How To Apply For Benefits

How do I file a claim?

You may apply at labor.idaho.gov/claimantportal. We do not accept claims over the telephone. If you do not have Internet access or need help filing online, you may file at 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/claimantportal.

Where is the nearest local office?

Click here for a list of the Idaho Department of Labor locations in Idaho.

What information do I need to have with me when I apply?

  • Social Security number
  • Driver's license
  • If you are not a citizen of the United States, your Alien Registration number and card
  • Business names, complete addresses including zip codes and phone numbers of all employers for whom you worked during the past 2 years
  • Dates your work started and ended for those employers
  • Total gross earnings from those employers
  • 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
  • County of residence if you live outside the state of Idaho

What must I do to be eligible for 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 U.S.
  • Be available for full-time work.
  • Be able to perform full-time work.
  • Be willing to actively seek full-time work.
  • 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 period,
    • AND have been paid at least $1,872 in wages in one of those quarters,
    • AND the total wages paid in your base period must equal one and a quarter times your highest quarter wages.

When should I apply for benefits/file a claim?

Apply for benefits at labor.idaho.gov/claimantportal during the week you are seeking payment, when your hours have been reduced or you are no longer employed. Do NOT wait until the week is over. For example, if you typically work 40 hours Monday through Friday and you find out that you are only going to be scheduled to work 15 hours, apply for benefits during the work week. We recommend applying before Friday at 5 p.m. so that we are available to assist you if you have difficulty with the online application. If you apply before Saturday at midnight (when the week ends), you can file your weekly certification on Sunday. If you do not apply during that week, that week will not count as your waiting week or a payable week.

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 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.

Read more about a waiting week here.

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.

What if I am continuing to be paid by my separating employer in compliance with WARN requirements?

Claimants are not required to report WARN Act payments on their weekly certification.

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 and file at labor.idaho.gov/claimantportal.

If you are filing a claim against Idaho from another state and have any questions about your claim, please call (208) 3­32-8942.

Can I file a claim against another state?

Yes, if you reside in Idaho now but all of your wages during the base period were earned in one other state, you may file an interstate claim. The District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands are considered "states" for unemployment insurance claims filing purposes.

If you have earned wages in Idaho and at least one other state 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 claim. Canada does not participate in the combined-wage agreement.

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 us so we can provide information on transferring your claim.

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