California Unemployment Eligibility

In order to establish unemployment eligibility in California you have to:

1. Be a resident of California. If you are not a resident of California, but worked in California at your last job, you should still have California unemployment eligibility.
2. Have worked and earned income in California.
3. You must not be disabled.
4. You must be able to work.
5. You must be actively looking for a new job.
6. You must have lost your job through no fault of your own. If you quit your job or were fired for ‘just cause’ you may not be eligible to collect unemployment in California. Every case is different, so if you lost your job — be sure to apply to unemployment in case you are indeed eligible to receive unemployment benefits.

There are special rules that apply to unemployment elibility for military personnel and union workers, so check with your mility or union representative for these rules.