File for Unemployment Benefits

You can file for unemployment in Oklahoma online or over the phone using the state’s Interactive Voice-Response System (IVR). You can file a claim online 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and by phone Monday through Friday.

Unemployment Application and Initial Claim

File Your Unemployment Application and Initial Claim Process

Filing for unemployment in Oklahoma is easiest online. If you don’t have a computer or internet access, you can get free computer and internet access at your local library or Workforce Oklahoma Center.

Follow these steps to successfully file for unemployment online:

• Go to https://unemployment.state.ok.us/
• Click on “Claimant Access”
• Read the Misconduct Warning, and click “Continue”
• Read the Contact Information Agreement and click “I Understand”
• Enter your social security number
• Select a PIN number and three security questions with answers
• Answer all following questions accurately
• Save and print your confirmation page at the end

You can file for unemployment over the phone Monday through Friday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. You should use a landline phone since cell phones and cordless phones may interfere with the touch-tone, automated system. Monday and Tuesday are high-volume call days and your wait time may be longer than usual if you try to file over the phone on those days. People have complained about having problems using the IVR system to complete a claim, so the OESC recommends using their website to file a claim if possible.

Follow these steps to file for unemployment over the phone:

• Call 405-525-1500 in Oklahoma City or 800-555-1554 outside Oklahoma City calling area or 866-284-6695 if you are hearing impaired.
• Press 1 to file a claim
• Use the keypad to enter your social security number
• Press 1
• Enter your birthdate

For the remaining portions of the application, do the following:

• Listen to the prompts closely
• Use the keypad to answer questions - 1 for Yes, 9 for No
• Press 0 to see if a customer service representative can help you finish your application
• Do not hang up until you hear “Goodbye”

Documents and Information Needed During Filing

You’ll need the following documents and information when filing for unemployment insurance benefits:

• Social security number
• Current and prior names used, address, phone number, email address
• Driver’s license or state ID number
• If you are not a U.S. citizen, your alien registration number
• If you served in the military in the last 18 months, your DD Form 214, copy A
• If you worked for the federal government in the past 18 months,  Form SF-50 or Form SF-8
• Employer information for the last 18 months: Employer/company name, address, telephone number, supervisor’s name, and employment start and end dates
• Reason you are separated from employment or had your hours reduced
• Wages information: Hourly rate and start and end dates of employment for each employer  

Claim Weekly Benefits

You must file weekly claims to receive unemployment insurance benefits. The benefit week runs from Sunday at 12:01 a.m. and ends Saturday at midnight. When you file your weekly claims, you will answer questions about your employment status and income for the previous week. Do not file a weekly claim if you have been unable to work the previous week, i.e. if you were ill, injured, hospitalized, or on vacation.

How to Claim Weekly Benefits

Claim your weekly benefits on the Sunday following the end of the claim week. You can file weekly benefits online at https://unemployment.state.ok.us/ or via the Interactive Voice Response system over the phone. If you wait 15 days or longer to file a weekly claim, your request will be considered untimely and rejected for that week.

Claim Denials or Discrepancies

The Oklahoma Employment Security Commission decides whether or not you qualify for unemployment insurance benefits based on the information both you and your employers provide. Your former employers are contacted when you file a claim for unemployment insurance. Every employer is asked to provide wage information for your time of employment. Make sure your information is accurate to avoid having your claim denied.

You might be denied benefits if your information is not verifiable, accurate, or complete. You could also be denied benefits if you don’t meet all of the eligibility criteria outlined by federal and Oklahoma state laws, or if you worked for an employer who was not required to pay unemployment tax. Or if you meet any of the following:  

• Were fired for misconduct or quit without good cause
• Attend school
• Are not able to work, are not authorized to work in the U.S.
• Were self-employed  
• You received severance pay instead of notice

Your benefits could be taken away if you do not meet work search requirements, begin working full-time (32 hours or more), or if you earn as much income as your benefits pay in a week.

Appeals Process for Denied Claims

You have ten days from the date your claim was denied to file an appeal with the Appeals Tribunal. If the tenth day is a weekend or holiday, the next government work day will count as the tenth day. Continue to file weekly benefit claims while you go through the appeal process.

You can file an appeal for unemployment insurance benefits in person, by telephone, fax, postal mail, or email. The contact information for all methods of appeals is included in your determination letter. In your request, include your full name, social security number, phone number, date of the denial, section of law you are appealing, and the reason you disagree with the decision.

After you file an appeal, you and everyone involved in the dispute will be mailed a packet containing important information about the hearing. You will be mailed a notice with your hearing date and instructions for how to attend the hearing. You must attend your hearing to have the denial overturned.

You are not required to have an attorney, but you have a right to be represented by one if you choose. You may also call witnesses and present documents to the Appeal Tribunal. Witnesses and documents should be directly relevant to your case. You may subpoena witnesses and documents if needed. You must submit a written request that includes the name and address of the witness or person who has the document, the case number, date, and location of the hearing, and exactly what new information the witness or document is expected to provide.

If the Appeals Tribunal also denies your claim, you can file an appeal with the Board of Review within ten days of the mailing date on the Appeals Tribunal determination. In most cases, there will not be a hearing with a second appeal. The Board of Review looks at the information gathered in the previous appeal, including the recorded hearing.

Office of Appeals Contact Information

Appeal Tribunal

P.O. Box 53345

Oklahoma City, OK 73152

Phone: (405) 601-3311

Toll Free: 800-522-8218

TTD/TTY 1-800-722-0353

Fax: (405) 601-3337

Email: appellatedivision@oesc.state.ok.us

Board of Review:

405-522-5363

https://www.ok.gov/oesc_web/Services/Unemployment_Insurance/UI_Appeal.html#Steps_For_Preparing_For_Your_Hearing