New Changes to Unemployment Process

Effective July 3, 2022

Beginning July 3, 2022, new changes to the unemployment system will take effect as part of legislation passed by the state legislature.

All new claims filed on or after July 3, 2022 will fall under the new legislative changes. These changes include a reduction in the maximum length of an unemployment claim and new percentage guidelines for weekly wages that are considered suitable for an individual to apply for and accept work in order to remain eligible for Unemployment Insurance.

Those changes are listed below. For any questions, please contact UI Customer Service at 1-866-239-0843 or uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov between 8 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

  • The maximum total amount of benefits payable has changed from 26 weeks to 16 weeks.
  • The maximum total amount of benefits payable on a business closing claim has changed from 39 weeks to 26 weeks. 
  • The wage requirement to determine if work is suitable is calculated using the wages earned in the high quarter of the base period. The high base period quarter is divided by 13 (the number of weeks in a quarter) to calculate the average weekly wage (AWW). Example: An individual’s earnings in the high quarter are $5200. To compute the AWW, divide $5,200 by 13. The AWW is $400 which equals $10 per hour in a 40 hour work week. A job offer may be considered suitable if the offered wages are at or above the following percentages of the AWW:
    • 100 percent if work is offered in the first week of a claim
    • 90 percent if work is offered during the 2nd and 3rd week of a claim
    • 80 percent if worked is offered during the 4th and 5th week of a claim
    • 70 percent if work is offered during the 6th through the 8th week of a claim
    • 60 percent if work is offered after the 8th week of a claim
  • Second-Level Appeal process now includes an option to file your appeal in District Court (there may be a filing fee to file the petition in District Court) in place of the EAB. Please see instruction on how to file a Second-Level Appeal in the Claimant Handbook.