Unemployment Insurance (New Hampshire)

If you lost your job through no fault of your own, New Hampshire unemployment can pay you weekly benefits while you look for work. New Hampshire Employment Security, NHES, runs the program. The fastest way to file is online at nhes.nh.gov. If you need help, the NHES claims line is 603-271-7700, open Monday through Friday, 8am to 4:30pm.

Your work history has to meet a minimum. To qualify, you must have earned at least $2,800 during your base period, which is a set 12-month stretch of recent work. You also must have earned at least $1,400 in each of two separate calendar quarters. Without that, a claim cannot be paid, no matter the reason you left the job.

After you file, NHES checks your past wages. It reviews the earnings from your base period and mails you a Monetary Determination. That notice sums up the wages used to figure your claim and sets your weekly amount, so read it closely and keep it.

You file online through Workforce Connect, the gateway to New Hampshire's Unemployment Insurance System, or NHUIS. If you are new, you create a Workforce Connect account and then choose File for Benefits from your dashboard. That same dashboard is where you check your claim status and your job-search information later.

Filing once is not enough. Each week you must file a continued claim and stay able to work, available for work, and actively looking for work. Looking for work each week and proving it on your weekly claim is a basic rule, so keep records of the jobs you apply for. You also must report things like mandatory child support or any past food-stamp over-issuance.

Because a job loss can hit the whole budget, line up other help too. SNAP can add food money right away, New Hampshire Medicaid keeps your family covered, and Fuel Assistance handles winter heat. Dial 2-1-1 for local funds that can bridge rent between paychecks.