Indiana Unemployment Benefits and Eligibility

Here’s a quick overview of how the unemployment insurance process works in Indiana.

• Make sure you meet the three benefit requirements before you apply. These requirements include being able, available, and actively searching for work; that you lost your job through no fault of your own; and that you earned enough wages during your base period to qualify for payments.
• Submit a claim for unemployment insurance if you meet all the requirements. The Department of Workforce Development uses an online Uplink CSS system to process your unemployment benefits application. This system will walk you through the steps of your application and will ask you to input information to determine if you’re eligible for benefits. It’s important that you file for unemployment benefits as soon as you have lost your job so that you do not lose out on any benefits.
• Wait for your letter to learn the amount and duration of your benefits. Your application will be processed as soon as possible. You’ll receive a wage transcript and a benefits computation form that will explain what amount you may possibly receive each week and for how long you can receive benefits. Indiana’s maximum time for collecting unemployment benefits is capped at 26 weeks plus any time allowed under federal guidelines.
• Know how and when you will be paid. Indiana unemployment compensation is paid weekly. To receive your benefits, the DWD will issue you a KeyBank debit card, or you can elect to have your benefits deposited into a checking or savings account. Your weekly Indiana unemployment amount cannot be higher than $390.
• Conduct an ongoing job search. You’re required to submit proof that you’re hunting for a new job. This is managed through a claim voucher system. These vouchers are used to request your benefit payments and must be submitted online to the DWD or through a WorkOne center. You’ll be required to submit a voucher each week and to fill out information that determines if you’ll receive benefits. The voucher system requires you to have registered on the Indiana Career Connect website, a state-organized job-hunting site.
• You can file an appeal if you’re denied benefits. If your claim is rejected, you can file an appeal to see if your benefits will be approved.

Where can I submit my claim?

You can apply for Indiana unemployment benefits online. Create an account on Uplink CSS, Indiana’s benefits system, to submit your claim.

Indiana also accepts in-person applications at its WorkOne career centers. However, all locations are currently closed due to COVID-19.

Whom to contact about Indiana unemployment benefits

The DWD has FAQs and tutorials on its website. If you need additional assistance, you can reach the department’s benefit call center at 800-891-6499. TDD service is available at 317-232-7560. The call center is open on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

For help accessing your Uplink CSS account or resetting your password, email usernamereset@dwd.in.gov with your name, Social Security number, mailing address, and phone number.

FAQs

What are the unemployment qualifications in Indiana?

To qualify for unemployment benefits in Indiana, you must meet several qualifications before being granted unemployment payments. There are three specific requirements mandated by the Indiana unemployment department that impact whether or not you qualify for unemployment:

Requirement #1: You are able to work.

Indiana unemployment laws require you to be able to find new work before you can receive benefits.

• You must be able to work.
• You must be available to work.
• You must be actively searching for a full-time job.

Requirement #2: You lost your job through no fault of your own.

• Did you quit your job voluntarily? If so, and your reason for quitting was not work-related, you cannot receive benefits. Work-related reasons for quitting that still allow you to qualify for unemployment benefits include the following:
  • Worksite safety violations
  • Unreasonable changes to your work duties or conditions
  • Military service
  • Moving to follow a spouse who has accepted a new job
  • Harassment, family violence, or domestic abuse

Requirement #3: You earned enough during your base period.

For your claim to be valid, you must have earned at least 1.5 times the amount of your highest-quarter wages (at least $4,200 in total) in your base period and have made at least $2,500 in the final six months of that period.