Unemployment Insurance (Delaware)

If you lost your job through no fault of your own, you may get temporary weekly payments from the Delaware Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance. File your claim online through the Division's claim system, linked from labor.delaware.gov, which is the fastest way. For help, call the statewide Unemployment Insurance line at 302-761-8446.

Your weekly payment falls within a set range. No one who is eligible gets less than $20 or more than $400 a week. Your exact amount is 1 divided by 46 of your wages in your two highest earning quarters, so a higher past paycheck means a higher weekly check, up to the $400 cap.

You need enough recent work to qualify. You must have been paid at least 36 times your weekly benefit amount by a covered employer during your base period. That base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters, and a separate recent period can be used if you do not qualify on the first one.

The payments do not last forever. Your total benefits equal 50 percent of your base-period wages or 26 times your weekly amount, whichever is less. For many people that works out to a 26-week maximum, so plan your job search from the first week.

Part-time work while you claim is allowed, within limits. You can earn up to 50 percent of your weekly benefit amount with no cut to your check. Earnings above that are subtracted dollar for dollar, and you must report all earnings honestly.

Keep filing and keep looking. You request your payment each week through TeleBenefits or WebBenefits, and you must stay able, available, and actively searching for work. If money is tight between checks, SNAP and Medicaid can steady the household, and 2-1-1 knows which local funds bridge rent.