The Main Reasons Michigan Denies Unemployment Claims

Michigan denies unemployment claims for specific reasons tied to how you lost your job and your work history. The most common disqualifier is quitting without good cause—if you left work on your own, you will be denied unless you can show the employer made the job impossible to do (not just unpleasant). Being fired for misconduct also disqualifies you; Michigan defines this narrowly as willful or deliberate violation of reasonable employer rules, not straightforward mistakes or poor performance.

You are also disqualified if you are not able and available to work. This means you cannot be in school full-time, caring for a child with no backup plan, or physically unable to take a job. You must be actively looking for work each week you claim benefits. If you refuse a suitable job offer without good reason, you lose benefits. Finally, if you are receiving workers' compensation for the same period, or if you are collecting a pension from a former employer, Michigan may reduce or deny your unemployment payment.

Key Takeaways

  • Quitting your job disqualifies you unless the employer created working conditions you could not reasonably stay in, such as unsafe conditions or wage theft.
  • Misconduct means willfully breaking a known rule or deliberately performing poorly, not making honest mistakes or failing to meet high performance standards.
  • You must be able to work full-time, actively searching for work, and available to start a job with short notice, or you will be denied.
  • Receiving workers' compensation or a pension from a former employer in the same period can reduce or stop your unemployment payment.
  • If you are disqualified, you have the right to a hearing before an administrative law judge, and the burden is on Michigan to prove disqualification.

Quitting Your Job: When It Disqualifies You and When It Does Not

Leaving work voluntarily is the single most common reason for denial. Michigan will deny you unless you quit for good cause attributable to the employer. This is a high bar. Good cause means the employer did something that made staying genuinely impossible—not just frustrating or unfair.

Examples that may count as good cause include: the employer cut your pay without agreement, changed your job duties so drastically you cannot do the work, created unsafe working conditions you reported and they ignored, required you to break the law, subjected you to harassment or discrimination, or failed to pay you on time. straightforward disliking your boss, wanting better hours, or finding another job you prefer does not count.

If you quit because of a family emergency—a child's illness, a spouse's job transfer—Michigan will still deny you unless you can show you tried to keep the job (asking for leave, temporary schedule changes) and the employer refused. The key question is always: did the employer make it impossible to stay, or did you choose to leave?

Misconduct: What Counts and What Does Not

Michigan uses a specific legal definition of misconduct that is narrower than most people think. Misconduct is willful or deliberate violation of a reasonable employer rule or standard of conduct. You must have known the rule and broken it on purpose, or acted so recklessly that you knew you were breaking it.

Being fired for poor performance, even if you were warned, is not misconduct. Missing a sales target, working slowly, or failing to meet a important date—even repeatedly—does not disqualify you. The employer must show you deliberately did something wrong, not that you were not good enough at your job.

Examples of actual misconduct include: stealing from the register, showing up drunk, refusing a direct order without reason, or violating a safety rule you knew about. If you were never told the rule existed, or if you made an honest mistake, that is not misconduct. If you were fired for "insubordination" but the order was illegal or unsafe, that is not misconduct either.

Not Able and Available to Work

Michigan requires you to be able to work (physically and mentally capable of doing a job) and available to work (able to start work on short notice and willing to accept suitable work). If either condition fails, you are disqualified.

You are not available if you are enrolled full-time in school, caring for a child with no childcare backup, or unable to work your usual hours. You are also not available if you are traveling, in jail, or out of the state without a plan to return. If you have a medical condition that limits the type of work you can do, you must still be available for that type of work and actively looking for it.

Michigan also requires you to actively search for work each week you claim. You must be able to show you contacted employers, applied for jobs, or used a job service. If you are not searching, you can be denied. If you refuse a job offer that is suitable—meaning it matches your skills, pays at least minimum wage, and is in your area—you lose benefits unless you have a good reason to refuse (such as unsafe conditions or a wage far below what you earned before).

Receiving Workers' Compensation or a Pension

If you are receiving workers' compensation for a work injury in the same week you claim unemployment, Michigan will reduce your unemployment payment by the amount of the workers' compensation payment. In some cases, this means you receive nothing that week.

A pension from a former employer also affects your payment, but the rule is different. If you are receiving a pension based on your age or years of service (not a lump-sum severance), Michigan will reduce your unemployment by a portion of the pension amount. The reduction is calculated based on how the pension was funded and when you became may have access to to it. If you received a one-time severance payment when you left, that does not reduce your unemployment.

You must report any workers' compensation or pension payment when you file your weekly claim. If you do not report it and Michigan finds out later, you may be asked to repay the overpayment.

Disqualifications Related to Your Work History

You are disqualified if you have no recent work history in Michigan. To be covered by Michigan unemployment insurance, you must have earned at least $2,600 in wages during a specific 12-month period (usually the past 15 months). If you have not worked enough or earned enough, you do not have a claim, even if you were recently laid off.

You are also disqualified if you are self-employed or an independent contractor. Unemployment insurance covers employees only. If you owned a business or worked on contract, you are not covered. Some gig workers (delivery, rideshare) may not be covered either, though this is an area of ongoing change.

If you were disqualified in a previous claim for misconduct or quitting without good cause, that disqualification does not carry over to a new claim—but only if you have returned to work and earned enough wages since then. Michigan requires you to earn at least $2,600 again to "clear" a prior disqualification.

What Happens If You Are Disqualified

If Michigan denies your claim, you will receive a information of Ineligibility letter in the mail. This letter explains the reason and tells you how to request a hearing. You have 30 days from the date on the letter to ask for a hearing before an administrative law judge.

At the hearing, Michigan must prove you are disqualified. You have the right to present evidence, call witnesses, and cross-examine the employer's representative. Many people win at the hearing stage because Michigan's evidence is weak or the judge interprets the rule differently. Even if you lose at the hearing, you can appeal to the Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency Board of Review, and then to circuit court.

While your appeal is pending, you do not receive benefits, but if you win, you are paid retroactively to the week you first filed. It is worth fighting a denial if you believe Michigan made a mistake.

Frequently Asked Questions

If I was fired for poor performance, can I still get unemployment?

Yes. Poor performance, even if you were warned, is not misconduct under Michigan law. Misconduct requires willful or deliberate rule-breaking. If you were straightforward not good enough at the job, you are not disqualified. The employer must prove you deliberately violated a rule or acted recklessly.

What if I quit because my boss was rude or the job was stressful?

That does not count as good cause. Good cause means the employer made the job impossible to do—unsafe conditions, wage theft, illegal orders, or severe harassment. Disliking your boss or finding the work stressful is not enough. You would be disqualified.

Can I get unemployment if I am going back to school part-time?

It depends on your schedule. If you are in school part-time and available to work full-time, you may be covered. If you are in school full-time or your school schedule prevents you from working, you are not available and will be disqualified. Tell Michigan about your school schedule when you file.

Do I have to report my pension when I file for unemployment?

Yes. You must report any pension or workers' compensation payment you are receiving. If you do not report it and Michigan discovers it later, you will owe back the overpayment. Reporting it now means your weekly payment is reduced, but you avoid a debt.

What if I was fired but the employer will not say why?

At your hearing, Michigan must prove the reason for your firing. If the employer cannot or will not provide evidence of misconduct, you may win. Bring any documentation you have—emails, performance reviews, witness statements—to show what actually happened. The burden is on Michigan to prove disqualification.