Before beginning the application process, you need to have the following information available:
You must file an initial claim application online or at your local IowaWORKS Center during the first week you wish to be paid; you will not receive payments for any weeks prior to the effective date of your claim. No exceptions. The unemployment week is Sunday through Saturday. All claims are assigned a Sunday effective date for the week the claim is filed. If your claim is successfully submitted, a confirmation page will show with your confirmation number. Save this confirmation number for your records. You may file your initial claim:
After you successfully submit the application, you will see a confirmation page that includes:
During the initial application process you will be asked to verify and authenticate your identity. You will be asked a few questions that only you know the answers to. If you answer the questions correctly our system will instantly verify your identity. If you do not answer the questions correctly or if you decline verification consent ; we will require that you provide us with documents that can confirm your identity. You will be required to complete the verification process every 366 days.
Your claim will not become valid until your identity has been verified by IWD. Instant ID Verification can only be done when you file your application online. If you have not provided the documents to verify your identity within seven calendar days of filing your claim, your claim will be locked and possibly voided. If your claim is voided you must submit another claim for benefits. The effective date of the claim filed after your claim has been voided would be the Sunday of the week in which you file the second claim.
A state issued "Real ID" can be used to verify your identity in lieu of other documents. The Real ID is issued by the Iowa Department of Transportation.
Please refer to the Iowa Department of Transportation’s website for more information about this new ID and how to obtain one. https://iowadot.gov/mvd/realid/
Filing a weekly claim online is a requirement of continued eligibility for unemployment insurance. If you do not file your weekly claim, you will not receive payment for that week. No exceptions. You may file your weekly claim on Sunday from 8:00 AM to 7:30 PM or Monday to Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. There is no weekly reporting available on Saturday.
You should have the following information available when filing your weekly claim:
Start filing your weekly claim the first Sunday after filing your initial claim.
Example: Your initial claim was filed on Wednesday. You would need to do your first weekly filing on Sunday.
Sunday |
Monday |
Tuesday |
Wednesday |
Thursday |
Friday |
Saturday |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Start of UI claim week 1 Apply for unemployment the first week for which you wish to be paid |
||||||
First day to file your weekly claim for week 1 8:00am-7:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 1 8am-5:30 pm |
File weekly claim for week 1 8am-5:30 pm |
File weekly claim for week 1 8am-5:30 pm |
File weekly claim for week 1 8am-5:30 pm |
File weekly claim for week 1 8am-5:30 pm |
No weekly claim filing available |
First day to file your weekly claim for week 2 8:00am-7:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 2 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 2 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 2 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 2 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 2 8am-5:30pm |
No weekly claim filing available |
First day to file your weekly claim for week 3 8:00am-7:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 3 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 3 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 3 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 3 8am-5:30pm |
File weekly claim for week 3 8am-5:30pm |
No weekly claim filing available |
You will receive a confirmation page (shown below) informing you that your weekly claim has been successfully submitted.
Your claim for the week ending Saturday, December 28, 2019 has been filed. Your confirmation number is 132163668. Your confirmation number is proof that you have filed your weekly claim. You should keep a record of your confirmation number.
Please remember you must file each week. Failure to file for a week can result in a delay in benefit payments.
As a claimant, you are responsible for updating any changes in your address or telephone number with Iowa Workforce Development. To update your telephone number you may use the "Update Telephone Number" option in the menu on the left side of this page. To update your address, please contact Customer Service at 1-866-239-0843 or email uiclaimshelp@iwd.iowa.gov.
You will be provided a confirmation number after you have submitted your weekly claim. You must keep this number for your records. If you have an issue with a weekly claim filing, you will be required to provide this number to IWD.
You should check to make sure your weekly claim was successfully filed, how much you will receive, and when you will receive your payment by using the Benefit Inquiry tool. This is available Tuesday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 5:30 PM. If you miss a weekly claim filing, you will be required to reactivate your claim. You will not be paid for any weeks you did not file timely.
You must report all gross earnings and gross wages on the weekly claim. Wages are reportable when earned, not when paid. Gross earnings or gross wages are your earnings before taxes or other payroll deductions are made. For additional information, please refer to the page on reportable income.
The benefit week runs from Sunday to Saturday. The effective date of all unemployment insurance claims is the Sunday of the week in which the application was filed. The effective date of a claim will not be changed for applications that were not filed in a timely manner.
To meet the preliminary eligibility requirements, you must:
To remain eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, you must:
You can start and stop claiming unemployment insurance benefits as many times as necessary during the benefit year. This is called a break in reporting status. Any break in reporting requires you to refile your claim application online during the week you want to start collecting benefits again. Any employment during the break must be reported.
Don’t forget to file your weekly claim every week. If you fail to file timely each week, you will not be eligible for payment until you reactivate your claim again.