Your career training resource.
Search for Career Training
or call 866-529-1238 for help finding a school
File online
You may file a claim for unemployment benefits in Iowa on the Internet at IowaWorkforce.org.
File by phone:
You may file your initial claim for benefits in Iowa
by calling the Unemployment Insurance Service Center
at (877) 891-5344 or 281-4199 (in the Des Moines calling area).
The Service Center is available to take your call from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday.
Anyone who is no longer working, or is working substantially fewer hours, and has worked and earned wages in work covered by unemployment insurance (this determination is made by Iowa Workforce Development) in the last 15 to 18 months may file an application for unemployment insurance. Regardless of your filing method, the basic eligibility requirements are the same for everyone. To be eligible for unemployment insurance benefit payments you must:
The Unemployment Insurance Services Division of Iowa Workforce Development provides services to businesses, workers and the citizens of Iowa by collecting unemployment insurance taxes, maintaining the Iowa Unemployment Compensation Trust Fund, and making payments to eligible jobless workers. Unemployment insurance replaces part of the income workers lose when they become unemployed through no fault of their own. Unemployment insurance softens the economic impact job losses have on communities by maintaining purchasing power in the area where workers live. Employers pay the money for unemployment benefits. No contributions for unemployment insurance come from employee wages.benefits. You may apply for unemployment insurance benefits (file an initial claim) using one of four methods:
(No matter which method you use to file your initial application, to receive payments after you have filed your initial claim, you must confirm your eligibility every week by calling the Unemployment Insurance Service Center continued claims reporting system.)
No matter what method you choose to file your new, initial claim, you'll need to have the following information handy:
Regardless of your filing method, the effective date of your claim will be the preceding Sunday.
You may file your initial claim for benefits by calling the Unemployment Insurance Service Center (UISC) at (877) 891-5344 (toll-free outside the Des Moines area) or 281-4199 (in the Des Moines calling area). The Service Center is available to take your call to file an initial claim Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Central Standard Time.
Remember, you must use a touch-tone telephone to ensure your calls to the UISC are correctly recorded by the interactive voice response system (IVR).
Most Iowans may receive unemployment insurance benefits for up to 26 weeks, and in some cases 39 weeks. To receive payments after you have filed your initial claim, you must confirm your eligibility every week by calling the UISC continued claims reporting system at (800) 850-5627 (outside the Des Moines area) or 281-6231 (in the Des Moines calling area). It is best to place your continued claims call during the weekend, between the hours of 10 a.m. Saturday through 11:30 p.m. Sunday, but the continued claims reporting system is also available Monday through Friday, 7:30 a.m. to 4:59 p.m. To continue receiving your benefits payments you must provide updated information weekly through the continued claims reporting system.
When you make your continued claims call, a prerecorded message will ask you to certify that you:
To reactivate (reopen) an existing claim, you need to call the UISC at (877) 891-5344 (toll-free outside the Des Moines area) or 281-4199 (within the Des Moines calling area) between the hours of 8 a.m. and 4 p.m., Monday through Friday (except state holidays).
To check on the status of your claim or for questions about your benefit amount, call the UISC at (800) 850-5627 (toll-free outside the Des Moines area) or 281-6231 (within the Des Moines calling area) between the hours of 7:30 a.m. to 4:59 p.m., Tuesday through Friday.
Note: If Monday is a holiday, information is not available until Wednesday of that week.
10 Hottest Careers — What industries are expected to have the fastest growing employment?
Tips for applying — There are a few universal things that you can do to make the process go smoothly.
National outlook — Learn what employment experts predict the job outlook to be between 2002 and 2012.
Alabama Unemployment Benefits Alaska Unemployment Benefits Arizona Unemployment Benefits Arkansas Unemployment Benefits California Unemployment Benefits Colorado Unemployment Benefits Connecticut Unemployment Benefits Delaware Unemployment Benefits District of Columbia Unemployment Florida Unemployment Benefits Georgia Unemployment Benefits Hawaii Unemployment Benefits Idaho Unemployment Benefits Illinios Unemployment Benefits Indiana Unemployment Benefits Iowa Unemployment Benefits Kansas Unemployment Benefits Kentucky Unemployment Benefits Louisiana Unemployment Benefits Maine Unemployment Benefits Maryland Unemployment Benefits Massachusetts Unemployment Benefits Michigan Unemployment Benefits Minnesota Unemployment Benefits Mississippi Unemployment Benefits Missouri Unemployment Benefits Montana Unemployment Benefits Nebraska Unemployment Benefits Nevada Unemployment Benefits New Hampshire Unemployment Benefits New Jersey Unemployment Benefits New Mexico Unemployment Benefits New York Unemployment Benefits North Carolina Unemployment Benefits North Dakota Unemployment Benefits Ohio Unemployment Benefits Oklahoma Unemployment Benefits Oregon Unemployment Benefits Pennsylvania Unemployment Benefits Rhode Island Unemployment Benefits South Carolina Unemployment Benefits South Dakota Unemployment Benefits Tennessee Unemployment Benefits Texas Unemployment Benefits Utah Unemployment Benefits Vermont Unemployment Benefits Virginia Unemployment Benefits Washington Unemployment Benefits West Virginia Unemployment Benefits Wisconsin Unemployment Benefits Wyoming Unemployment Benefits
Free Money to Pay for College
The Workforce Investment Act is a government-funded program with the goal of providing adults with the education, skills and training they need to get and retain jobs. The U.S. Department of Labor works with states to provide money for workers, so they can afford career training for jobs that are in demand in local markets.
Learn more about the benefits of the Workforce Invesment Act.
