South Carolina Unemployment Benefit Eligibility Requirements

To be eligible for unemployment benefits in South Carolina, you must meet both non-monetary and monetary requirements.

Non-monetary requirements

• You must be unemployed through no fault of your own. This means that you were laid off, fired for reasons that were not your fault, or quit for a good cause.
• You must be able to work, available for work, and actively seeking work during each claim week. This means that you must be physically and mentally able to work, be available to work during regular business hours, and be actively applying for jobs.
• You must be willing to accept any suitable offer of work. This means that you must accept any job that is similar to your previous job in terms of pay, skills, and working conditions.

Monetary requirements

• You must have earned at least $1,092 in covered employment during the base period’s highest quarter.
• You must have earned at least $4,455 from covered employment during the base period.
• Your total base period wages must equal to, or exceed, 1.5 times the high quarter wages’ total.

The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters.

If you meet all of the eligibility requirements, you will be eligible to receive a weekly benefit amount of up to $326. The amount of your weekly benefit will be based on your earnings during the base period.

You can apply for unemployment benefits online, by phone, or in person at a SC Works Center.

Here are some additional things to keep in mind about unemployment benefits in South Carolina:

• You must file a new claim each time you become unemployed.
• You must report any income earned during a claim week.
• You may be required to participate in reemployment services.

For more information about unemployment benefits in South Carolina, please visit the website of the South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce.