Unemployment if you quit or were fired in Arizona
The state's rules for quitting and for being fired are different. This page gives the state's own words.
All about unemployment in Arizona
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Quit, fired or refused work
If you quit
If you left work voluntarily without good cause in connection with your job, you are disqualified. If you quit because of transportation problems, you must show your travel was more than normal for your kind of work or that you had compelling personal circumstances.
Examples the state names:
- Your home was more than 30 miles from work, or it took more than an hour and a half to get to work (transportation quits)
- You left to go with your spouse, or your parent if you are a minor, who is in the armed services and was transferred by official orders
- You left because of a documented case of domestic violence
If you were fired
If you were fired for willful or negligent misconduct connected with your job, you are disqualified. Being fired for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster your employer required is not a reason to disqualify you.
If benefits are denied for the separation
If you are disqualified for quitting without good cause or for misconduct, you cannot get benefits until you work again and earn at least five times your weekly benefit amount. This is in addition to the waiting week.
Refusing work
If you fail without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work, or to look for work, you are disqualified until you earn at least eight times your weekly benefit amount. After your first four weeks of benefits, any job offer that pays 120% of your weekly benefit counts as suitable.
Law: A.R.S. 23-771(D), (E), 23-775, 23-776
Official source: Source page
You usually must be unemployed through no fault of your own. In most states this means you lost your job because there was not enough work.
Able, available and looking for work
Job contacts per week: 4
Each week you must make a systematic and sustained effort to find work on at least four days of the week, with at least one job contact a day on four different days.
Records to keep
Keep a detailed record of each job contact.
Law: A.R.S. 23-771(A)(4)
Official source: Source page
To be paid for a week, you must be able to work, available to work and actively seeking work.
Law: 42 U.S.C. 503(a)(12)
Noncitizens
What the state says
If you are not a U.S. citizen, have your Alien Registration Number ready when you apply.
Common reasons for a denial and what federal law says →
Free help
Call 1-877-600-2722. Legal aid and other free help in Arizona → Official sources →
More questions about unemployment in Arizona
Can I get unemployment in Arizona if I quit?
If you left work voluntarily without good cause in connection with your job, you are disqualified. If you quit because of transportation problems, you must show your travel was more than normal for your kind of work or that you had compelling personal circumstances.
Can I get unemployment in Arizona if I was fired?
If you were fired for willful or negligent misconduct connected with your job, you are disqualified. Being fired for not getting a COVID-19 vaccine or booster your employer required is not a reason to disqualify you.