How To File For Utah Unemployment

This page provides information on how to file for unemployment in Utah. 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 Utah Unemployment Department for assistance. It is important that you file your new claim right away because Utah unemployment insurance are not retroactive.

Unemployment insurance is a temporary assistance for people who are unemployed through no fault of their own while they are seeking other work. It is a partial, short-term replacement of lost wages and is not intended to be a permanent source of income. Benefits are not based on financial need. Benefits are paid only to eligible claimants who meet specific conditions. The goal of unemployment insurance is to help you become re-employed as soon as possible.

Utah unemployment eligibility

Employers pay all costs of the unemployment insurance program. The amount of benefits you may be eligible to receive is determined by the amount of work you performed and wages you earned during the 18 months prior to filing the claim.

File for Utah unemployment benefits

The first step to receive benefits is to file an initial claim. The easiest way to do this is online at jobs.utah.gov/ui/webinitialclaims/. You can also call the Claims Center to speak with a claims taker.

  • Salt Lake and South Davis Counties 801-526-4400
  • Weber and North Davis Counties 801-612-0877
  • Utah County 801-375-4067
  • Remainder of State and Out of State 888-848-0688
Things Needed to File for Unemployment Insurance

To file a claim you will need to know your Social Security number, Driver's License or state-issued identification number, and the names and dates of all the places you worked during the past 18 months. The claim becomes effective the week in which the initial application is completed, so it is important for you to open your claim during the first week you are out of work.

Filing weekly claims

You must file weekly claims to receive benefits. To file a weekly claim, you will need your Social Security Number and PIN. The unemployment claim week begins on Sunday and ends on Saturday at midnight. They encourage you to file your claim on Sunday or as soon as possible after the Saturday week-ending date. You can file your weekly claim online at jobs.utah.gov/ui/webinitialclaims/, select "Sign In" (in the upper right-hand corner) then "my Unemployment" and then choose "File Weekly Claim."

You will be asked for your PIN each time you use the system. Your PIN is the four-digit number you selected when you established your claim. Each week you must answer questions to determine your eligibility for benefits. Failure to file a weekly claim in a timely manner could result in a denial of benefits. The system will not permit late filing. If you do not file a weekly claim within 27 days from Saturday of the last week filed, your claim will be closed. If you wish to continue filing, you will need to reopen your claim at jobs.utah.gov or by calling the Claims Center.

You will be filing for a specific week. Be careful to answer the questions as they pertain to that specific week only. All gross wages must be reported for the week the work is performed, regardless of when they are paid. You will be asked some or all of the following questions, depending on the status of your claim. These questions apply only to the specific week for which you are filing:

  • "During the week, did you work or attend paid training?"
  • "How much did you earn before deductions?" (Your gross earnings without any cents). For example, if you earned $116.80, you would enter 116) Depending on the amount of earnings you report, you may be asked some additional questions not listed here
  • "During the week, did you quit a job or were you fired from a job?"
  • "Did you refuse any offers of work or fail to apply for work during the week?"
  • "Did you attend school or unpaid training during the week?"
  • "Were you able and available for full-time work without any restrictions?"
  • "Did you travel outside the United States during the week?"
  • "You are required to make four new full-time employer contacts each week. You will be required to provide this employer information. Did you contact employers for work as you were instructed by the Department?"
  • "You will be held responsible for the information contained in your Claimant Guide. Have you received your Claimant Guide?"

After you have answered these questions, your responses will be displayed back to you and you will have the opportunity to correct or certify your answers. Knowingly or carelessly misreporting earnings constitutes fraud. The law provides severe penalties for receiving unemployment benefits under fraudulent circumstances. If you realize you made a mistake after filing your weekly claim, call the Claims Center immediately.

Base Period

The base period is the 12-month period used to determine your weekly benefit amount and the number of weeks you may be paid benefits. The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the week in which you file your application for benefits. A calendar quarter is a three-month period ending March 31, June 30, September 30 or December 31. If you do not qualify with wages paid during this base period, you may still qualify for benefits using an alternate base period, which would be the most recent four completed calendar quarters.

Benefit Year

Your claim is established for a 52-week period called a benefit year. It begins with the effective date of your claim and ends 52 weeks from that date. You may file for weeks you are unemployed until you have exhausted your benefits. You may also file if you have earnings from part-time employment that are less than your weekly benefit amount. At the end of the benefit year, your claim will end whether or not you have received all your benefits. You may not file a new Utah claim for benefits until your benefit year has ended.

Payments/Waiting Week

Utah law requires that you will not be paid for the first eligible week claimed. This week is referred to as the waiting week. You must file for this week and meet all eligibility requirements in order to establish the claim and receive waiting week credit.

If you meet all the eligibility requirements and file your claim each week, you should receive your first payment about three weeks after you apply for benefits. Payments are not made on the same day each week. If you have not received payment or a disqualification letter after you have filed for four weeks, call the Claims Center. Funds will not be available in your checking, savings or US Bank Reliacard account for at least two business days after Workforce Services releases the benefits.

File an appeal

You have the right to appeal if you disagree with a decision made on your claim. If you file an appeal a hearing will be scheduled with an Administrative Law Judge. Make sure you continue to file for benefits each week during the appeal process. Otherwise, you may not be paid for the weeks you are unemployed even if the appeal is decided in your favor.

Your appeal must be submitted in writing and should state the reason(s) you believe the decision is incorrect. The preferred method to file an appeal is online at jobs.utah.gov/appeals. However, you can also fax your appeal to 801-526-9242, or mail your appeal to Appeals Unit, P.O. Box 45244, Salt Lake City, UT 84145-0244.

After you file an appeal, you will receive a notice of hearing along with the information and documents used in making the original decision. Upon receiving the notice of hearing you will be required to immediately contact the Appeals Unit to verify your participation in the hearing and to provide a telephone number where you can be reached at the time of the hearing. Failure to contact the Appeals Unit prior to the hearing, as instructed in the hearing notice, will result in cancellation of your hearing. Please read the notice carefully. The hearing notice will contain important information on how to prepare for the hearing, including how to present evidence, documents and witnesses in support of your appeal.

The unemployment insurance appeals process does not require that you have legal representation. Most individuals represent themselves. During the hearing, all parties are assisted in presenting their case by the Administrative Law Judge. If you hire an attorney to represent you, you are responsible to pay any fees. The law requires the attorney to submit a written request for approval of fees to the Administrative Law Judge prior to any payment. The fee request form and complete instructions are available online at jobs.utah.gov/appeals.

Your employer also has the right to appeal a decision allowing benefits. You will be notified of any appeal related to your benefits so that you can participate in that appeal hearing. If you have questions concerning the appeal process, more information is available online at jobs.utah.gov/appeals. You can also call the Appeals Unit at 801-526-9300 or toll free at 877-800-0671.