Apply online for unemployment benefits if you’ve lost your job

Cost: There is no cost. You can submit the application via smartphone using any of three portals: the “12333 Mobile App”, the e‑Social Security Card mini‑program in WeChat or Alipay, or the National Social Insurance Public Service Platform. Having a social security card or ID is enough; in most regions you won’t need to visit an office. The prerequisite is to first register as unemployed.
In plain terms: If both your employer and you have paid into the yibao (basic medical insurance) system for at least one year and you didn’t resign voluntarily, you can receive payments after completing unemployment registration. If contributions total between one and five years, benefits last up to 12 months; between five and ten years, up to 18 months; and for ten or more years, up to 24 months. During this period, the unemployment insurance also covers your employee medical insurance premiums. The total number of years of contributions is 1999.
Benefit: To qualify you must meet three criteria: (1) your employer and you have each contributed to unemployment insurance for at least one year; (2) you lost the job through no fault of your own (legally termed “termination not due to personal choice”); and (3) you have registered as unemployed and are actively seeking work. The duration of benefits depends on your contribution history — up to 12 months for 1–5 years of contributions, 18 months for 5–10 years, and 24 months for 10+ years. Monthly amounts are set by provincial governments and vary by region; they are generally above the urban dibao level yet below the local minimum wage. The national aim is to gradually raise these payments to 90% of the minimum wage. While receiving benefits, you retain full eligibility for employee medical insurance, with premiums paid by the unemployment insurance fund on your behalf.
Evidence grade: A
Sources:国务院 (1999). 失业保险条例（国务院令第 258 号，第十四、十六、十七、十八条；第十六条：「失业保险金自办理失业登记之日起计算」）. https://xzfg.moj.gov.cn/front/law/detail?LawID=517；人力资源社会保障部. 全国人社政务服务平台·失业保险待遇申领办事指南. https://www.12333.gov.cn/portal/common/bszn/sydysl?pfaId=202105281700000004；国家发展改革委就业司 (2022). 失业保险金标准，将逐步提高至最低工资的 90%. https://www.ndrc.gov.cn/fggz/jyysr/jysrsbxf/202206/t20220627_1328819.html；辽宁省人力资源和社会保障厅 (2019). 关于进一步调整失业保险金标准的通知：「为落实《人力资源社会保障部财政部关于调整失业保险金标准的指导意见》(人社部发〔2017〕71号〕"逐步将失业保险金标准提高到最低工资标准的90%"等要求」. https://rst.ln.gov.cn/rst/zfxx/zc/ywfl/shbx/2024092014161280895/index.shtml；全国人大常委会 (2010). 社会保险法（第四十八条）. https://fgk.chinatax.gov.cn/zcfgk/c100009/c5192937/content.html（国家税务总局政策法规库）
Notes: Voluntary resignations do not qualify as “termination not due to personal choice”. Unemployment insurance pays your employee medical insurance premiums while you receive benefits. Exact amounts differ widely across provinces; always refer to the figures published by your local authority. The “90% of minimum wage” target originates from a 2017 guideline issued jointly by the Ministry of Human Resources and Social Security and the Ministry of Finance (Document No. 71 [2017]), which states that benefits should be “gradually raised to 90% of the minimum wage”; this is a long‑term goal, not an immediate standard.