Free guide for laid-off workers
Laid Off? What to Do Next
Reviewed
File for unemployment in the state where you worked, compare your health coverage options, and read any severance agreement before you sign it. This guide answers the first questions after a layoff, with links to official government sources.
Answers to your first questions
What should I do in the first week after being laid off?
File for unemployment in the state where you worked as soon as your job ends. Get your last day, final paycheck, severance terms and health coverage end date in writing. Check the separate COBRA and Marketplace enrollment deadlines. Read any severance agreement before signing it. Then update your résumé and contact your local American Job Center for free job search help.
How do I file for unemployment after a layoff?
File a claim with the unemployment insurance program in the state where you worked, as soon as possible after your job ends. Depending on the state, you file online, by phone or in person. Have your Social Security number and the names, addresses and dates of your recent employers ready. The U.S. Department of Labor says the first payment generally arrives two to three weeks after you file.
U.S. Department of Labor: How do I file for unemployment insurance?(opens in new tab)
Can I collect unemployment if I get severance pay?
It depends on your state. Some states delay or reduce unemployment benefits while you receive severance, and others do not. Each state runs its own unemployment program, so only your state's agency can tell you how your severance counts. Do not wait to find out: file your claim when your job ends, report your severance exactly as the application asks, and let the state decide.
CareerOneStop: Find your state's unemployment benefits(opens in new tab)
How do I keep my health insurance after being laid off?
You have two main options. COBRA keeps you on your employer's plan, usually for up to 18 months, but you can be charged the full premium plus a 2% fee. You get at least 60 days to elect it. Or enroll in a Marketplace plan within 60 days of losing job-based coverage, where you may qualify for savings based on income. If you qualify for Medicaid or CHIP, you can enroll any time.
HealthCare.gov: If you lose job-based health insurance(opens in new tab)
What free career help is available for laid-off workers?
American Job Centers, funded by the U.S. Department of Labor, offer free job search help, workshops, career counseling and computer access in every state. Ask whether you qualify for the dislocated worker program, which can help pay for training. Find your nearest center with CareerOneStop's American Job Center Finder, or call 1-877-US2-JOBS (1-877-872-5627) with questions about jobs, training or unemployment benefits.
How do I find a new job fast after a layoff?
Start in the first week, while your skills and contacts are fresh. Update your résumé with recent results, tell your network you are looking, and focus on roles close to the job you just left. Write a weekly plan with application and follow-up goals. Register with your state's job bank, since some states require it to receive unemployment, and ask your American Job Center about job search workshops.
CareerOneStop: Create your job search plan(opens in new tab)
Your first-week checklist
- 1.
Get the details in writing
Ask for your last day, your final paycheck date, any severance terms, and the date your health coverage ends.
- 2.
File for unemployment
File with the state where you worked, as soon as your job ends. Use the state table below.
- 3.
Choose your health coverage
Enroll in a Marketplace plan within 60 days after losing job-based coverage. COBRA gives you at least 60 days to elect, counted from the later of your election notice or the day your coverage ends.
- 4.
Read any severance agreement before you sign
If you are 40 or older and the agreement waives age discrimination claims, you get at least 21 days to consider it, or 45 days in a group layoff, and 7 days to revoke after signing.
- 5.
Check for a WARN notice
Employers with 100 or more workers generally must give 60 days' notice of a mass layoff. Your state's WARN list shows whether yours filed one.
- 6.
Contact an American Job Center
Ask about free reemployment services and whether you qualify for the dislocated worker program or training funds.
- 7.
Update your résumé and start applying
Add your most recent results, tell your network you are looking, and set weekly application goals.
File for unemployment in your state
File with the state where you worked. Every link goes to an official government site. Links checked November 2, 2026.
| State | Agency | Unemployment |
|---|---|---|
| Alabama | Alabama Department of Workforce | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Alaska | Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Arizona | Arizona Department of Economic Security | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Arkansas | Arkansas Division of Reemployment | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| California | Employment Development Department | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Colorado | Colorado Department of Labor and Employment | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Connecticut | Connecticut Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Delaware | Delaware Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| District of Columbia | Department of Employment Services | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Georgia | Georgia Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Hawaii | Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Idaho | Idaho Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Illinois | Illinois Department of Employment Security | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Indiana | Indiana Department of Workforce Development | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Iowa | Iowa Workforce Development | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Kansas | Kansas Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Kentucky | Kentucky Career Center | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Maine | Maine Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Maryland | Maryland Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Massachusetts | Department of Unemployment Assistance | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Michigan | Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Mississippi | Mississippi Department of Employment Security | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Missouri | Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Montana | Montana Department of Labor and Industry | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Nebraska | Nebraska Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Nevada | Nevada Department of Employment, Training and Rehabilitation | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| New Hampshire | New Hampshire Employment Security | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| New Jersey | New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| New Mexico | New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| New York | New York State Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| North Carolina | North Carolina Division of Employment Security | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Ohio | Ohio Department of Job and Family Services | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Oklahoma | Oklahoma Employment Security Commission | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Oregon | Oregon Employment Department | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Pennsylvania | Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Rhode Island | Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| South Carolina | South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| South Dakota | South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Tennessee | Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Texas | Texas Workforce Commission | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Utah | Utah Department of Workforce Services | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Vermont | Vermont Department of Labor | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Virginia | Virginia Employment Commission | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Washington | Washington Employment Security Department | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Wisconsin | Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
| Wyoming | Wyoming Department of Workforce Services | File a claim(opens in new tab) |
For Florida, Louisiana, Minnesota, North Dakota, and West Virginia, find your state's unemployment site with CareerOneStop's unemployment benefits finder(opens in new tab).
Keep your health insurance: COBRA or a Marketplace plan
Enroll in a Marketplace plan within 60 days after losing job-based coverage. COBRA gives you at least 60 days to elect, counted from the later of your election notice or the day your coverage ends.
| Topic | COBRA | Marketplace plan |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | You stay on your former employer's group health plan. | You buy an individual plan through HealthCare.gov or your state's marketplace. |
| Deadline to sign up | At least 60 days to elect, counted from the later of your election notice or the day your coverage ends. | Within 60 days after you lose job-based coverage. You can also apply up to 60 days before. |
| How long it lasts | Usually up to 18 months after a layoff. | For as long as you stay enrolled and pay your premiums. |
| Cost | Up to 102% of the plan's cost: the full premium, including the share your employer used to pay, plus a 2% fee. | Depends on the plan you pick. You may qualify for savings based on your household income. |
| Who can use it | Generally plans of employers with 20 or more employees. Some states have similar rules for smaller employers. | Open to people who lose job-based coverage for any reason, including a layoff. |
If you start COBRA, you can still switch to a Marketplace plan within the first 60 days after losing job-based coverage. After that, dropping COBRA or stopping your payments does not open a new enrollment window: you would wait for the next Open Enrollment Period.
Severance and unemployment
No federal law requires severance pay. When an employer offers it, the terms come from your agreement with them. Unemployment benefits come from your state, and each state decides whether severance delays or reduces them. We do not list state-by-state rules here: ask your state's unemployment agency, and file your claim anyway when your job ends.
U.S. Department of Labor: Severance pay(opens in new tab)
Work out what your offer is worth with the severance pay calculator, look up WARN notices in your state, see which companies are cutting jobs on the Metaintro layoffs tracker, or search open jobs.