Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Before you apply for unemployment insurance benefits
Applying for benefits, eligibility requirements and more . . .
Once you have applied for benefits
Remaining eligible, Tel-A-Claim, payment information and more . . .
The Appeals process
What to do if you have been denied benefits or disagree with a decision
Overpayments and Fraud
What to do if you have an overpayment, fraud information
Before you apply for unemployment insurance benefits
Applying for benefits, eligibility requirements and more . . .
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How do I file a claim?
If you are unemployed and wish to file a claim you may:
- Access the Internet at: labor.idaho.gov/iw
- Report to your nearest local Idaho Department of Labor office. (Click here for a list of the Idaho Department of Labor locations in Idaho.)
- Call your nearest local Idaho Department of Labor office.
If you are filing a claim against Idaho, but live in another state, you may also file your claim online at labor.idaho.gov/iw or by calling (208) 332-3574.
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Where is the nearest Local Office?
Click here for a list of the Idaho Department of Labor locations in Idaho.
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What are the hours and availability of services?
Local Offices
8:00 AM to 5:00 PM
Monday through Friday except holidays
Tel-A-Claim
24 hours per day, 7 days a week
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What must I do to be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits?
- You must be totally or partially unemployed through no fault of your own.
- Be a US citizen or legally authorized to work in the US.
- Establish monetary entitlement to benefits by having sufficient earnings in the base period: You must have worked and been paid wages for employment in at least two of the quarters in your base period1; ANDYou must have been paid at least $1,690 in wages in one of those quarters; ANDThe total wages paid you in your base period must equal one and a quarter times your highest quarter wages.
- You must be available for full-time work.
- You must be able to perform full-time work.
- You must be willing to actively seek full-time work.
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When should I apply for benefits/file a claim?
File your claim during your first week of total or partial unemployment—to delay may cost you benefits.
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What if I am not working, but being paid severance pay?
If you are receiving pay for a specific period of time and being paid on your regularly scheduled pay periods, you must divide your severance pay by the number of weeks covered and report that amount each week you certify.
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What if I am not working, but continuing to be paid by my separating employer in compliance with WARN requirements?
You are not eligible to receive unemployment insurance during the 60-day period you are being paid. If payment continues past the 60 days, you would remain ineligible until wage payments stop and you reach the actual date of termnation.
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What information do I need to have with me when I file?
- Your Social Security number.
- Driver's License
- If you are not a citizen of the United States, your Alien Registration number and card.
- The business names, complete addresses including zip codes, and phone numbers of all employers for whom you worked during the last 2 years.
- The dates your work started and ended for those employers.
- Your total gross earnings from those employers.
- The reason you are no longer working for those employers.
- DD Form 214, Member 4, Certificate of Release or Discharge from Active Duty, if you were a member of the Military Service in the past 2 years.
- Your county of residence if you live outside the state of Idaho.
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How is my weekly benefit amount determined?
The amount you receive for unemployment is based up your past earnings. We use the wages you earned in a period of time that we call your base period1. We use the highest quarterly amount from your base period and divide that amount by 26 to determine the maximum amount you may receive per week on unemployment. For example, if your highest base period quarter was $2600, we would divide that number by 26 and you would be eligible for a maximum of $100 per week.
The current range for unemployment weekly benefits runs from $65.00 per week minimum to $362.00 per week maximum.
We use the wages reported to us by employers that you have worked for in Idaho. We can use wages from other states, from work done as a federal employee, and if you were active duty in the military (with some restrictions). When you file for benefits, you will receive a form called a Monetary Determination. This form shows your base period, the employers who reported wages to us during the base period, and the amounts they reported. It will also show your weekly benefit amount, and the total amount you may draw during your benefit year.
If you think that any of the information is wrong on your Monetary Determination, you must contact the Department of Labor within 14 days from the mailing date of the Monetary Determination. (Click here for a list of the Idaho Department of Labor locations in Idaho.) You should be prepared to show some kind of proof as to why the amounts shown are wrong, or proof that an employer you worked for does not show up on the Monetary Determination. We will investigate and possibly contact the employers you worked for to try and find out what the correct amounts are. You will receive a Monetary Re-Determination after we complete the investigation.
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How many weeks can I collect unemployment insurance benefits?
The law has a formula for calculating how many weeks of unemployment insurance benefits that you may qualify for on your claim. The number of weeks of full entitlement you can receive will vary between 10 weeks at a minimum and 26 weeks at a maximum. The formula is a ratio of your total base period wages divided by your highest base period quarter.
Basically, the person who earns a consistent wage in each quarter in the base period1 is awarded more weeks of unemployment. A person who has periods in the base period where they did not work as much, or earned much more than the other quarters will have their number of weeks reduced because of the ratio formula. In some instances, a person who earns substantially more in one quarter than in the three remaining quarters may not be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. This situation is referred to as "high quarter."
When you file a claim for unemployment, it is set up for a 52-week period. If you draw a full weekly benefit amount each week, you will run out of money in the number of weeks that you are entitled to. You can work and draw unemployment. (See question Can I work and still collect unemployment insurance benefits?) If you work part-time and are not able to find a full-time job, your unemployment benefits may last the entire 52 weeks. It just depends on what rate you draw those benefits out.
