Filing a Claim
How to start an unemployment claim, what information is required, and why filing speed affects your first payment.
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Unemployment guidance that follows the way people actually search.
Filing, eligibility, weekly certification, and appeals all work differently by state. Pick your state below to get a clear, plain-English walkthrough plus links to your official state agency.
50states covered
800live pages
8UI topics
EN + ESlinked versions
8live topics
800state guides
400English pages
400Spanish pages
Browse Unemployment Insurance Topics
Free guides covering all 50 states — find the step you're stuck on right now.
Eligibility Requirements
The work-history, earnings, and separation-reason tests that decide whether you qualify for benefits.
Weekly Benefit Amount
How past wages set your weekly benefit amount and how long benefits typically last.
Weekly Certification
The certification routine, common question traps, and why missing a week stops payment.
Denied Claims & Appeals
The appeal deadline, hearing process, and how to prepare evidence after a denial.
Work Search Requirements
The weekly work-search activity count, what qualifies, and how it should be documented.
Self-Employed & Gig Workers
Why standard unemployment insurance is wage-based, and what options exist for 1099 and gig workers.
Overpayments & Fraud
Common overpayment causes, repayment and waiver options, and how to dispute a notice that looks wrong.