File for Unemployment Benefits

Claims for New Jersey unemployment insurance may be filed online 24 hours a day, seven days a week at www.nj.gov/labor/ui, New Jersey’s Department of Labor and Workforce Development website. It's quick, easy and secure. 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 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM, Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.  

Unemployment Application and Initial Claim

File Your Unemployment Application and Initial Claim Process

Follow these steps to successfully file for unemployment online:

• Go to the New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development website and click on "Unemployment Insurance."
• Select the "Login" or the "Click Here to create account" option and enter the email address you wish to use for your account.
• After you enter your email address and click "SEND", a link will be emailed to you to verify the account.
• Look for an email from [email protected]. Click on the link to complete the registration process. The link will expire after 60 minutes.
• After you have registered, you will be returned to the sign in page. Sign in with the email address and password you just created.
• From your dashboard, click on "File a New Claim OR Open an Existing Claim" and complete the claim filing process.
• Options to file for weekly benefits as well as other Claim Management options can also be found here.

Documents and Information Needed During Filing

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.

Claim Weekly Benefits

To receive your unemployment insurance benefits, you must claim benefits for each week which you wish to receive benefits. You may claim benefits online or by phone. You will claim benefits either every week or every two (2) weeks, depending on the method which you use. You can only claim benefits for the week(s) prior to the week in which you are claiming benefits. Unemployment Insurance weeks begin on a Sunday and end at midnight on Saturday.

To claim benefits you must certify that you meet the weekly eligibility requirements listed below. You must:

Be able to work.

Be available for work.

Be actively seeking work.

Not refuse an offer of suitable work.

How to Claim Weekly Benefits

Visit your New Jersey unemployment insurance account to claim your benefits online. Click "CLAIM BENEFITS" button if you have already filed a claim and only wish to certify for weekly benefits. The application for claiming weekly benefits is available seven days a week, Sunday from 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM, Monday through Friday from 7:00 AM to 6:00 PM and Saturday from 8:00 AM to 3:00 PM. Unemployment insurance benefits are paid sooner if you claim your benefits on Sunday.

If this is your first time claiming benefits, you will enter your Social Security Number and you will then be prompted to create a four-digit Personal Identification Number (PIN). Be sure to create a PIN you will remember because you will need this PIN when you claim your weekly benefits in the future.If you cannot claim your benefits online, you may claim them by telephone. Please be advised that a call waiting signal could interfere with your call and provide incorrect data to our computer system. Therefore, you should turn off the call waiting feature before you phone to claim benefits. Also, using a cell phone is not recommended because interference or loss of signal may result in incorrect data being transmitted to our computer system.

Claim Denials or Discrepancies

If your claim is denied, you can always appeal the decision by filing with the Appeal Tribunal. This group assesses all unemployment appeals to ensure that a person's claim was denied for a just reason.

If it is found that the denial was wrong, benefits can be restored. However, the appeal is based on potential filing mistakes or misconduct by the employer. Denials cannot be overturned based on willful misconduct by the filing employee, such as misreported wages or other types of fraud.

Appeals Process for Denied Claims

When you receive a claim denial, you need to file your appeal at the Appeals Tribunal or at an unemployment office near you. This appeal must be done 10 days from the date of the determination mailing or seven days after its delivery to your home.

All appeals must include your Social Security Number, the determination that is being appealed, and the grounds for the appeal.

Once your appeal has been received, a hearing will be set up. You will be informed by mail and you can decide to attend it in person at the indicated appeal office, or by telephone.

Telephone appeals are allowed in most cases, unless your intent is to delay the proceeding or inconvenience anyone else, if the party is more than 50 miles away, if your reason isn't due to physical or medical reasons, or if you can't give a good cause for its necessity.

Legal counsel is available at your expense, and all attorneys must complete a “Board of Review Attorney's Authorization” form to get your fees approved. Free legal services are available in the community, but not provided by the court. Your appeal will be examined in-depth, with questions regarding your denial being asked to relevant parties.

A decision will be made by the Appeal Tribunal and mailed to you after the healing. An explanation will be given for the appeal. If your appeal was granted, you will receive any benefits you may have been denied, include past payments.

However, if your appeal was ignored, you can appeal to the “Board of Review.” They will assess your case, though won’t hold a new hearing, and will decide on your case based on the current evidence and any new information you can provide.

This decision can be appealed, if necessary, to state and federal courts. However, this can take months, if not years, and may not be worth the effort  and financial burden for many people.

Office of Appeals Contact Information

There are multiple Appeals Tribunal officers you can contact, including:

Central Office

Labor Building, 8th floor

1 John Fitch Way

Trenton, NJ 08625-0936

Phone: (609) 292-2669

Fax: (609) 292-2438

Upper North

25 Howe Ave.

Passaic, NJ 07055

Phone: (973) 916-2659

Fax: (973) 916-2664

Lower North

124 Halsey St., 2nd floor

P.O. Box 226

Newark, NJ 07102-0226

Phone: (973) 648-3210

Fax: (973) 623-0603

Central

Labor Building, 7th floor

1 John Fitch Way

P.O. Box 380

Trenton, NJ 08625-0380

Phone: (609) 777-1823

Fax: (609) 777-0307