The purpose of unemployment insurance benefits is to provide short term replacement of lost wages to individuals who lose their jobs through no fault of their own. The money for unemployment benefits is solely funded by employers by paying taxes into the unemployment insurance trust fund.
Unemployment Insurance
Step-by-step guide:
For more information or to access claims now, visit our claimants page.
If you are laid off from your employer and need to file for Unemployment Insurance benefits, or establish an initial claim. If you have established a claim within the last 12 months, you must Re-Open your past claim.
Establish Initial Claim
- All individuals looking to establish an initial claim for benefits may find more information on our Initial Application page.
- Please note: An email address is required to establish an initial claim. Claimant will receive email communications from the Department regarding future claim and payment information
- Those needing special assistance may contact our Claimant Assistance Center
- Required Documents: Click here for a list of required documents you will need to have on-hand when submitting your application.
Re-Open Claim
- Have you established an initial claim for unemployment insurance benefits with the Vermont Department of Labor in the last 12 months? If so, you likely have an open benefit year and will need to re-open your claim. If you are unsure, go to labor.vermont.gov and log-in to the UI Claimant Portal to check your status.
**Open a New Benefit Year
After a period of 12 months AFTER your initial claim is submitted, you will be required to open a new benefit year in order to continue to receive unemployment insurance benefits. Follow the instructions below (further detailed here) to complete this process
- Be sure to follow the instructions to Open a New Benefit Year, provided here
- First, make sure to file your last weekly claim from your old benefit year.
- Once your last weekly claim of your old benefit year has processed, you will be able to open a new benefit year. Learn how to 'Establish Initial Claim'.
- Follow the instructions below and continue to file weekly for unemployment insurance benefits
More information on how to open a New Benefit Year, including Frequently Asked Questions, can be found on our Open a New Benefit Year page.
After establishing your initial claim online or over the phone, claimants receive a confirmation email that your claim has been established. The email contains information about the next steps.
Your claim will now be processed into the system. After processing, your monetary eligibility determination will be mailed to you via USPS. You should receive this within 3 to 4 days after processing. This monetary determination letter will serve as your only confirmation notification that your claim has been processed.
- You will be required to certify that you have read your “Rights and Responsibilities” prior to filing your first weekly claim. This information can be found in the Department’s claimant handbook, which can viewed online by clicking here.
Once your claim is processed, you can begin filing for unemployment insurance benefits. You must file a claim weekly for each week you wish to receive benefits. You may file each weekly claim beginning each Sunday at midnight through each Friday at 4:00 p.m.
- Regular Unemployment Claimants: Call the automated weekly claims line: 1-800-983-2300 or file online using the Claimant online portal.
UI Claimants should note that they will not have access to the online portal or be able to file a claim over the phone until the Sunday after your claim has been established.
Continue filing for your weekly benefit for subsequent weeks as needed. You may file each weekly claim beginning each Sunday at midnight through each Friday at 4:00 p.m.
If you have been called back to work, started a new job, or no longer wish to file for unemployment insurance benefits, you can simply stop filing weekly claims. You may notify the Department, but it is not required.