How to Apply for Federal Unemployment Benefits?

Last Updated on April 21, 2023

Have you lost your job? You may qualify for Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits, which is temporary income to support you while you look for a new one. Here’s a detailed guide on how to apply for federal unemployment benefits.

WHAT ARE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE (UI) BENEFITS?

Unemployment Insurance is a joint state-federal program that provides cash benefits to eligible workers. Each state administers a separate UI program, but all states follow the same guidelines established by federal law.

Unemployment insurance payments (benefits) are intended to provide temporary financial assistance to unemployed workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Each state sets its own additional requirements for eligibility, benefit amounts, and length of time benefits can be paid.

Generally, benefits are based on a percentage of your earnings over a recent 52-week period, and each state sets a maximum amount. Benefits are subject to federal and most state income taxes and must be reported on your income tax return. You may choose to have the tax withheld from your payment.

WHO IS ELIGIBLE TO APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS?

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

• Are unemployed through no fault of your own. In most states, this means you have to have separated from your last job due to a lack of available work.
•  Meet work and wage requirements. You must meet your state’s requirements for wages earned or time worked during an established period of time referred to as a “base period.” (In most states, this is usually the first four out of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.)

WHAT DO YOU NEED TO APPLY FOR UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS?

To apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) benefits, you need to provide personal information including your Social Security number, birth date, home address, email address (optional), and phone number.

You also need information about your employment history from the last 15 months, including:

• Names of all employers, plus addresses and phone numbers
• Reasons for leaving those jobs
• Work start and end dates
• Recall date (if you were laid off but have a set date to return to work)

You may need additional information in certain situations:

• If you are not a U.S. citizen — your Alien Registration number
• If you have children — their birth dates and Social Security numbers
• If you’re in a union — your union name and local number
• If you were in the military — your DD-214 Member 4 form. If you don’t have it, you can request your DD-214 online.
• If you worked for the federal government — your SF8 form (optional)

To receive payments by direct deposit, you’ll also need your bank name, account number, and routing number. Otherwise, the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) will send you a debit card.

If you’re a non-U.S. citizen applying for UI benefits, DUA must verify that you are legally authorized to work in the United States.

HOW TO APPLY FOR FEDERAL UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS?

To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you need to file a claim with the unemployment insurance program in the state where you worked. Depending on the state, claims may be filed in person, by telephone, or online.

• You should contact your state’s unemployment insurance program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed.
• Generally, you should file your claim with the state where you worked. If you worked in a state other than the one where you now live or if you worked in multiple states, the state unemployment insurance agency where you now live can provide information about how to file your claim with other states.
• When you file a claim, you will be asked for certain information, such as addresses and dates of your former employment. To make sure your claim is not delayed, be sure to give complete and correct information.
• It generally takes two to three weeks after you file your claim to receive your first benefit check.

