Missouri Unemployment Insurance

Missouri Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary financial assistance to workers unemployed through no fault of their own. It is designed to provide temporary benefits to eligible claimants during times of unemployment when suitable work is not available.

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 Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, 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. earned at least $2,250 during the base period, including
2. at least $1,500 in one calendar quarter, and at least $750 in the remainder of the base period, and
3. total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times the wages earned in your highest-paid quarter;

For example, if your highest-paid quarter was $4,000, your total base-period wages must be at least $6,000 ($4,000 × 1.5) to meet the 1.5 times multiplier requirement.

How much will I get for unemployment in Missouri?

Depending on how much you have earned in your base period, you may receive up to $320 per week for a maximum of 20 weeks of unemployment benefits per year. Your weekly benefit amount is 4 percent of the average of your two highest quarters in the base period.¹

When do unemployment benefits run out in Missouri?

Benefits end after 20 weeks of payments or at the close of the benefit year, whichever comes first. Extended benefits may add weeks only during periods of high unemployment.

How do I file my weekly unemployment benefits in Missouri?

To file your weekly unemployment benefits, call the nearest Missouri Division of Employment Security Regional Claims Center using one of the phone numbers listed below.

The online claim filing system is also available 24 hours a day through UInteract . You must file your weekly claim within 14 days after the Saturday the week ends, or your claim for that week will be denied.