Arkansas Unemployment Insurance

Arkansas Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary financial assistance to workers 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.

As a condition of eligibility, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’, which is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file your claim.

How much unemployment benefits can I get in Arkansas?

According to the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services, depending on how much you have earned in your base period, you may receive up to $451 per week for a maximum of 12 weeks of unemployment benefits per year.¹

How many weeks of unemployment benefits does Arkansas offer?

Arkansas provides up to 12 weeks of benefits, which is shorter than the 26 weeks available in many other states. Payments end once the maximum has been paid or the benefit year expires.

How do I file for unemployment in Arkansas online?

You may file your initial claim using EZARC  (Easy Arkansas Claims) or ArkNet  for your weekly claims. To file over the phone, call ArkLine at (501) 907-2590.

Arkansas Division of Workforce Services
Unemployment Insurance (UI) Service Center
(844) 908-2178