How To File For New Jersey Unemployment

This page provides information on how to file for unemployment in New Jersey. If you lost your job or your hours were reduced at no fault of your own, you may qualify to receive unemployment benefits in your state. Review the information below, if you still have questions or issues about these benefits, then we suggest to contact your local New Jersey Unemployment Department for assistance. It is important that you file your new claim right away because New Jersey unemployment insurance are not retroactive.

Applying for New Jersey unemployment benefits

No benefits can be paid to you for any week before you actually file your unemployment claim. You should always file as soon as possible after you become unemployed. You may file a claim or reopen an existing claim online if you meet any of the following requirements:

  • Worked only in New Jersey in the last 18 months
  • Worked in New Jersey and another state in the last 18 months
  • Worked for the Federal government and in New Jersey in the last 18 months
  • Served in the military in the last 18 months and are physically present in New Jersey

You must file your claim by telephone if you were a maritime employee in the last 18 months OR live outside of the United States. To file your claim online visit nj.gov/labor/ui. Be advised that if your computer is idle for 30 minutes or more, your session will "time out" and all of your claim information will be lost. If you exit for any reason before completing the application, all of your information will be lost. To file your claim, please have the following available:

  • Social Security Number
  • Alien Registration Number (if you are not a US citizen)
  • Banking information (if you want your benefits directly deposited into your bank account)
  • Pension information (if you are receiving any pension or 401k)
  • Amount and duration of any separation pay you may be receiving
  • Recall date (if you expect to be recalled to your job)
  • Union hiring hall information, including local number and address (if you get work through a union)
  • Military Form DD-214 (if you were in the military in the last 18 months)

For each employer that you worked for in the last 18 months, have the following information available:

  • Complete name and address of employer
  • Employer's telephone number
  • Your occupation with that employer
  • Beginning and ending dates of employment
  • Reason for separation

If you are unable to apply online, you may file a claim or reopen an existing claim by calling a Reemployment Call Center. The Reemployment Call Centers are open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday through Friday, excluding holidays. Your claim will be dated the Sunday of the week in which you call. Make sure you call during the week you want your claim to begin. Unemployment Insurance week runs Sunday to Saturday.

Reemployment Call Center Phone Number
Freehold 732-761-2020
Union City 201-601-4100
Cumberland 856-507-2340
Out-of-State 888-795-6672
New Jersey Relay 711

All phone calls are routed to the next available agent at any of our Reemployment Call Centers regardless of the phone number you call. The local phone numbers are provided as a courtesy to our customers who incur additional charges for long-distance calls. If you are waiting to speak with an agent, you will not move ahead in line by calling one of the other phone numbers. If you hang up and call a different number, you will forfeit your place and will be moved to the end of the line. Before you call a Reemployment Call Center, have the following information available:

  • Social Security Number
  • Alien Registration Number (if you are not a US citizen)
  • Pension information (if you are receiving any pension or 401k)
  • Amount and duration of any separation pay you may be receiving
  • Recall date (if you expect to be recalled to your job)
  • Union hiring hall information, including local number and address (if you get work through a union)
  • Military Form DD-214 (if you were in the military in the last 18 months)
  • Form SF-8 or SF-50 (if you were a federal employee)

For each employer that you worked for in the last 18 months, have the following information available:

  • Complete name and address of employer
  • Employer's telephone number
  • Your occupation with that employer
  • Beginning and ending dates of employment
  • Reason for separation

Be sure to notify the agent if you want 10% federal income tax withheld from your benefits. After you apply for unemployment benefits, online or by phone, you will receive several different pieces of mail from them. Most likely, the mailings will come on different days so don't worry if you don't receive everything at once. You may not receive all of the documents listed below, depending on the circumstances of your claim. Below is a list of the mailings you may receive:

Unemployment Insurance Instructions and Appointment Notice

This form contains instructions on how and when to claim your benefits. It also includes a list of any scheduled appointments.

Notice to Claimant of Benefit Determination

If you have had any employment in New Jersey during the period of time used to calculate your benefits, you will receive this form. It will show you the amount of money you may collect each week (Weekly Benefit Rate) and the total amount of money you may be entitled to collect during the one-year period that the claim is in effect (Maximum Benefit Amount).

