File for Unemployment Benefits

To file for Idaho Unemployment Insurance, you will utilize the Claimant Portal online. This website is self-service and allows you to apply for your initial unemployment insurance benefits application.

You will register for an account on the portal by providing an email address that will need to be verified andsetting up a password that will be used to access your account. Before you begin the application process, it is recommended that you update your profile with your personal and demographic information.

Unemployment Application and Initial Claim

File Your Unemployment Application and Initial Claim Process

Need to file for unemployment in Idaho? Make sure you follow these steps in order:

• The first step in the application process will be to provide your work history and confirm the wages that have been paid to you over the past two years. This information will determine your Maximum Benefit Amount and Weekly Benefit Amount, so you want to ensure that it is accurate.
• Once your work history has been confirmed, you can officially begin filing an unemployment claim application. On the first page, you will be informed of the consequences of fraudulent unemployment insurance claims. You will verify that you understand the consequences and then the application process will begin by asking you to provide citizenship information.
• The next question will ask you if you have collected any benefits from another state besides Idaho in the past twelve months. If you have, then you will need to receive approval from that state to continue to receive benefits.
• The third section will ask that you provide information on any active duty military services or railroad employment in the past two years. If you have previous military experience, then military wages received during that period can be included in calculating your benefit total.
• You may then begin the eligibility screen, which ultimately will determine if you qualify for benefits. A series of questions will be asked about your current scenario. You will need to answer as truthfully as possible.
• You will then will be asked to verify your work history that was set up in the Claimant Portal. You may make any changes, removals, or adjustments about your employment history. Finally, you will be provided your preliminary work search status that you will be assigned once your application is officially submitted. From here, you will file your claim.

Documents and Information Needed During Filing

You will need specific materials and information available to complete your application, including the following:

• Social security number or alien registration number (if not a US citizen)
• Driver’s License or State Identification number
• Two years of work history details, including business name, address, phone number, start and end dates, earnings, reason for separation, pension details, and any union membership information for each previous employer.

Claim Weekly Benefits

Every week, you will be expected to file for eligibility to collect benefits with the Idaho Department of Labor. This process will confirm that you are still unemployed under the same circumstances as when you applied and that you are completing the necessary job search requests.

How to Claim Weekly Benefits

To claim weekly benefits, you will use the same Claimant Portal that was used when you first applied. When you log into the portal, you will be requested to update your account information with information like tax withholding status, mailing address, and payment method.

Then, you will need to complete the weekly certification application beginning with questions on work availability. The certification process requires you to confirm that you are able and available to work. The second step will request that you provide information about any income that was earned during the benefit week. Income includes any monies for vacation, holidays or severance packages.

Finally, if your work search status assigned to you is work seeking, then you are required to report contacts that verify that you have completed your work search requirement.More details will be provided on this information in subsequent sections. From here, your weekly benefit claim can be submitted and will be processed within 24 hours.

Claim weeks run Sunday through Saturday. File first thing on Sunday each week to receive unemployment checks as early as Tuesday or Wednesday.

Claim Denials or Discrepancies

If there was an issue flagged on your claim or certification that indicates that you may not be able to qualify for benefits, a Claim Specialist with the Idaho Department of Labor will review it and make a determination.

You can see if there are issues that may be causing your benefits payments to be prevented from within the Claimant Portal. There are three main issues statuses, including:

• Pending: An issue has been identified, but someone still needs to review the problem. Often, payments will not process while in this status.
• Approved: Benefits will be issued for payment, assuming that there are no other problems identified.
• Denied: You are not eligible and a benefit payment will not be issued during the particular period.

If there is any false or misleading information provided in your application, you could lose your unemployment benefits, face potential imprisonment, or fines, or all three. Make sure you provide accurate information when filing each weekly claim to increase the chances of being approved for benefits.

Appeals Process for Denied Claims

Whether you are the claimant or the employer, you may appeal a determination of benefits that has been issued by the Idaho Department of Labor. You can do this by submitting the appeal in writing, which should include a request for a hearing and provide specifics on the determination that is being appealed.

While there is a form that is available online, as long as your claim includes the requirements listed above, a particular form does not have to be used.

The appeal can be filed through the following methods and must be received within 14 days after the determination was completed.

• Fax to Appeals Bureau: 208-334-6440
• Mail or Hand Delivered: 317 W. Main St., Boise, ID 83735.

Once the appeal has been received and processed, the Appeals Bureau will schedule a hearing to review individual circumstances that may alter the original determination. A Notice of Telephone Hearing will be mailed to the interested parties with the date and time of the hearing. It is recommended that you review the documents in the packet beforehand so that if any evidence is not included, you may submit it to be entered into the record.

During the hearing, the judge will request that each party testify. You will have the opportunity to respond to the opposing party and include witnesses, if necessary. After the hearing, a written decision will be mailed to the interested parties.

If no decision is made or the appeal is denied, another written appeal can be filed with the Idaho Industrial Commission through the following methods:

• Mailing Address:

  Idaho Industrial Commission Judicial Division, IDOL Appeals

  P.O. Box 83720

  Boise, Idaho 83720-0041

• Physical Address:

  Idaho Industrial Commission

  700 S. Clearwater Lane

  Boise, Idaho 83712

• Fax: 208-332-7588

Office of Appeals Contact Information

The Idaho Office of Appeals can be contacted through the following methods:

Phone: 208-332-3572

Toll-Free: 800-621-4938

Fax: 208-334-6440