How to Check Your Unemployment Benefits

After you apply for unemployment, you typically begin getting correspondence from your state unemployment office. If you are expecting a check for your unemployment compensation, or if you just want to check on the status of your unemployment claim, you can usually do so in more than one way. Most state unemployment offices have a few different self-service methods that allow you to check on your unemployment benefits on your own.

Instructions

1

Wait for your award letter to arrive, which usually takes only 10 business days. It can take longer if your employer has challenged your claim or if something is missing from your application.

2

Use the website for your state unemployment office to check the status of your last check or general benefits. Not all states have this information available on the site, but some do, such as New York and Ohio. The Employee Issues website (see Resources) has a list of all of the state unemployment websites.

3

Send a secure email to your unemployment claims center via your state unemployment website. Some states have a specific messaging center while others, such as California, simply have a secure "Contact Us" page.

4

Call your state's self-service hotline to check the status of your benefits. You can find this number on your state unemployment website. Typically you must enter in your Social Security number to access the information.