Reemployment Assistance (South Dakota Unemployment)

Reemployment Assistance is South Dakota's unemployment program. It gives temporary weekly payments if you lost your job through no fault of your own. It is run by the Department of Labor and Regulation. File your claim online at sd.gov/rabenefits, which is the fastest way. You can also call the Reemployment Assistance line at 605-626-2452 for help.

The weekly payment has a set range. Effective July 5, 2026, weekly benefit amounts run between $28 and $575 a week. Your own amount is 1/26th of the wages paid in the highest quarter of your base period, up to the state maximum.

You need enough recent work to qualify. Your wages in the highest quarter of your base period must be at least $728. You must also have lost the job through no fault of your own, and you must be able to work and available for work.

Benefits do not last forever. The most you can be paid in a benefit year is one-third of your total base period wages, but no more than 26 times your weekly amount. That works out to about 26 weeks at most.

The weekly routine keeps your payments coming. You must file a weekly claim and keep looking for work. You must do at least two work search activities each week you request benefits. Keep a record of each one in case it is checked.

Because the benefit is temporary, line up other help too. SNAP can cover food, South Dakota Medicaid can keep your family insured, and 2-1-1 can point you to local rent funds between jobs. You send in your claim, and the program decides if you qualify.