Unemployment Resource
Phone: (888) 848-0688
File a claim
Unemployment insurance pays a weekly benefit to eligible unemployed workers. Benefits are funded by quarterly contributions paid by employers. Utah's Unemployment Insurance Services are administered by the Department of Workforce Services.
The Utah unemployment insurance program is a federal/state partnership established over 60 years ago to provide temporary financial assistance to eligible unemployed workers. This program provides economic stability to workers, families, communities and the Utah economy as a whole.
Eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits is based on the wages you have earned, not on your individual or family financial resources. Additionally, you must be able and available to accept full-time work to qualify for unemployment insurance benefits. As such, unemployment insurance is not welfare, Social Security, workers compensation or disability assistance.
Benefits paid through the Utah unemployment insurance program are funded entirely through a dedicated tax paid by employers, meaning that you as a worker do not pay any portion of benefit costs or unemployment insurance taxes.
For each determination made regarding your eligibility for UI benefits, you will be mailed a notice of the decision. If you believe the decision made by the department is incorrect, you have the right to file an appeal.
Your written appeal must be mailed, faxed, or submitted electronically to the department within 15 calendar days of the date the decision was mailed to you.
Important: If you have been denied benefits and are filing an appeal, you must continue to file a weekly claim for benefits using either the on-line or Teleclaim system for each week that you are unemployed and awaiting an appeal decision. Failure to do so may result in you not receiving benefits for those weeks, should the benefit denial be reversed on appeal.
There is no specific appeal form, but your written appeal must contain the following information:
- Your name
- Your social security number
- The date the appeal was mailed or faxed
- Statement regarding the basis for your appeal
- The relief you are requesting
- Your signature
- Or you can submit your appeal electronically by using our online Appeals Forms
Your appeal may be either mailed or faxed. Please send appeals to:
Appeals Section
P.O. Box 45244
Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0244
Fax: (801) 526-9242
In general, unemployment insurance benefits are paid to eligible workers who:
- have earned qualifying wages,
- are unemployed through no fault of their own,
- are able and available to work full-time and
- are actively seeking full-time work.
- What Earnings Do I Need to Qualify?
To qualify for benefits, you must have earned at least $2,400 during your base period. Additionally, your total base period earnings must be at least 1 ½ times the highest quarter of wages during your base period.
If you do not have 1 ½ times your high quarter wages in your base period, you may qualify by documenting 20 weeks of employment during the base period with earnings of at least $120 in each week.
In addition to having sufficient earnings, you must meet additional eligibility requirements to be eligible for UI benefits. Some examples of issues that may affect eligibility for UI benefits include:
- Reason for job separation
- Ability and availability to work full-time
- Actively seeking full-time work
- Proper weekly claim filing
- School attendance
- Strike or labor disputes
- Self employment or corporate officers
- Alien status
- Refusal of a job offer
- Illness or injury
- School employee
- Professional athlete
- More detail on UI eligibility requirements can be found in the Claimant Guide.
New claims for unemployment insurance benefits in Utah can be filed either online or by telephone. To contact the Utah Unemployment Insurance Claims Center, go online or call:
Salt Lake and South Davis counties: 526-4400
Weber and North Davis counties: 612-0877
Utah County: 375-4067
All others, including out-of-state claims: (888) 848-0688
The claims centers are open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday. We are closed on all state holidays. Our highest call volume is generally on Mondays. Your wait time may be shortest by calling between Tuesday and Friday.
When calling to file a new claim, please have the following information available:
- Social security number
- Alien Registration Number (for non-U.S. citizens)
- Utah Driver's License Number or Utah ID Number (if you have one)
- Names and addresses of all employers that you worked for in the last 18 months
- Personal Identification Number (PIN), which you select
- Mother's maiden name or another code word
- Pencil and paper for note-taking
When you call the Claims Center to file a claim, our automated phone system will ask you to:
- enter your Social Security Number
- select a Personal Identification Number and
- answer a few questions
After this information has been entered into the system, your call will be forwarded to a Department representative, who will complete your claim for benefits.
To receive weekly benefits, you must file a claim for each week that you are unemployed, including the waiting week. To file a weekly claim you will need your Personal Identification Number (PIN) and social security number. You can file a weekly claim using the internet or telephone.
If you are currently receiving TRA or extended benefits, you cannot file your weekly claim on the Internet. These claims must be filed by mail.
To file a weekly claim using the telephone, please call:
Salt Lake and South Davis counties: 526-4400
Weber and North Davis counties: 612-0877
Utah County: 375-406
All others, including out-of-state claims: (888) 848-0688
For each week that you file, you will be asked some or all of the following questions:
- During the week, did you work?
- If yes, how much money did you earn before deductions?
- Did you quit a job or were you fired from a job?
- Did you attend school or training?
- Were you physically able and available for full-time work?
- Did you contact employers for work as instructed?
- Have you received your claimant guide?
Source: Utah Department of Workforce Services
