Unemployment if you quit or were fired in New Jersey

Quit, fired or refused work

If you quit

If you quit, you are disqualified unless you had good cause attributable to the work. NJDOL says the reason must be directly related to your job and so compelling that you had no choice but to leave, and the burden of proof is on you. Leaving for personal reasons, such as moving away, is not connected with the work. A claims examiner holds a fact-finding interview by phone or email.

Examples the state names:

• Unsafe, unhealthful or dangerous working conditions so intolerable that you had no choice but to leave
• Leaving to take another job that starts within 7 days and has hours or pay at least equal to the old job
• Leaving because of domestic violence (NJDOL reviews proof)
• Leaving because your spouse or civil union partner, an active military member, is transferred outside the state (NJDOL reviews proof)

If you were fired

Being fired does not by itself stop benefits. A claims examiner decides whether you were fired for misconduct. Misconduct means improper, intentional conduct connected with the work and within your control, not a good-faith error, that is a deliberate refusal to follow the employer's reasonable rules or a deliberate disregard of expected standards of behavior. The law puts the burden of proof on the employer, who must give written documentation before NJDOL decides.

If benefits are denied for the separation

Quit without good cause: no benefits until you work at least 8 weeks in covered work, earn at least 10 times your weekly benefit rate, and then lose work through no fault of your own. Misconduct: no benefits for the week you were fired and the next 5 weeks. Gross misconduct (an act that is a crime of the first to fourth degree): the same 8-week/10-times rule as quitting, and wages from that employer cannot be used for a claim.

Refusing work

If you refuse suitable work or fail to apply for suitable work when directed, without good cause, you are disqualified for that week and the next 3 weeks.

Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-5(a)-(c)

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: 1

You must be able to work, available for work and actively seeking work each week. NJDOL says you must contact at least one different employer each week by phone, mail, internet or in person, and be able to show proof. Keep all scheduled appointments; if NJDOL refers you to reemployment services, you must take part.

Records to keep

Keep a record of every employer and union you contact each week. If you apply online, print a copy of the contact and response. NJDOL may ask for proof at any time while you claim. The PR-94 guide has a Work Search Record form.

Source: date, employer, address, position, person contacted, type of contact and result

Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-4(c); NJDOL PR-94 (7/2026)

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

When you file, have your alien registration number ready if you are not a U.S. citizen or national. If your job ended because your work authorization or Temporary Protected Status ended, you must show that the wages on your claim were earned while you were authorized to work, and that you now have a current immigration status that lets you work in the United States.

Free help

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