Wages paid to a temporary or probationary employee can be used to establish a claim for unemployment benefits. To set up a claim for unemployment benefits, a worker generally needs to be paid sufficient wages in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters is called the Standard Base Period. During the base period, the person must have been paid wages in more than one quarter. In addition, the person needs to have high quarter wages of at least:

• $1,998 for benefit years beginning prior to 4/1/2007
• $2,697 for benefit years beginning 4/1/2007 through 1/5/2008
• $2,774 bor benefit years beginning 1/6/2008 through 1/3/2009
• $2,871 for benefit years beginning on or after 1/4/2009

The applicant's total base period wages must equal at least 1.5 times the high quarter wages. If the employee was not paid enough wages in the Standard Base period, wages can be used from the Alternate Base Period, which is the last four completed calendar quarters.

If a business employs a temporary or probationary employee during the base period and the worker is paid sufficient wages by one or more other employers, the worker could set up a claim for unemployment benefits and the employer who provided the temporary or probationary work could be one of the chargeable employers on that claim.