This notice will also have a listing of employers you worked for, the base weeks you worked, and the wages that were paid to you during the period used to determine your benefits. You should review the information contained on this form; and if the base weeks or wages are wrong or if employers are missing, you should file an appeal. Instructions for filing an appeal are on the form.

Notice of Invalid Claim

If you have had no employment in New Jersey during the base year period or if your unemployment claim is determined invalid for some other reason [for example, you were a corporate officer or you were not authorized to work by the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS)], you will receive this form. The notice will list the reason your unemployment claim is invalid. If you disagree with the determination, you should file an appeal. Instructions for filing an appeal are on the form.

Bank of America Debit Card

If you elect not to have your Unemployment Insurance benefits directly deposited into an account, you will be mailed a Bank of America prepaid debit card. Bank of America will mail you the card in a plain, unmarked envelope, 7-10 days after you file your initial claim. The card is good for 4 years. You should keep the card for 4 years, even if you return to work or your claim expires. If you reopen or file a new claim within 4 years, you will use the same card for these claims. If more than 28 days have passed since you last claimed benefits, you will automatically be mailed a prepaid Bank of America debit card.

Identity Proofing Instructions

If you fail or elect not to participate in identity proofing, you will be mailed instructions to report, in person, to a One-Stop Career Center and provide acceptable documentation to prove your identity. A list of acceptable documentation are listed on the identity proofing instructions form. If you live out of state, you may be allowed to fax the documentation to prove your identity. Instructions will be mailed to you explaining how to prove your identity.

File an appeal

Every determination that affects your eligibility for benefits will be given to you in writing. If you disagree, you have the right to file an appeal. Your appeal rights are printed on each determination you receive.

A determination becomes final unless a written appeal is filed within seven calendar days after delivery or within ten calendar days after the mailing of the determination. An appeal period can be extended if good cause for late filing is shown. Good cause exists in situations where it can be shown that the delay was due to circumstances beyond your control that could not have been reasonably foreseen or prevented.

To file an appeal online, click here.

To file an appeal by mail, you must send your appeal letter to:

New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Appeal Tribunal
PO Box 907
Trenton, NJ 08625-0907

Your appeal letter must include your name, Social Security Number, telephone number, and address. In addition, give your reasons for disagreeing with the determination and, if you file late, the reason for the delay. An Appeal Tribunal hearing will be scheduled and all interested parties will be notified. The hearing may be conducted in-person or by telephone. If the reason for the appointment is related to your employment, your employer will be notified of the interview and has the right to participate. You may represent yourself or you may be represented at your own expense by an attorney or a non-attorney. If you require additional time to prepare for the interview, you may request a postponement by providing advance notice. You may request that your employer produce any documents which relate to your eligibility for benefits.

You may request that statements be taken from your witnesses who have firsthand knowledge of the case. You or your representative will have the opportunity to question your own witness, present documents and provide a closing statement or summary. If the reason for the appointment is related to your employment, any questions that you may have for your former employer may be asked of the agency representative who in turn may, at his/her discretion, pose the questions to your former employer.

A decision will be made on the evidence and sworn testimony presented at the hearing. A postponement may be granted for good cause. The postponement must be requested in advance by contacting the Appeal Tribunal at the number provided on the hearing notice.

While you are waiting for the appeal hearing, continue to claim your weekly unemployment insurance benefits using the Internet at www.njuifile.net or by telephone. This action gives you credit for these weeks pending the results of the hearing. You must also report to your One-Stop office whenever you are scheduled. Failure to do so may result in the loss of benefits, even if you win your appeal. If the Appeal Tribunal's decision is not in your favor, you have the right to appeal again to the Board of Review.

If the Appeal Tribunal's decision is in your favor, the Division of Unemployment Insurance will issue any payments due. The Appeal Tribunal does NOT issue payments. Once the decision is made by the Appeal Tribunal, the case is closed and no further action is taken by the Appeal Tribunal.

Your former employer also has the right to appeal determinations made on your claim that deal with the reason why you are not working and the amount of your benefits. If your employer appeals and the decision is in favor of the employer, you may be required to repay all or part of the unemployment insurance benefits that have been paid to you.