Content Information
REQUIRED INFORMATION
Before beginning the application process, you need to have the following information available:
- Social Security Number
- Full legal name(s), SSN, dates of birth and relationship of any dependents, up to a maximum of four
- Complete mailing address, including apartment/lot number and zip code
- Telephone number
- Bank account and routing number (if you wish to have your benefits deposited directly in your account)
- Most recent employer as it appears on your pay stubs or W-2 forms.
- If you have worked for a temporary/staffing agency, you should list the name of the agency and not the name of the client you were assigned to work at
- Your start and end dates with your most recent employer
- Your reason for leaving your most recent employer
- For purposes of unemployment; a lack of work is not considered a discharge
- If you are not a United States citizen, your employment authorization number and expiration date
- If you served in the military during the past 18 months, DD 214 Member #4 Form.
- If you worked for the federal government as a civilian employee in the last 18 months, Standard Form 8 or Standard Form 50
FILING FOR UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE IS A TWO-STEP PROCESS
STEP ONE: FILE YOUR INITIAL CLAIM APPLICATION
You must file an initial claim application online or at your local IowaWORKS Center during the first week you wish to be paid; you will not receive payments for any weeks prior to the effective date of your claim. No exceptions. The unemployment week is Sunday through Saturday. All claims are assigned a Sunday effective date for the week the claim is filed. If your claim is successfully submitted, a confirmation page will show with your confirmation number. Save this confirmation number for your records. You may file your initial claim:
- Saturday or Sunday from 6:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.
- Monday through Friday from 6:00 a.m. to 6:30 p.m.
After you successfully submit the application, you will see a confirmation page that includes:
- A printable copy of your confirmation number
- Instructions on when to begin filing your weekly claim
IDENTITY VERIFICATION
During the initial application process you will be asked to verify and authenticate your identity. You will be asked a few questions that only you know the answers to. If you answer the questions correctly, our system will instantly verify your identity. If you do not answer the questions correctly or if you decline verification consent, we will require that you provide us with documents that can confirm your identity. You will be required to complete the verification process every 366 days.
Your claim will not become valid until your identity has been verified by IWD. Instant ID Verification can only be done when you file your application online. If you have not provided the documents to verify your identity within seven calendar days of filing your claim, your claim will be locked and possibly voided. If your claim is voided, you must submit another claim for benefits. The effective date of the claim filed after your claim has been voided would be the Sunday of the week in which you file the second claim.
A state issued "Real ID" can be used to verify your identity in lieu of other documents. The Real ID is issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Please refer to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s website for more information about this new ID and how to obtain one. https://iowadot.gov/mvd/realid/
STEP TWO: FILE YOUR WEEKLY CLAIM
Filing a weekly claim online is a requirement of continued eligibility for unemployment insurance. If you do not file your weekly claim, you will not receive payment for that week. No exceptions. You may file your weekly claim on Sunday from 8:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. or Monday to Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. There is no weekly reporting available on Saturday.
PREPARING TO FILE THE WEEKLY CLAIM
You should have the following information available when filing your weekly claim:
- Username and Password
- SSN
- Total amount of gross wages (before deductions) earned during the week
- Total amount of gross holiday, vacation and severance pay, if applicable
-
Entered and certified your reemployment activities in IowaWORKS (if you are required to conduct reemployment activities)
WHEN TO FILE WEEKLY CLAIM
Start filing your weekly claim the first Sunday after filing your initial claim.
Example: Your initial claim was filed on Wednesday. You would need to do your first weekly filing on Sunday.
|
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Start of UI claim week 1 Apply for unemployment the first week for which you wish to be paid |
||||||
|
First day to file your weekly claim for week 1 8:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 1 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 1 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 1 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 1 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 1 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
No weekly claim filing available |
|
First day to file your weekly claim for week 2 8:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 2 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 2 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 2 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 2 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 2 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
No weekly claim filing available |
|
First day to file your weekly claim for week 3 8:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 3 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 3 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 3 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 3 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
File weekly claim for week 3 8:00 a.m.-5:30 p.m. |
No weekly claim filing available |
CONFIRMATION OF WEEKLY CLAIM SUBMITTED
You will receive a confirmation page (example shown below) informing you that your weekly claim has been successfully submitted.
(EXAMPLE) WEEKLY CLAIM SUCCESSFULLY FILED
Your claim for the week ending Saturday, December 28, 2019 has been filed. Your confirmation number is 132163668. Your confirmation number is proof that you have filed your weekly claim. You should keep a record of your confirmation number.
Please remember you must file each week. Failure to file for a week can result in a delay in benefit payments.
As a claimant, you are responsible for updating any changes in your address or telephone number with Iowa Workforce Development. To update your telephone number you may use the "Update Telephone Number" option in the menu on the left side of this page. To update your address, please contact Customer Service at 1-866-239-0843 or email uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov.
You will be provided a confirmation number after you have submitted your weekly claim. You must keep this number for your records. If you have an issue with a weekly claim filing, you will be required to provide this number to IWD.
You should check to make sure your weekly claim was successfully filed, how much you will receive, and when you will receive your payment by using the Benefit Inquiry tool. This is available Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. If you miss a weekly claim filing, you will be required to reactivate your claim. You will not be paid for any weeks you did not file timely.
(end of example)
WHAT TO REPORT ON THE WEEKLY CLAIM
You must report all gross earnings and gross wages on the weekly claim. Wages are reportable when earned, not when paid. Gross earnings or gross wages are your earnings before taxes or other payroll deductions are made. For additional information, please refer to the page on reportable income.
CLAIM EFFECTIVE DATE
The benefit week runs from Sunday to Saturday. The effective date of all unemployment insurance claims is the Sunday of the week in which the application was filed. The effective date of a claim will not be changed for applications that were not filed in a timely manner.
ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS
To meet the preliminary eligibility requirements, you must:
- Be totally or partially unemployed through no fault of your own
- Been paid wages by covered employers in at least two quarters of the base period
- Total base period wages of at least 1.25 times the wages earned in the highest base period quarter
- Wages of at least $2,000 in one quarter and at least $1,000 in a different quarter
- Be able and available for work
To remain eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, you must:
- Be actively seeking work (work search may be waived if certain criteria are met)
- Be registered for work online with IowaWORKS.gov or at your nearest IowaWORKS center
- Enter and certify your weekly reemployment activities in IowaWORKS
- Notify us on the weekly claim of any job offers you refused
- Notify us if you have quit or are discharged from any job while claiming UI benefits
- Notify us if you move or leave the area for more than three working days
- Report all wages when they are earned, not when payment is received
- Notify us if you receive workers’ compensation or a private pension
- Notify us if you enroll in or start school
REACTIVATING A CLAIM
You can start and stop claiming unemployment insurance benefits as many times as necessary during the benefit year. This is called a break in reporting status. Any break in reporting requires you to refile your claim application online during the week you want to start collecting benefits again. Any employment during the break must be reported.
Don’t forget to file your weekly claim every week. If you fail to file timely each week, you will not be eligible for payment until you reactivate your claim again.