Can You Collect Unemployment After a No Call No Show?

Whether you intend to quit or you’re just having an attendance problem, a no call no show isn’t in your best interest. A reason to avoid not showing up to work without notice is that it limits your ability to collect unemployment payments. Depending on whether it’s seen as a quitting or being fired, you have to prove the reason you no longer work at a particular place of employment is not your fault.

A no call no show is a situation where you do not call out of your job and you do not show up to work. Depending on the state you live in and your former employer’s policies, this can be considered quitting or be grounds for a firing. However your employer classifies it, a no call no show can affect your ability to collect unemployment insurance compensation.

Whatever state you live in, unemployment benefits are for those who are jobless through no fault of their own. If you quit the job, you must have just cause for doing so. If you were terminated, it can’t be for cause. What qualifies for cause in either situation depends on the state. However, in most cases cause for quitting is related to the state labor laws and cause for being fired are related to company policies for misconduct and job performance.

When you apply for unemployment, your state asks you to explain the reason behind your job separation. Then it contacts your former employer to ask the same question. Employers pay into the unemployment insurance program with their payroll taxes. The tax rate is partially based on the number of former employees who collected unemployment benefits. Therefore, your former employer has no reason to hide if you did a no call no show. In fact, it’s often eager to share the information with the state labor office so it won’t be charged for benefits for you.

If there is any question about your job separation, you may have to provide evidence that your no call no show was either a situation where you quit for cause or you were fired without cause. Any credible piece of information that supports your cause is evidence. It might include an email or memo from your employer. You also might have a notarized written statement from witnesses who know about the details surrounding your no call no show.