Indiana Unemployment Insurance

Indiana Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary income replacement to Indiana workers who have 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 Indiana Department of Workforce Development, 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. at least $4,200 in the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters (base period),
2. with at least $2,500 earned in the last two quarters of the base period, and
3. total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times the amount you earned in your highest paid quarter.

For example, if your highest paid quarter was $4,200, your total base-period earnings must be at least $6,300 ($4,200 × 1.5) to qualify.

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in Indiana?

Senate Bill 123  would reduce the current time limit for those on unemployment benefits from 26 weeks to 14 weeks, but offer a two-week extension if claimants are actively job-hunting and making progress in an approved job training program.

Depending on how much you have earned in your qualifying period, you may receive up to $390 per week, the maximum set by Indiana law,¹ for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits per year.

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Indiana?

Indiana pays unemployment benefits for up to 26 weeks within a benefit year. 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 apply for unemployment benefits in Indiana?

All claims for unemployment benefits in Indiana must be filed through Uplink CSS , the automated self-service system for unemployment insurance claims in Indiana. Alternatively, you may go to your nearest WorkOne Center  as soon as you become unemployed.

As a condition of eligibility, you are required by the law to be registered with Indiana’s job matching service, Indiana Career Connect  within ten (10) days of filing your claim.

Indiana Department of Workforce Development
Unemployment Call Center
(800) 891-6499