Basics

• The first consideration is how much you can make in part-time employment and still receive unemployment benefits at all. In most states, this limit is simply what you receive each week in unemployment benefits. Some states allow you to earn a little bit more than your weekly benefit amount and remain eligible. In addition, all states allow you to earn a certain amount without reducing your benefits. The exact formula differs from state to state.
  
  

Flat Rate

• In some states, the amount you can earn without affecting your benefits is a flat number as of 2011 -- $15 in Alabama, $30 in Arizona, $50 in Georgia, $150 in Hawaii, $100 in Maryland, $40 in Mississippi, $100 in Oklahoma, $50 in Virginia and $60 in West Virginia, for example. Any dollar you earn beyond these amounts will reduce your unemployment benefits by a dollar. If you earn $100 in West Virginia, you would receive $40 less in unemployment benefits that week.
  
  

Variable Rate

• Other states begin reducing your unemployment benefits after you earn a certain percentage of your weekly benefit rate. In California, for example, you generally can earn up to 25 percent of your weekly benefit rate without affecting your benefit amount as of 2011. Colorado, Iowa, Kansas, Nebraska, Nevada, South Carolina and Texas use the same formula. Other states are less strict, reducing your benefits only after you earn 50 percent of your weekly benefit amount. These include Delaware, Idaho, Illinois and Wyoming.
  
  

Other Methods

• Connecticut automatically reduces your unemployment benefits as soon as you earn wages but disregards one-third of your wages. If you earn $60, for example, it would reduce your benefits by $20. Michigan and Minnesota reduce your benefits by 50 and 55 cents, respectively, for every dollar of earnings. Florida allows you to earn eight times the federal minimum wage, which is $7.25 as of 2011, before reducing your benefits. Wisconsin allows you to earn $30 before reducing your benefits, then disregards 33 cents for every $1 you earn when applying the reduction.
  
  

Warning

• In most states, even when earning part-time wages, you still have to conduct a steady and comprehensive search for full-time employment. If you do not fulfill your state's job-search requirements, you might lose your eligibility for unemployment benefits. A few states allow you to maintain your eligibility for the duration of your claim while only seeking part-time work if medical issues prevent you from working full-time. A majority of states make the same allowance if your recent employment history before filing your benefits claim consisted mostly of part-time work.