Liable state
What is a liable state?
The liable state is the state legally responsible for paying an unemployment claim — the one where the claimant's base-period wages were reported. Moving to another state never changes the liable state: the claim, weekly amount, and duration all stay with it, and the claimant files as an interstate claimant.
This is why "transferring" an unemployment claim is impossible and unnecessary. The destination state has none of your wages from the old state; the liable state keeps the claim wherever you live, and pays it only while you remain eligible: able and available for work, searching for work, and certifying every week.
Interstate claimants follow the liable state's work-search rules from their new address. 16 of the 51 state agencies in our data say interstate claimants must also register for work with the job service where they now live, some within a few days of filing; missing that deadline can stop payments.