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What is a base period?
The base period is the four quarters of earnings that are used to determine how much unemployment you qualify for.
Idaho Department of Labor uses the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters as your base period.
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What is a benefit year?
The period of 52 consecutive weeks beginning with Sunday of the week in which an individual files a new valid claim for benefits. A subsequent benefit year cannot be established in Idaho until the expiration of the current benefit year.
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Can I use wages I earned in another state, the military or the Federal Government?
Yes. When you file a claim, report all employers you performed work for, including those in any other state, in the last 2 years and employment from military and federal employers. Provide complete addresses and dates of employment.
We will request wage information from another state, the military or federal government and combine those wages with any other wages you have earned during the base period1 in order to calculate your weekly unemployment insurance benefit amount.
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What if I work for a school system?
Employees of educational institutions are not eligible for benefits based on such employment when a claim is filed between academic years or terms and during customary vacation or holiday recesses, if they have reasonable assurance of returning to that type of employment in the period immediately following the vacation period or holiday recess.
If you are a non-professional school district employee and are denied benefits or your benefits are reduced between academic years or terms and later you were not offered an opportunity to perform services for the educational institution, and you continued to certify for benefits, you may be eligible for retroactive payments of benefits. You must make the request for retroactive payment of benefits within 30 days of the start of the academic year or term.
If you have sufficient earnings with employers other than educational institutions, you may be eligible for benefits based on the other employment even while you are between academic years or terms.
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When does my claim begin?
With few exceptions, your claim will start with the Sunday of the week in which you first file your claim.
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What if I worked in Idaho but live in another state?
Persons living in another state who want to claim unemployment insurance benefits against the State of Idaho must meet all the eligibility requirements.
You may file your claim by calling the Idaho Interstate Claims Unit at (208) 332-3574. The hours for the Idaho Interstate Claims Unit are from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Mountain Time Monday through Friday.
If you are filing a claim against Idaho from another state and have any questions about your claim, please call: (208) 332-3574, or write to:
Interstate Claims Unit
205 E. Watertower Lane
Meridian, ID 83642-6282
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Can I file a claim against another state?
Yes, if you reside in Idaho now but all of your wages during the base period1 were earned in one other state, you may file an interstate claim2. The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are considered "states" for UI claims filing purposes.
If you have earned wages in two or more states during the base period, including the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, or the Virgin Islands, you may request the wages be combined by transferring them to the state in which you file your claim. This is called a combined-wage claim3. Canada does not participate in the combined wage agreement.
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What if I am going to move out of Idaho?
If you are looking for work outside of Idaho or planning to move to another state, it is very important to notify the office where you filed your UI claim. They can provide information on transferring your claim.
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Does receiving Social Security affect my benefits?
In Idaho, there is no reduction of your unemployment benefits because you collect Social Security. You must be available for work and looking for work with no restrictions just as all other claimants.
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Does receiving a pension affect my benefits?
If you have actually retired, and are not seeking employment, you are not eligible for unemployment insurance benefits. Also, if you quit your most recent job to retire, you may not be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits until you work again and earn at least 14 times your weekly benefit amount and then become unemployed through no fault of your own.
However, if you are retired and are actively seeking full time work, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits under the same conditions as all other unemployed workers.
Your weekly benefit amount may be reduced, however, if you receive a pension from an employer for whom you worked in the 18 months before you filed your claim and you did not contribute to the pension. The reduction will be the weekly equivalent of your pension. If you made any contribution to the pension, there will be no reduction.
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Not necessarily. Being monetarily eligible means only that you have sufficient qualifying wages to establish a claim. We must also determine if you meet all the personal eligibility requirements5.
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What are some of the reasons I could be denied benefits?
You must meet the conditions set by law to receive unemployment insurance benefits. You cannot receive unemployment benefits if you have less than the required wages to establish a claim. Some of the other circumstances under which your claim for benefits may be denied are explained below. This is only a partial listing.
- Voluntary Quit or Discharge. You will be disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits if:
- You quit a job without good cause connected to your job, or
- You were discharged from a job because of employment related misconduct.
- Job Refusal. You will be disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits if you refuse without good cause to take a job for which you are qualified and which pays the prevailing wage for that kind of work in the locality.
- Strike and Other Industrial Controversy. If you are unemployed because of a strike, lockout or other industrial controversy in which you are participating, your request for unemployment insurance benefits may be denied.
- Ability and Availability. If you are not ready, willing and able to work, are not prepared to take a job immediately, or are not physically or mentally capable of employment, you will not be paid benefits until you are can establish that you are again available for employment and are able to work and are making diligent efforts to find a job.
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What is a waiting week?
Before any benefits can be paid, you must serve a waiting week. To serve the waiting week, you must have filed a claim and be entitled to benefits in all respects. You must also call the Tel-A-Claim system or submit a claim report via the internet to report for your waiting week. You will not be paid benefits for the waiting week. You will only have to serve one waiting week per benefit year.
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Does pregnancy affect my eligibility?
