If you voluntarily quit your job, you can only get unemployment benefits if you left for "good cause."

Good cause means that you must have specific reasons why you quit. The reasons should be enough to qualify as a "constructive discharge." This means any reasonable person in a similar situation would have voluntarily quit their job.

You might have good cause to quit if your:

• Employer broke state or federal law,
• Working conditions or terms changed,
• Coworkers or supervisors were abusive,
• Employer refuses to pay you wages for work you have done,
• Hours, benefits, or pay rate were cut, or
• Boss changed your work shift, causing child care or transportation issues.

You probably do not have good cause to quit if you leave because:

• You can't find day care (unless it's your boss's fault),
• You don't have transportation to work (unless it is because your work location changed),
• Stress caused by the job,
• You are not getting along with a coworker or boss the way you would like to, or
• A small decrease in your hours, benefits, or pay rate.  

Before quitting, you usually must try to resolve any problems you are having at work with your employer. If you have an employee handbook, look at it very carefully. The handbook may have a section that tells you what to do when you are having problems at work. It is important that you follow the requirements listed in the handbook. This will help if you have a potential lawsuit for illegal behavior your employer took. 

Keep detailed records of any letters, emails, or other communications you have with your employer. If your conversations are in-person, make notes afterwards. If possible, send your employer an email with your understanding of what the conversation was about. 

Talk to a lawyer if you are having problems at work, so that you can understand what process you need to follow. That way your unemployment benefits will be protected. A lawyer can also help you through a lawsuit.

What if I quit, but it was not the employer's fault?

Sometimes you can qualify for unemployment benefits, even if the reason you quit was not the fault of your employer.

You can probably still get unemployment if you quit:

• Because of a health problem,
• To care for a relative who is sick or has a disability,
• Because of rights you have under a union contract as a union member,
• Because of a domestic violence situation, or
• Because you must move for your spouse's job or military assignment.

What if I quit due to concerns about the coronavirus ("COVID-19")?

The same rules apply if your reason for leaving relates to the coronavirus. You still need to have "good cause" for quitting in order to get unemployment benefits. You must also make a reasonable effort to work with your employer to solve any problems before quitting.

You will have a “good cause” if:

• You are confined to your home because a licensed physician has diagnosed you as having coronavirus,
• You must stay home to care for your spouse, parent, or child, whom a medical professional has diagnosed as having coronavirus,
• You are confined to your home because of a government-imposed or government-recommended quarantine, or
• You left work to care for your child, because of the statewide school closures due to the coronavirus virus.