Unemployment if you quit or were fired in Mississippi
The state's rules for quitting and for being fired are different. This page gives the state's own words.
All about unemployment in Mississippi
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Quit, fired or refused work
If you quit
If you quit without good cause, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 8 times your weekly benefit amount. You must prove good cause. By law, marital, family (filial) and domestic circumstances and obligations are not good cause, but pregnancy is not treated as one of those circumstances.
If you were fired
If you were fired for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 8 times your weekly benefit amount. The employer must prove the misconduct. MDES describes misconduct as an act that is willful or an intentional disregard of the employer's interest.
If benefits are denied for the separation
For a quit without good cause or a firing for misconduct, the disqualification lasts until you earn at least 8 times your weekly benefit amount from new work.
Refusing work
If you fail without good cause to apply for or accept suitable work, you are disqualified for that week and up to 12 more weeks. After 8 weeks of benefits, work paying the minimum wage or more can be suitable if that is the going rate for your usual work in the area.
Law: Miss. Code Ann. sec. 71-5-513(A)(1), (3)
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 actively look for full-time work (35 hours or more). Each week, contact at least 3 employers, and at least 1 of those contacts must be a job application or an interview. You cannot report the same employer again until 3 weeks after you first reported it, unless it is part of a hiring process. Work search can be waived in some cases, such as approved training.
Records to keep
Keep a written list of your work search each week with the employer's name, address and phone number (or website, email or fax and the job platform used), the person contacted and the date. Send it to MDES if asked; you may also be scheduled for an in-person Eligibility Review.
Law: Miss. Code Ann. sec. 71-5-511(c); MDES Regulation 305.02
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 or visa number ready when you file.
Common reasons for a denial and what federal law says →
Free help
Call 601-493-9427. Legal aid and other free help in Mississippi → Official sources →
More questions about unemployment in Mississippi
Can I get unemployment in Mississippi if I quit?
If you quit without good cause, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 8 times your weekly benefit amount. You must prove good cause.
Can I get unemployment in Mississippi if I was fired?
If you were fired for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified until you work again and earn at least 8 times your weekly benefit amount. The employer must prove the misconduct.