North Dakota Unemployment Insurance

North Dakota Unemployment Insurance (UI) provides temporary income support to eligible workers unemployed 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.

In order to be eligible for unemployment benefits in ND, 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

How much unemployment benefits can I get in North Dakota?

According to Job Service North Dakota, those who file for a new claim may be entitled to between 12 and 26 weeks of unemployment benefits, depending on how your base period wages compare to your highest quarter. Your weekly benefit amount is roughly your highest two and one-half quarters of base period earnings divided by 65.¹ Weekly benefit amounts range from a minimum of $43 to a maximum of $815.

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in North Dakota?

North Dakota 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 file for unemployment in North Dakota?

There are two ways to file your claim either online using Job Service North Dakota’s UI ICE  or by phone using the automated telephone system by calling (701) 328-4995.

Job Service North Dakota
(701) 328-4995