Pregnant claimants are eligible for benefits according to the same rules that apply to all other claimants. If you are ready, willing and able to work, and are actively searching for full time work, your pregnancy has no bearing on your collecting benefits.
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Can I attend school or training and receive UI benefits?
Yes, if your schooling or training does not interfere with your availability for full time work. You may also qualify if your schooling or training is funded by WIA6 or TAA/NAFTA7.
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Can I quit my job and collect unemployment insurance benefits?
The general rule is that a person who voluntarily leaves suitable work without good cause, attributable to the employment, is not eligible for benefits.
For good cause to be attributable to the employment, it must relate to the wages, hours, or working conditions of the job. A change in conditions created by your employer or a breach of your employment agreement which is substantial and adversely affects you may be good cause to quit. Also, if the job itself adversely affects your health or aggravates or worsens a medical condition, it could be good cause to quit. Medical documentation may be required.
Regardless of the cause, in most cases, good cause attributable to the employment may only be found if you took reasonable steps to inform your employer of your dissatisfaction and sought to remedy the problem before you left. If you quit, you must prove that you had good cause for leaving.
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I was just fired. Can I collect unemployment insurance benefits?
If you are fired, you may be disqualified for benefits if the employer can prove you were discharged for work related misconduct. If you are discharged, the employer must prove there was misconduct.
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What does my employer have to do with my unemployment check? I am the one putting in the money, aren't I?
Actually, the money that you collect in unemployment insurance benefits is drawn from taxes contributed solely by employers. In Idaho, employees do not contribute to unemployment taxes.
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Can I work and still collect unemployment insurance benefits?
If you work less than full-time during a calendar week4, you can collect unemployment benefits for that week as long as your gross earnings are not equal to or greater than 1 1/2 times your weekly benefit amount. If you earn less than 1/2 of your weekly benefit amount, there will be no reduction in your unemployment insurance check. If you earn between 1/2 your weekly benefit amount and 1 1/2 times your weekly benefit amount, a dollar for dollar reduction will occur on your unemployment insurance benefit check.
If I am monetarily eligible, (I have the required wages in my base period) will I receive benefits?
Not necessarily. Being monetarily eligible means only that you have sufficient qualifying wages to establish a claim. We must also determine if you meet all the personal eligibility requirements5.
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What are some of the reasons I could be denied benefits?
You must meet the conditions set by law to receive unemployment insurance benefits. You cannot receive unemployment benefits if you have less than the required wages to establish a claim. Some of the other circumstances under which your claim for benefits may be denied are explained below. This is only a partial listing.
- Voluntary Quit or Discharge. You will be disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits if:
- You quit a job without good cause connected to your job, or
- You were discharged from a job because of employment related misconduct.
- Job Refusal. You will be disqualified from receiving unemployment insurance benefits if you refuse without good cause to take a job for which you are qualified and which pays the prevailing wage for that kind of work in the locality.
- Strike and Other Industrial Controversy. If you are unemployed because of a strike, lockout or other industrial controversy in which you are participating, your request for unemployment insurance benefits may be denied.
- Ability and Availability. If you are not ready, willing and able to work, are not prepared to take a job immediately, or are not physically or mentally capable of employment, you will not be paid benefits until you are can establish that you are again available for employment and are able to work and are making diligent efforts to find a job.
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What is a waiting week?
Before any benefits can be paid, you must serve a waiting week. To serve the waiting week, you must have filed a claim and be entitled to benefits in all respects. You must also call the Tel-A-Claim system or submit a claim report via the internet to report for your waiting week. You will not be paid benefits for the waiting week. You will only have to serve one waiting week per benefit year.
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Does pregnancy affect my eligibility?
Pregnant claimants are eligible for benefits according to the same rules that apply to all other claimants. If you are ready, willing and able to work, and are actively searching for full time work, your pregnancy has no bearing on your collecting benefits.
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Can I attend school or training and receive UI benefits?
Yes, if your schooling or training does not interfere with your availability for full time work. You may also qualify if your schooling or training is funded by WIA6 or TAA/NAFTA7.
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Can I quit my job and collect unemployment insurance benefits?
The general rule is that a person who voluntarily leaves suitable work without good cause, attributable to the employment, is not eligible for benefits.
For good cause to be attributable to the employment, it must relate to the wages, hours, or working conditions of the job. A change in conditions created by your employer or a breach of your employment agreement which is substantial and adversely affects you may be good cause to quit. Also, if the job itself adversely affects your health or aggravates or worsens a medical condition, it could be good cause to quit. Medical documentation may be required.
Regardless of the cause, in most cases, good cause attributable to the employment may only be found if you took reasonable steps to inform your employer of your dissatisfaction and sought to remedy the problem before you left. If you quit, you must prove that you had good cause for leaving.
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I was just fired. Can I collect unemployment insurance benefits?
If you are fired, you may be disqualified for benefits if the employer can prove you were discharged for work related misconduct. If you are discharged, the employer must prove there was misconduct.
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What does my employer have to do with my unemployment check? I am the one putting in the money, aren't I?
Actually, the money that you collect in unemployment insurance benefits is drawn from taxes contributed solely by employers. In Idaho, employees do not contribute to unemployment taxes.