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Applying Online for Unemployment Benefits in Illinois: A Step-by-Step Guide

Contents Gathering Information and Navigating the website………………………………………………………………………………………………1-2 Creating a new username and password………………………………………………………………………………………….………..............2-4 Completing your unemployment claim online……………………………………………………………………………….………..………….5-11 Next steps after you file your claim……………………………………………………………………………………………………..…………….11-12

Step 1. Gather the Required Information and Documents

*Important Note* Make sure you have all the relevant materials ready before you begin your application for benefits.The application will log you out after one hour of inactivity and you will lose your progress. You do not want to belooking for a specific document and be logged out and lose your progress during the application process.

• Your Social Security Number and Name as it appears on your Social Security card;• Your Driver License / State ID (this will provide your weight, which is required);• If claiming your spouse or child as a dependent, the Social Security Number, date of birth and name(s) of

dependent(s);• Name, mailing address, phone number, employment dates, and separation reason for all the employers you

worked for in the last 18 months;• Wage records (W-2 form, check stubs, etc.) from these employers may be necessary.

• If you worked since Sunday of this week, the gross wages earned this week;• You must report all gross wages for any work performed, full or part-time;• Gross means the total amount earned before deductions, not "take home pay", including wages in the

form of lodging, meals, merchandise or any other form;• Gross wages must be reported the week in which they are earned, not the week in which you receive

the wages;• If your gross wages earned in any week are less than your weekly benefit amount, you still may be

eligible to receive a full or partial benefit payment);• Records of any pension payments you are receiving (not including Social Security);• If you are not a United States citizen, your Alien Registration Information;• If you are a recently separated veteran, the Member 4 Copy of the DD form 214 / 215;

• Other copies of the DD Form 214 / 215 are acceptable, but the Member 4 copy is the most commonlyavailable.

Step 2. Navigate to Department of Employment Security website www.ides.illinois.gov • Check the schedule to make sure you are applying on the correct day of the week, which is determined by

your last name. • Once you have done so, click “File a UI Claim Online”

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Step 3. Read and understand the “10 Things you Should Know” and fees associated with debit card • Once you have read the 10 things listed, you should scroll to the bottom and click the link with all of the

information about the fees associated with the benefits debit card, even if you plan to use the direct deposit method for your benefits.

• Once you have done that, you can click the check box under “File your claim” and then click on File your Claim Online”

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Step 4. Log in or create a new user name and password • On this page, you can first choose a language other than English if those are better for you. You can also choose

Spanish or Polish • If you have already created a user name and password you can log in here.• If not, click “Register” at the bottom of the page

Step 5. Complete Questions for Username Registration • Complete information from your State ID/Driver’s license and social security number in order to register.• Once completed, click Continue

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Step 6: Create your username and password • Make sure to write down your username and password and keep them in a safe place.• Once you are done, click continue.

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Step 7. Start your Unemployment Claim • Once you write down your username and password you are ready to start your unemployment claim.• You can hover your mouse over the section at the top that says “Individual Home” and click on “File My

Unemployment Claim”

Step 8. Address and Personal Information Page (including immigration questions) • Fill out all personal information requested

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• If you are not a US Citizen, when you choose “No,” it will ask for you to confirm you are authorized to work in the US. If you click “Yes” to this question it will ask you for additional information and a drop-down menu where you can choose which Alien Registration document you have.

• Additionally, if you wish to claim dependents, clicking “Yes” will add a drop-down menu where you can choosethat type of dependents you want to claim. You will be prompted on later pages to include any relevantinformation on dependents.

• When you are done, you can choose “Continue.”

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Step 9: Enter Information about dependents • If you chose to claim dependents on the previous page, you will now be asked to provide their information

below. If not, you can skip ahead from this step.

Step 10: Provide Employment Information • At this point, the website should bring up a list of recent employers that have submitted wage information for

your social security number. Confirm this information is correct and fill in any necessary information. • This step also includes a drop-down menu that asks for the reason for separation from each relevant job • Once you are done you can click “Continue.”

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Step 11. Confirm Employment Information • Next it will ask you to confirm these are all your recent employers. If not, click “No” and once you click

“Continue” it will prompt you to manually enter any additional relevant employers. Otherwise, just choose “Yes” and click “Continue” at the bottom.

Step 12. Additional Questions Concerning Employment • Next you will be prompted to various additional questions about your occupation status.• If you have not been officially laid off, but rather had your hours reduced, you will find this option here.

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Step 13. Additional Income and Training Information • You will now be prompted to answer additional questions about recent income.

Step 14. Finalizing claim and submission • Next you will get to a page where you will see a lot of very important information.• Now is a good time to make any edits on any previous sections you may need to do. You can do so by clicking

“Edit” next to that category

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• You can also see you initial estimated Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA). This is not a final determination, but rather an initial estimate.

• Notice how it says you must now Fax any documents you may have

• There is a section on this page entitled “Important Documents Concerning My Rights and Responsibilities.” It isimportant that you click each of these links and understand the information included. It makes sense to saveeach of these links somewhere so you can always return to them for reference in the future. The“Unemployment Insurance Benefit Handbook” is particularly important for next steps once your claim is filed.

• Remember, once you submit you claim online you will not be able to review or edit it online. You would have to call IDES to fix any mistakes (800-244-5631). Now is the best time to review and ensure there are no mistakes before filing.

• Once you have read and understood the information, you can click the check boxes and click “File My Claim”

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Step 15. Next steps once you file your claim • Helpful next steps are found in your “Unemployment Insurance Benefit Handbook,” which is one of the links

from the previous page. In it, it describes initial next steps once your claim is filed, including when you will beassigned a day to certify benefits, and also information on competing registration with Illinois EmploymentService.

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