Delaware Unemployment Insurance

Delaware Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary, partial income replacement to workers who have earned a minimum amount of wages and are out of work 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.

It is intended to pay temporary benefits to eligible claimants during times of unemployment when suitable work is not available.

According to the Delaware Department of Labor, in order to be eligible for unemployment benefits, you must have earned a minimum amount of wages in a recent ‘base period’ and must have:¹

1. wages in at least two quarters in the first four calendar quarters out of the last five (base period), and
2. total base-period wages of at least 36 times your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA).

The amount of your benefit will be 1/46 of your wages in the two highest quarters in the base period, and the weekly benefit amount ranges from $20 to $450. If your calculated WBA is $150, your total wages in the base period must be at least $5,400 ($150 x 36).

How much unemployment benefits can I get in Delaware?

Depending on how much you have earned in your base period, you may receive up to $450 per week for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits per year.

How long do unemployment benefits last in Delaware?

A claimant in Delaware may receive benefits for a maximum of 26 weeks. Payment continues only for the weeks in which the claimant remains eligible and certifies, as required, that they are able to work, available for work and searching for it.

How do I apply for unemployment in Delaware?

You can file your initial claim online  or by phone through TeleBenefits at (302) 761-6576. A one week waiting period is now in effect for all new claims, during which benefits will not be paid.

Delaware Department of Labor
Division of Unemployment Insurance
(302) 761-8446