The Arizona Department of Economic Security's unemployment insurance benefits aren't meant to be a long-term replacement for your wages, and beneficiaries can't continually reapply for benefits when they exhaust their original benefits. While the emergency unemployment compensation benefits granted to some beneficiaries may extend past the one-year benefits-year term, those who reapply won't have a wage history to support a second year's claim.
Your Benefit Year
The Department of Economic Security bases its unemployment benefits on a benefit year system. Your benefit year starts the Sunday following your initial claim, and lasts for the next 52 weeks. When the Department calculates your total benefit amount, you may not receive another claim until your original benefit year comes to a close. For example, if you apply for benefits and your benefit year begins May 1, you may not reapply for benefits until May 1 of the following year, regardless of when you exhaust your benefit amount.
Subsequent Benefit Year
Arizona law requires beneficiaries to work after the first date in your first benefit year before you qualify for a second benefit year. This provision prevents workers from receiving additional benefits for a second year without finding employment between the two years. In some circumstances, you may be able to work part-time and receive limited unemployment benefits for your first benefit year, and reapply for benefits based upon your part-time wages the second year.
Your Base Period
If you're still unemployed at the end of your benefit year, you may reapply for unemployment benefits, but your weekly benefit amount will be greatly reduced, if you qualify at all. The department uses a base period -- your total earnings in the first four of the preceding five calendar quarters to determine the amount of benefits you receive. If, after a year, you reapply for unemployment benefits and haven't worked, your base-period earnings will be based on a single quarter's wages, which won't qualify for unemployment benefits
Your Qualifying Earnings
After the department collects your earnings information gathered during your base period, it uses that information to determine your benefit amount. To qualify for benefits, you must earn at least $1,500 in one of the quarters and at least 150 percent of your highest quarter's earnings during your base period to qualify for benefits. If you don't have earnings in at least two quarters during your base-period measurement -- which, if you've received unemployment benefits long enough to exhaust them -- you don't qualify for additional benefits.
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