Unemployment insurance in Virginia, administered by the Virginia Employment Commission (VEC), pays temporary weekly benefits to workers who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. For claims filed on or after January 1, 2026, weekly payments run from $60 to $430 and last between 12 and 26 weeks, depending on what you earned before the layoff.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-602 – Weekly Benefit Amount The program is funded entirely by employer payroll taxes, so nothing comes out of your paycheck to pay for it.
Who Qualifies
Two separate tests decide whether you can collect. The first looks at your earnings, the second at why you’re out of work.
Your Earnings History
The VEC examines wages during a base period: the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. You need enough earnings across at least two of those quarters to meet the minimum in the statutory benefit table.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-612 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
If your standard base period doesn’t capture enough of your recent work — for example, you started a new job in the past few months — Virginia offers an alternate base period using the four most recently completed quarters. You can’t use it if any of your wages came from federal, military, or out-of-state employment.3Virginia Employment Commission. Base Period – Base Table
Why You Lost the Job
A straightforward layoff for lack of work qualifies. Being fired for misconduct or quitting without good cause does not, and disqualification lasts until you’ve worked at a new job for at least 30 days or 240 hours.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-618 – Disqualification for Benefits
Virginia defines misconduct as deliberate rule violations or willful disregard of your employer’s interests. Honest mistakes and poor performance generally don’t count; the line falls between intentional or reckless behavior and ordinary negligence.
If you quit, you’re disqualified unless you show good cause. Two reasons are explicitly ruled out by statute: leaving to become self-employed and leaving to follow a spouse. Military spouses get a narrow exception when the service member receives permanent change-of-station orders to a location not reachable from the current workplace, provided the receiving state also treats military spouse relocations favorably. Losing a job under a seniority-based layoff policy is not treated as a voluntary quit.
You must also be physically able to work, available for suitable work, and not on paid vacation, drawing unemployment from another state, or unemployed because of an active labor dispute at your workplace.2Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-612 – Benefit Eligibility Conditions
How Much You Get and For How Long
Your weekly benefit is calculated from your two highest-earning quarters in the base period, looked up on the statutory table. The 2026 range is $60 to $430 per week.1Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-602 – Weekly Benefit Amount
Duration is set separately, based on total base period earnings, and runs from 12 to 26 weeks. The VEC calculates a maximum benefit amount — a total pool — and pays it out weekly until the pool is exhausted or the 26-week cap is reached, whichever comes first.
How to File Your Claim
Before you start, pull together your Social Security number; the names, addresses, phone numbers, and exact dates for every job you held in the past 18 months; the mailing address and dates for any out-of-state employers; and your bank routing and account numbers if you want direct deposit. A Virginia debit card is the alternative. Cross-check employer information against your most recent W-2 or pay stub so it matches what payroll reported. You’ll need to explain why you left each job; vague answers slow processing and can trigger additional fact-finding.5Virginia Employment Commission. Apply for Unemployment Benefits
File through the VEC’s online self-service portal or the automated phone system. Save the confirmation number as proof of your filing date. Virginia uses ID.me for identity verification, which you can complete through self-service upload, a live video call, or an in-person appointment; you’ll need a government-issued photo ID.6ID.me Help Center. Virginia and ID.me
After you file, the VEC mails a Benefit Rights and Responsibilities packet along with a monetary determination showing your weekly amount and total weeks available.7Virginia Employment Commission. Your Unemployment Benefit Rights and Responsibilities
What You Must Do Each Week
Filing the initial claim only opens the door. Every week you want a payment, you have to file a weekly certification through the online portal or phone system confirming you’re still unemployed, able to work, and available for a job. You must be willing to accept non-remote positions, even if you’d prefer remote work.8Virginia Employment Commission. Benefits Information
You also have to contact at least two different employers each week. Two contacts with the same company only count if they’re for different openings. For each contact, keep a record with the date, employer name and address, the person you spoke with, the position, and the outcome. If you applied online, save the confirmation email. The VEC can audit these records and verify contacts directly with employers. Responses to blind job ads that don’t identify the employer do not count.9Virginia Employment Commission. Workforce Requirements Missing a weekly certification or failing to document your job search will suspend your payments.
Some claimants are selected for the federal Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program. If you’re picked, attendance is mandatory, and skipping an appointment puts your benefits at risk.10U.S. Department of Labor. Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment Grants
Working Part-Time While on Benefits
Part-time work is allowed, but you must report all gross earnings each week, including self-employment income and gig work like food delivery or ride-sharing.8Virginia Employment Commission. Benefits Information Virginia disregards the first $100 you earn in a week. Above that, every dollar earned reduces your benefit by a dollar.
Say your weekly benefit is $350 and you earn $200 in a given week. The VEC ignores the first $100, deducts the remaining $100 from your benefit, and pays you $250. You still take home $450 total for the week, so reporting honestly leaves you ahead.
Taxes
Unemployment benefits count as federal taxable income and must be reported on your federal return.8Virginia Employment Commission. Benefits Information You can elect voluntary federal withholding when you file your claim to avoid a bill in April. Virginia does not tax unemployment benefits at the state level.
If Your Claim Is Denied
You have 30 days from the mailing date of the deputy’s decision to appeal. Miss that window and you almost always lose the right to challenge the denial.11Virginia Employment Commission. Appeals
The first level is a telephone hearing before an Appeals Examiner. You get at least 10 days’ notice along with the laws and issues under review. At the hearing you explain why the deputy was wrong and present evidence. The Examiner issues a written decision that affirms, amends, or reverses the denial.
If you still disagree, the next step is Commission Appeals, where a Special Examiner reviews the existing record, usually without a new hearing. You have 14 days from the Notice of Appeal mailing date to request permission to submit new evidence or make oral argument. The Commission’s decision becomes final 10 days after mailing. After that, the only remaining option is Virginia Circuit Court within 30 days.
If You’re Overpaid or Accused of Fraud
When the VEC pays you more than you were entitled to — because your employer belatedly reported wages, for instance, or an administrative error inflated your check — you have to repay it. The VEC can withhold up to 50 percent of future weekly payments, set up a repayment plan, or wait until you’re working again to collect.12Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-633 – Receiving Benefits While Not Entitled Thereto
Virginia allows waivers when both conditions are met: the overpayment wasn’t your fault, and repayment would deprive you of income needed for basic necessities like housing, food, medicine, or childcare. Request a waiver during the individual case review; you can request one while an appeal is pending.
Deliberate fraud carries much heavier consequences. On top of full repayment, Virginia adds a penalty equal to 15 percent of the fraudulent amount, paid into the Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund. Repayments apply first to the benefits you weren’t owed, then to the 15 percent penalty, then to any other amounts due.13Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-636 – Penalty for Fraudulent Claim You’ll also be disqualified from future benefits under the same rule that applies to misconduct: 30 days or 240 hours at a new job before you can collect again.4Virginia Code Commission. Virginia Code 60.2-618 – Disqualification for Benefits