Unemployment if you quit or were fired in Iowa

Quit, fired or refused work

If you quit

If you quit without good cause attributable to your employer, you are disqualified. You must prove your quit was for good cause attributable to the employer or fits one of the exceptions in the law. IWD decides.

Examples the state names:

• You left in good faith only to take another job, took it and worked there
• Your spouse was relocated by the military
• You left only to care for an injured or ill immediate family member, then offered to come back once they recovered
• You left because of illness, injury or pregnancy on a doctor's or physician assistant's advice, then offered to come back after recovery
• You left instead of bumping a co-worker with less seniority

If you were fired

If you were fired for misconduct connected with your job, you are disqualified. Your employer has the burden of proving misconduct. The law defines misconduct as a deliberate act or omission that is a material breach of your duties, and lists examples such as knowingly breaking a reasonable, uniformly enforced rule, theft, or excessive unexcused absences or tardiness.

If benefits are denied for the separation

After a disqualification for quitting, misconduct or refusing suitable work, you cannot get benefits until you work in insured work and are paid wages of at least 10 times your weekly benefit amount. For gross misconduct (an indictable offense connected with work), IWD cancels all wage credits earned before the firing.

Refusing work

If you fail without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work, you are disqualified until you earn 10 times your weekly benefit amount. Whether a job is suitable depends on the pay compared with your earlier average weekly wage (100% in the first week of your claim, down to 60% from the ninth week), working conditions and duties. You do not have to take a job paying less than minimum wage.

Law: Iowa Code sec. 96.5(1)-(3), 96.6(2)

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: 3

You must complete four reemployment activities each week (Sunday to Saturday), and three of them must be job applications. Record and certify them in IowaWORKS with your weekly claim. Applying again for the same job with the same employer within six weeks does not count. The requirement may be waived if you expect to be recalled within about four weeks or are in Department Approved Training.

Records to keep

Record your reemployment activities in IowaWORKS each week. If your claim is chosen for a quality control review, you must show your job search record and IWD checks it with employers.

Law: Iowa Code sec. 96.4(3)

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 work authorization number and its expiration date ready when you apply.

Free help

Call 1-866-239-0843. Legal aid and other free help in Iowa → Official sources →