment benefits or Pandemic Unemployment Assistance is considered fraud and may lead to criminal prosecution.

If you refuse an offer to return to work or you quit a job, we will send you a questionnaire to find out why you cannot return to work. We will also send a questionnaire to your employer.

We will review the information you both provide to determine your continued eligibility for benefits.

If you feel that your employer is not abiding by CDC and MDH guidance or by a required COVID-19 Preparedness Plan, please contact OSHA.compliance@state.mn.us.

The U.S. Bank ReliaCard (unemployment debit card) is a reloadable prepaid debit card issued by U.S. Bank. 

You should receive your card in the mail in a plain white envelope about five to seven business days after your first payment is made. 

To find out where your ReliaCard is, you can check online to see:

• If we processed your payment. Log in to your account, and then select View and Maintain Your Account / Payment Information for details.
• When US Bank processed your card. Visit Check My Card Status.

If we issued a payment and you do not receive your card within seven business days, you can call U.S. Bank ReliaCard customer service at 1-855-233-8379 to get the issue resolved. Once your card is mailed, deposits are usually made within three business days after you request a payment. 

For more information about the unemployment debit card, including FAQs, visit the U.S. Bank ReliaCard website - www.usbankreliacard.com. 

Please note: Keep your debit card even after you stop requesting unemployment benefit payments. Your debit card can be used for future unemployment benefits for up to three years. Read the information included with your card for terms, fees, and conditions. You are responsible for any fees charged.

No, you do not need a new card. This is a card holder protection measure U.S. Bank has in place. Wait 24 hours and then try using your card again.

For more information about the unemployment debit card, including FAQs, visit the U.S. Bank ReliaCard website - www.usbankreliacard.com. 

An underpayment notice simply means we reviewed your account, determined you were previously paid less than you should have been, and we are paying you the difference. 

If you are receiving Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) benefits, you may notice that some PUA payments are labeled as “underpayments” in notices or in your online account. Do not worry – this is how these payments are supposed to appear. 

If we determine you have been underpaid, the underpaid amount will automatically be issued to you. There is nothing you need to do to receive this payment. 

Please note: for a variety of reasons, payments may take a few days longer to reach your bank account/debit card then stated on your notice. Please allow extra time for processing before you call with questions

With the extremely large volume of applications we are receiving related to the pandemic and the nationwide uptick in fraudulent applications, we have put extra security measures in place to protect you. We need to take additional measures to review and verify accounts.

Please continue to watch your account online. Once your account information is verified, your payment(s) will be released. We anticipate up to a 14 day turn around on a first payment.