california: Hi, How long should you have worked in California to be eligible for unemployment insurance. Their website is saying : "you should have worked in the last 18 months." But this sentence is not clear to me,does it mean you should have worked the whole 18 months to be eligible or it means you should have worked for a period of time during the last 18 months? Thanks|||Benefits are calculated using an individual鈥檚 earnings during a specific 12 month period (this is called a base period). The base period begins approximately 15-17 months prior to the date the claim is filed. The amount paid each week is calculated based on the calendar quarter with the highest earnings during the base period. Weekly benefit amounts range from a minimum of $40 to a maximum of $450 depending on the claimant鈥檚 quarterly earnings. To qualify for the maximum amount each week ($450) an individual must earn at least $11,674.01 in a calendar quarter during the base period (an individual鈥檚 earnings during a specific 12 month period).|||Call EDD.|||You need to have worked during some portion of your "base period", which is the one year period that begins with the first day in the previous 18 months that was also the first day of either January, April, July, or October. For example: If you file during Jan., Feb. or March, then you need to have working during some portion of the 12-month October-Sept. period. If you file during July, August, or September, then you need to have worked during some portion of the period April 1-March 31.