Alaska Unemployment Insurance

Alaska Unemployment Insurance (UI) is designed to provide temporary benefit payments to eligible Alaskans who lost their jobs through no fault of their own.

Each state sets its own guidelines for eligibility for UI benefits, but you usually qualify if you:

1. have lost a job through no fault of your own;
2. are unemployed or partially unemployed for reasons permissible under federal law;
3. are “able to work, available to work, and actively seeking work;” and
4. have earned at least a certain amount of money during a “base period” prior to becoming unemployed. In most states, this is usually the first 4 out of the last 5 completed calendar quarters prior to the time that your claim is filed.

According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, to qualify for unemployment benefits you must have earned at least $2,500 across two calendar quarters in a recent ‘base period’.¹ The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters prior to filing a claim.

How much do I get for unemployment in Alaska?

The unemployment insurance benefits are based on the amount of wages earned during the covered period. In Alaska, the benefits range from $56 to $370 per week, claimable up to a total of 26 weeks.

In addition, you may collect a dependent’s allowance of $24 per week per dependent, for up to three dependents.

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Alaska?

Alaska pays unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks within a benefit year, and the state says the number of weeks, from 16 to 26, depends on the amount and distribution of wages paid in the base period.¹ The benefit year generally lasts 12 months from the date the claim is filed, and weeks that go unused do not carry over into the next year.

How do I file for unemployment in Alaska?

For the fastest filing method, go to my.ALASKA.gov  and click on “Unemployment Insurance Benefits” to initiate a claim or if you wish to file over the phone, contact the number listed below for claim center closest to your area.

As a condition of eligibility, those who file for a claim are required to seek work and report a required number of work searches for each week claimed, unless deferred.

Alaska Disaster Unemployment Assistance

According to the Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development, the application deadline for this disaster was extended to no later than Friday, February 20, 2026.²

Disaster Unemployment Assistance (DUA) was made available to individuals who were affected by storms in Western Alaska, including Typhoon Halong.

To qualify, the typhoon must have prevented you from returning to your place of work, or you must have sustained a typhoon-related injury that affected your ability to work.

Impacted individuals could receive $153 to $370 per week for up to 27 weeks beginning the week ending October 25, 2025.

Alaska Department of Labor and Workforce Development
Disaster Unemployment Assistance
(907) 465-4691