Unemployment Insurance (Job Service North Dakota)

If you lost your job through no fault of your own, you may get temporary weekly payments from Job Service North Dakota. The fastest way to file is online through the UI ICE claims system. You can also file and certify by the automated phone system at 701-328-4995 (TTY 800-366-6888). Your claim starts on the Sunday of the week you file, and it cannot be backdated, so file right away.

Your weekly amount comes from your work history. It equals the total of your highest two and one-half quarters of base-period earnings, divided by 65. The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. The most and least you can get are set by law and can change each July.

Benefits last from 12 to 26 weeks. The exact number comes from dividing your total base-period wages by your highest quarter. Your claim is good for a 52-week benefit year. Once you use up your benefits, you must wait until that year ends before filing a new North Dakota claim.

Plan for the waiting week. The first eligible week is an unpaid waiting week. You must still file your weekly certification and meet all the rules for it, but you never get paid for the waiting week.

You can work part-time and still draw. You can earn up to 60 percent of your weekly amount without lowering your payment. Every dollar over 60 percent is taken off dollar-for-dollar. If you earn your full weekly amount or more, you get no payment for that week, so report all earnings honestly.

Keep benefits flowing and stack support. If you are not going back to the employer who laid you off, you must actively look for work and make your assigned job contacts every week you claim, including the waiting week. Watch out for fraud: real Job Service texts and emails only ask you to log in and never include a link. SNAP, Medicaid, and 2-1-1 can help bridge the gap between jobs.