Title: Start a business on unemployment in New Hampshire (2026) > New Hampshire runs Self-Employment Assistance: keep your weekly unemployment benefit while you start a business. See what it adds up to, the rules and how to apply. Source: https://pontia.xyz/us/new-hampshire/ Checked: 25 September 2026 Free · official rates · checked September 25, 2026 # Starting a business on unemployment in New Hampshire Good news: New Hampshire lets you keep your weekly benefit while you build a business full time, with no work search. Check what it adds up to. ## Self-Employment Assistance in New Hampshire Yes. New Hampshire runs Self-Employment Assistance: you keep your weekly unemployment benefit while you start a business full time, with no work search. Apply within 60 days of your first claim, with 18+ weeks left. ## How self-employment affects your benefit Earnings from self-employment count as wages, and your benefit is reduced by everything above 30% of your weekly benefit. Being self-employed full time is a listed eligibility issue. Temporary self-employment without intending to set up a business does not disqualify you if you keep looking for work (RSA 282-A:33). To build a business full time while keeping benefits, use the Pathway to Work program. Your weekly benefit is reduced by all wages and earnings above 30% of your weekly benefit amount (RSA 282-A:14, III). Make every month of your support count Budgets built from your numbers, a clear plan, and the tools to build it. Free. [Start my plan](https://pontia.xyz/us/start?state=NH&scheme=us-sea-nh&status=applying&from=us-state-mid) ## Your weekly job search You must search for work every week and report your work search contacts on each weekly claim; New Hampshire law sets no fixed number, but your local NHWorks office may assign one. Keep your own records to bring to mandatory meetings. NH residents must be registered in the NHWorks Job Match System (a preliminary registration is created when you file). Pontia keeps your job-search record for you and links to [NHWorks Job Match System (JMS); NHES also runs the NH Job Search Portal](https://nhworksjobmatch.nhes.nh.gov/vosnet/Default.aspx), so your plan and your search run side by side. ## Other help in New Hampshire - [VR New Hampshire (Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, NH Department of Education)](https://www.education.nh.gov/who-we-are/deputy-commissioner/bureau-vocational-rehabilitation): VR NH's Toolkit for Employment Success lists self-employment as an option you explore with your VR counselor (skills, investment, disability impact, business experience); no detailed funding policy was found. - Medicaid: New Hampshire expanded Medicaid, so the new work requirement applies to expansion adults: 80 hours or $580 net a month, and hours on your business count. Planned start: 1 January 2027. - SBA Microloans of up to $50,000, and free advice from your local SBDC and SCORE mentors. - On SSI or SSDI: PASS and the SSDI trial work period let you test a business. ## Questions Can I collect unemployment while starting a business in New Hampshire?+ Yes. New Hampshire runs Self-Employment Assistance: you keep your weekly unemployment benefit while you start a business full time, with no work search. Apply within 60 days of your first claim, with 18+ weeks left. Earnings from self-employment count as wages, and your benefit is reduced by everything above 30% of your weekly benefit. Being self-employed full time is a listed eligibility issue. Temporary self-employment without intending to set up a business does not disqualify you if you keep looking for work (RSA 282-A:33). To build a business full time while keeping benefits, use the Pathway to Work program. How many job contacts a week does New Hampshire require?+ You must search for work every week and report your work search contacts on each weekly claim; New Hampshire law sets no fixed number, but your local NHWorks office may assign one. Keep your own records to bring to mandatory meetings. NH residents must be registered in the NHWorks Job Match System (a preliminary registration is created when you file). How much is unemployment in New Hampshire?+ Between $32 and $427 a week in 2026, for up to 26 weeks. Your own amount is on your monetary determination. What other help is there to start a business in New Hampshire?+ Free advice from your local SBDC and SCORE mentors, SBA microloans of up to $50,000, and, if you have a disability, VR New Hampshire (Bureau of Vocational Rehabilitation, NH Department of Education) can fund a self-employment plan. On SSI or SSDI, PASS and the trial work period let you test a business. Sources, checked September 25, 2026 - [New Hampshire Employment Security (NHES): unemployment](https://www.nhes.nh.gov/individuals/file-unemployment-benefits) - [New Hampshire: work search rules](https://mm.nh.gov/files/uploads/nhes/documents/nhes0188.pdf) - [New Hampshire: self-employment and unemployment](https://gc.nh.gov/rsa/html/XXIII/282-A/282-A-mrg.htm) - [New Hampshire: Self-Employment Assistance](https://www.nhes.nh.gov/individuals/pathway-work) - [DOL: Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)](https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/July2026.pdf) Estimate and guidance only. Estimate and guidance only. Confirm with your benefit office, the official website or an adviser. Rules change, and your situation changes the outcome. Not a government service. Not financial, tax or legal advice. ## Your start-up support is a head start. Use it well. Plan your money, pick what you’ll build, and get the tools to build it. Free, and nobody sees your plan but you. [Sign up free](https://pontia.xyz/us/start?state=NH&scheme=us-sea-nh&status=applying&from=us-state-end) Free forever · No card · No hidden charges Cite this page "Start a business on unemployment in New Hampshire (2026)", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/us/new-hampshire/ (updated September 25, 2026) ## Related guides and tools - [Start your business without risking your benefits](https://pontia.xyz/us/) - [Your unemployment work search log, done in minutes](https://pontia.xyz/us/unemployment-work-search-log/) - [Start a business on unemployment: your state](https://pontia.xyz/us/self-employment-assistance-calculator/) - [Between school and work? Build something that’s yours.](https://pontia.xyz/us/young-people/) - [US Unemployment Work Search Index 2026](https://pontia.xyz/us/datasets/us-work-search-index/) - [US federal support for starting a business in figures, 2026](https://pontia.xyz/us/datasets/us-startup-support/) - [Unemployment insurance while you look for work vs Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), New York](https://pontia.xyz/us/compare/ui-searching-vs-sea-ny/) - [Unemployment insurance while you look for work vs Self-Employment Assistance, Oregon](https://pontia.xyz/us/compare/ui-searching-vs-sea-or/) - [Unemployment insurance while you look for work vs Self-Employment Assistance Program, Mississippi](https://pontia.xyz/us/compare/ui-searching-vs-sea-ms/) --- Pontia is free and independent. It is not a government service and not financial, tax, legal or benefits advice; always check the official source linked on the page. Some tool links are affiliate links: we may earn a fee at no cost to you, and free options come first. Contact: hello@pontia.xyz Cite as: "Start a business on unemployment in New Hampshire (2026)", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/us/new-hampshire/ (updated 25 September 2026) Whole site in one file: https://pontia.xyz/llms-full.txt