South Dakota Unemployment Insurance

South Dakota Unemployment Insurance, referred to as Reemployment Assistance or RA, provides temporary financial assistance to workers unemployed, through no fault of their own, until they find other employment.

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 South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, 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 $728 during the highest paid quarter of the base period prior to filing a claim, AND
2. wages in the other three quarters totaling at least 20 times your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA), AND
3. a calculated Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) equal to 1/26th of the wages in your highest quarter.

If your highest-paid quarter was $2,800, your Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) would be about $108 ($2,800 ÷ 26). As a result, your total earnings in the other three quarters must be at least $2,160 (20 × $108) to qualify.

How much unemployment benefits can I get in South Dakota?

Depending on how much you have earned in your base period, you may receive between $28 and $575 per week, effective July 5, 2026, for a maximum of 26 weeks of unemployment benefits per year.¹

Is there a time limit on unemployment benefits in South Dakota?

Yes. Benefits in South Dakota are limited to 26 weeks within a benefit year. Once the maximum has been paid, payments end, and receiving further benefits generally requires a new benefit year and meeting the wage requirements again.

How do I apply for unemployment in SD?

Filing a claim can be done online through the RA Benefits Portal  as soon as you become unemployed or if your work hours have been reduced.

If you wish to file your claim over the phone, please call (605) 626-3179 Monday through Friday from 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. (CST).

South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation
Claims Call Center
(605) 626-3179