Introduction

Table of Contents

Equal Opportunity is the Law 

It is against the law for this recipient (IWD) of Federal financial assistance to discriminate on the following basis: 

  • Against any individual in the U.S, on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, national origin, age, disability, political affiliation or belief; and 
  • Against any beneficiary of programs financially assisted under Title I of the  Workforce Investment Opportunity Act (WIOA) of July 2015, on the basis of the beneficiary’s citizenship/status as a lawfully admitted immigrant authorized to work in the United States, or his or her participation in any WIOA Title I - financially assisted program or activity. 

If you believe you have been subjected to discrimination, you should contact the Equal Opportunity Officer at: 

Iowa Workforce Development
1000 East Grand Avenue
Des Moines, IA 50319 

Auxiliary aids and services are available upon request to individuals with disabilities. For deaf or hard of hearing, use Relay 711. 

Unemployment Insurance 

Unemployment Insurance is a tax paid entirely by employers who are covered by the Iowa Employment Security Law. You do not pay any part of this cost. 

Unemployment Insurance is not based on need; it provides temporary benefits if you are: 

  • Unemployed or working reduced hours through no fault of your own 
  • Able and available to work 
  • Actively looking for work (unless this is waived) 

You are not automatically qualified for unemployment benefits. We will check if you're eligible based on information from your employer in the last 18 months. You must meet all legal requirements to get benefits.

Social Security Number Use

Your Social Security Number (SSN) is used to: 

  • Verify your identity with the Social Security Administration 
  • Verify your eligibility for unemployment benefits 
  • Report unemployment benefit payments as taxable income to the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) and to the Iowa Department of Revenue 
  • Detect fraud in federal and state programs 
  • Enforce child support orders 

Your unemployment information may be used to check eligibility for other government programs. 

Warning: Only share your Social Security Number (SSN) or personal information if the representative can confirm they are an IWD employee. 

Everyone Owns Integrity

Everyone is responsible for keeping unemployment insurance honest. This includes individuals, employers and IWD staff. Integrity helps us prevent errors, fraud, and abuse by those who do not follow the unemployment insurance rules. 

If you have questions about your responsibilities or think you made a mistake when filing your claim, we can help. Contact us by email at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov or by phone at 866-239-0843, Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Unemployment Insurance Fraud

Fraud is when you intentionally provide false or hidden information to get unemployment benefits. Collecting benefits through fraud is a serious crime and can lead to: 

  • Criminal charges, fines, and jail time 
  • Having to repay the benefits you wrongly collected, plus a 15% penalty and daily interest 
  • Wage garnishments and liens 
  • Losing state and federal tax refunds, which will be used to pay the debt 
  • Losing eligibility for future benefits for up to a year, even after you’ve repaid the overpayment and penalty 
  • No benefits while you still owe fraud-related debt, including penalties, interest, and lien fees.  

Unemployment benefits can’t be used to pay this debt. 

We use tools and audits to find fraud. We check new hire reports to make sure you stop getting benefits if you return to full-time work or report part-time work correctly. We also check if you’ve completed your work searches. 

If you think you made a mistake when reporting information, contact us to fix it before we start an investigation. You can reach us by email at uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov or by phone at 866-239-0843, Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m. 

Quality Control Reviews

Every week, we randomly check some claims to make sure benefits were paid correctly. If you're selected, you must take part to keep your benefits. You will get a letter with the date and time of your phone interview, and a questionnaire to fill out before the interview. You will need to show your job search record for the week being checked, as we will confirm it with your employers. If you don’t cooperate, you will lose your benefits.