Filing an Unemployment Claim - Wisconsin

Please select a topic below:

You must be unemployed through no fault of your own, and you must have earned sufficient wages in your base period (the first 4 of the last 5 completed calendar quarters before the week in which you file your application for benefits). Also, you must be able and available for full-time work.

You can apply online or over the phone by contacting 1-844-910-3661.

Your weekly benefit amount will be 4% of the total high quarter wages from all covered employment. The minimum rate is $54 and the maximum is $370.

The length of time that you will receive benefits is also based on how much you made during the base period, but not more than 26 weeks.

You must continue to file weekly, you must continue to be able and available for full-time work, and you must be actively seeking employment. To be actively seeking employment, you must contact two employers each week to try to find work. You must document your work search actions using the online Weekly Work Search Entry Form. You must register with Wisconsin Job Service within 14 days of the date you completed your application. Finally, you must accept suitable work.

When you receive the determination from the Department, it will indicate at the bottom the date by which an appeal must be received or postmarked in order to be considered timely. The appeal must be in writing and must be mailed, hand-delivered, or faxed to a hearing office or unemployment insurance office. You may also appeal online. Also, you must also continue to file weekly during your appeal, as you will only be paid for those weeks you continued to file if you win your appeal.

Scroll to Top

Madeline Messa

Madeline Messa is a 3L at Syracuse University College of Law. She graduated from Penn State with a degree in journalism. With her legal research and writing for Workplace Fairness, she strives to equip people with the information they need to be their own best advocate.