STATE UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE OFFICES

State	Agency	Phone Number(s)	Website
Alabama	Alabama Department of Labor	866-234-5382	https://labor.alabama.gov/uc/ICCS/
Alaska	Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development	907-269-4700	https://my.alaska.gov/
Arizona	Arizona Department of Economic Security	1-877-600-2722	https://des.az.gov/services/employment/unemployment-individual/apply-ui-benefits
Arkansas	Arkansas Department of Workforce Services	501-682-2121	https://www.ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov/
California	California Employment Development Department	1-800-300-5616	https://edd.ca.gov/Unemployment/Filing_a_Claim.htm
Colorado	Colorado Department of Labor and Employment	303-318-9000	https://www.colorado.gov/cdle/unemployment
Connecticut	Connecticut Department of Labor	1-800-956-3294	http://www.ctdol.state.ct.us/UI-OnLine/
Delaware	Delaware Department of Labor	New Castle County: 302-761-6576 Other Areas: 1-800-794-3032	https://uics.delawareworks.com/Forms/Form_WL1
District of Columbia	District of Columbia Department of Employment Services	202-724-7000	https://does.dcnetworks.org/InitialClaims/
Florida	Florida Department of Economic Opportunity	1-800-204-2418	http://www.floridajobs.org/Reemployment-Assistance-Service-Center/reemployment-assistance/claimants/apply-for-benefits
Georgia	Georgia Department of Labor	1-877-709-8185	https://dol.georgia.gov/
Hawaii	Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations	Oahu: 808-586-8970 Hilo: 808-974-4086 Kona: 808-322-4822 Maui: 808-984-8400 Kauai: 808-274-3043	https://huiclaims.hawaii.gov/
Idaho	Idaho Department of Labor	208-332-8942	https://www2.labor.idaho.gov/ClaimantPortal/Login
Illinois	Illinois Department of Employment Security	1-800-244-5631	https://www2.illinois.gov/ides/individuals/UnemploymentInsurance/
Indiana	Indiana Department of Workforce Development	1-800-891-6499	https://www.in.gov/dwd/2362.htm
Iowa	Iowa Workforce Development	1-866-239-0843	https://uiclaims.iwd.iowa.gov/UIInitialClaim/
Kansas	Kansas Department of Labor	1-800-292-6333	https://www.getkansasbenefits.gov/
Kentucky	Kentucky Career Center Office of Unemployment Insurance	502-564-2900	https://kcc.ky.gov
Louisiana	Louisiana Workforce Commission	1-866-783-5567	https://www.louisianaworks.net/hire/vosnet/
Maine	Maine Department of Labor	1-800-593-7660	https://reemployme.maine.gov/accessme/faces/login/login.xhtml
Maryland	Maryland Department of Labor	410-949-0022	http://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/unemployment.shtml
Massachusetts	Massachusetts Department of Unemployment Assistance	617-626-6338	https://www.mass.gov/unemployment-insurance-ui-online
Michigan	Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity	1-866-500-0017	https://www.michigan.gov/leo/0,5863,7-336-78421_97241—,00.html
Minnesota	Minnesota Department of Employment and Economic Development	Twin Cities Area: 651-296-3644 Greater Minnesota: 1-877-898-9090	https://uimn.org/applicants/
Mississippi	Mississippi Department of Employment Security	601-493-9427	https://www.mdes.ms.gov/unemployment-claims/claims-information/
Missouri	Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations	1-800-320-2519	https://uinteract.labor.mo.gov/benefits/home.do
Montana	Montana Department of Labor and Industry	406-444-2545	https://montanaworks.gov/Job-Seeker-UI-Claimant
Nebraska	Nebraska Department of Labor	1-855-995-8863	https://neworks.nebraska.gov/vosnet/
Nevada	Nevada Department of Employment Training and Rehabilitation	Northern Nevada: 775-684-0350 Southern Nevada: 702-486-0350 Rural Areas and Out of State Callers: 1-888-890-8211	http://ui.nv.gov/css.html
New Hampshire	New Hampshire Department of Employment Security	1-800-852-3400	https://nhuis.nh.gov/claimant/
New Jersey	New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development	North New Jersey: 201-601-4100 Central New Jersey: 732-761-2020 South New Jersey: 856-507-2340 Out-of-state claims: 1-888-795-6672	https://myunemployment.nj.gov/labor/myunemployment/before/about/howtoapply/
New Mexico	New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions	1-877-664-6984	https://www.jobs.state.nm.us/vosnet/Default.aspx
New York	New York Department of Labor	1-888-209-8124	https://applications.labor.ny.gov/IndividualReg/
North Carolina	North Carolina Department of Commerce	1-888-737-0259	https://des.nc.gov/
North Dakota	North Dakota Job Service	701-328-4995	https://www.jobsnd.com/unemployment-individuals/resources-unemployment-individuals
Ohio	Ohio Department of Job and Family Services	1-877-644-6562	http://jfs.ohio.gov/ouio/index.stm
Oklahoma	Oklahoma Employment Security Commission	405-525-1500	https://oklahoma.gov/oesc
Oregon	Oregon Employment Department	1-877-345-3484	https://secure.emp.state.or.us/ocs4/
Pennsylvania	Pennsylvania Department of Labor and Industry	1-888-313-7284	https://www.uc.pa.gov/unemployment-benefits/file/Pages/File%20an%20Initial%20Claim.aspx
Puerto Rico	Puerto Rico Department of Labor and Human Resources	787-625-7900	https://www.trabajo.pr.gov/desempleo_en_linea.asp
Rhode Island	Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training	401-243-9100	http://www.dlt.ri.gov/ui/
South Carolina	South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce	1-866-831-1724	https://dew.sc.gov/individuals/apply-for-benefits/claims-process
South Dakota	South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation	605-626-3179	https://dlr.sd.gov/ra/individuals/file_claim.aspx
Tennessee	Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development	1-877-813-0950	https://www.tn.gov/workforce/unemployment.html
Texas	Texas Workforce Commission	1-800-939-6631	https://www.twc.texas.gov/jobseekers/unemployment-benefits-services
U.S. Virgin Islands	U.S. Virgin Islands Department of Labor	340-773-1994	https://www.vidol.gov/how-and-where-to-apply/
Utah	Utah Department of Workforce Services	Salt Lake and South Davis Counties: 801-526-4400 Weber and North Davis Counties: 801-612-0877 Utah County: 801-375-4067 Other Counties and Out of State: 1-888-848-0688	https://jobs.utah.gov/ui/home/initialclaims
Vermont	Vermont Department of Labor	1-888-807-7072	https://labor.vermont.gov/unemployment-insurance/ui-claimants/establishing-unemployment-claim
Virginia	Virginia Employment Commission	1-866-832-2363	http://www.vec.virginia.gov/unemployed/online-services/apply-for-unemployment-benefits
Washington	Washington Employment Security Department	1-800-318-6022	https://secure.esd.wa.gov/home/
Wisconsin	Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development	1-844-910-3661	https://dwd.wisconsin.gov/uiben/
West Virginia	Workforce West Virginia	1-800-379-1032	https://uc.workforcewv.org/consumer/
Wyoming	Wyoming Department of Workforce Services	307-473-3789	https://wyui.wyo.gov/benefits/home.do

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WHAT IF I AM DENIED UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS?

Each state UI Program makes its own decisions about workers’ eligibility for benefits.

There are many reasons for denying benefit payments; some of the most common are:  

• Voluntarily leaving work without good cause. Benefit payments can be paid if you quit under certain} circumstances depending on your state’s laws.
• Being discharged for misconduct connected with work. Misconduct is an intentional or controllable act} or failure to take action, which shows a deliberate disregard of the employer’s interests.
• Not being able or available for work. You must be able, ready and willing to accept a suitable job.}  
• Not actively seeking work.
• Refusing an offer of suitable work.
• Knowingly making false statements to obtain benefit payments.

If you are disqualified or denied benefits, you have the right to file an appeal. Your employer may also appeal a determination if he/she does not agree with the state’s determination regarding your eligibility. You must file your appeal within an established time frame.

HOW LONG DO UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS LAST?

In general, benefits are based on a percentage of an individual’s earnings over a recent 52-week period -up to a State maximum amount.

• Benefits can be paid for a maximum of 26 weeks in most states.
• Additional weeks of benefits called Extended Benefits may be available during times of high unemployment (Some States also provide additional benefits for specific purposes).
• Benefits are subject to Federal income taxes and must be reported on the individual’s Federal income tax return. Or the individual may elect to have the tax withheld by the State Unemployment Insurance agency.