Unemployment benefits in Alabama

Alabama calls it Unemployment Compensation (UC), run by Alabama Department of Workforce, Unemployment Compensation Division (ADOW). You may get $45 to $275 a week for currently 14 weeks, after a waiting week.

File a claim

Opens Alabama Unemployment Claimant Portal on the state's site.

Or call 1-866-234-5382 · Initial claims line: Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time · TTY 1-800-548-2546

Can I get benefits?How much and how long?Appeal a denialFree help
Weekly benefit$45–$275Maximum: benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2020
Weeks of benefitscurrently 14 weeksThe most you can get is 14 times your weekly benefit amount when Alabama's average unemployment rate is 6.5% or lower…
Waiting weekYes

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Can I get benefits?

You must have wages in at least two quarters of your base period.

Law: Ala. Code secs. 25-4-72(b)(2), 25-4-77(a)(6)

If you quit

If you quit your most recent job voluntarily without good cause connected with that work, you are disqualified.

If you were fired

Being fired does not by itself stop benefits.

Law: Ala. Code sec. 25-4-78(2), (3), (5)

Quit, fired, refused work and the federal rules →

The wage test, the amount and your estimate →

How much and how long?

Weekly benefit

$45–$275

Weeks

Currently 14 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate)

Waiting week

A waiting week

How it is figured, the full rules and the estimate tool →

How to file in Alabama

Apply online in the Claimant Portal, or by phone at 1-866-234-5382 (Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central). Phones and computers are available at Alabama Career Centers.

File as soon as you become unemployed; do not wait for your last paycheck.

What to have ready

  • Your Social Security number
  • Your driver's license or Alabama ID number, and your mother's maiden name
  • Your Alien Registration Card or work authorization number, if you are not a U.S. citizen

Certify (claim your weeks)

Weekly. File a weekly certification online in the Claimant Portal or by phone, from 12:01 a.m. Sunday to 5 p.m. Friday (Central) for the week before.

Everything about filing →

Appeal a denial

  • Appeal to the Hearings and Appeals Division (appeals tribunal hearing) — 15 calendar days from the mailing date on the notice of determination (or 7 calendar days if the notice was delivered to you in person)
  • Application for appeal to the Board of Appeals — 15 calendar days from the mailing date of the hearing officer's decision
  • Notice of appeal to the circuit court — 30 calendar days

Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →

The hearing

Format
By telephone in most cases (usually 30 to 60 minutes).

Overpayments and waivers

An overpayment means you got benefits you were not eligible for, for example from earnings you did not report or an appeal decision that went against you.

Appeal within
15 days from the date the overpayment notice was mailed
Fraud penalty
15% added when the overpayment is fraud
Waiver
The state can waive some overpayments.

Law: Ala. Code sec. 25-4-145(a)(3), (c), (d)

Waiver details and the hearing checklist →

Someone filed a claim in your name

If someone filed a claim in your name, report it through ADOW's Report Fraud page or call 1-800-392-8019. New initial claims must be verified through Login.gov within 10 days of filing.

National steps

  1. Report it to the state where the claim was filed and follow its instructions. Some states ask for a police report or a sworn statement.
  2. If you got a 1099-G for benefits you did not receive, the state will send a corrected 1099-G. When you file taxes, report only the income you actually received; do not wait for the corrected form.
  3. Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
  4. You can also report unemployment identity fraud that happened after March 2020 to the U.S. Department of Justice National Center for Disaster Fraud. You must still report it to the state.

U.S. Department of Labor: report unemployment identity fraud

Free help in Alabama

Legal aid

Language help

ADOW has a Spanish resources page with a Spanish Benefit Rights and Responsibilities handbook and FAQ. If you need material interpreted or in a different form, contact ADOW.

Agency guides and handbooks

The agency's unemployment page (ADOW)

National help

Go deeper

How to file in Alabama

What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.

Weekly benefit amount in Alabama

The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.

Appeal a denial in Alabama

Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.

Quit or fired in Alabama

What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.

Good to know in Alabama

  • Alabama pays at most 14 weeks of regular benefits in 2026, because its unemployment rate is far below 6.5%; up to 5 more weeks are possible for people in approved training.

    Law: Ala. Code sec. 25-4-74

  • From September 30, 2026, new claimants must verify their identity through Login.gov within 10 calendar days of filing (ADOW news release, September 2026).
  • If an appeal notice was handed to you in person, you have only 7 calendar days to appeal instead of 15.

    Law: Ala. Code sec. 25-4-91(d)

Changes in 2024–2026

The Alabama Department of Labor's unemployment functions are now run by the Alabama Department of Workforce (ADOW); the Code of Alabama and the 2026 handbook use the new name, and the website moved to workforce.alabama.gov. Login.gov identity verification for initial claims started September 30, 2026. No changes in 2024-2026 to the $45-$275 weekly amounts (maximum $275 since January 1, 2020), the 14-20 week scale, the waiting week or the 15-day appeal deadline.

Questions about unemployment in Alabama

How do I file for unemployment in Alabama?

Apply online in the Claimant Portal, or by phone at 1-866-234-5382 (Monday to Friday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central). Phones and computers are available at Alabama Career Centers. For initial claims filed from September 30, 2026, you must verify your identity through Login.gov, starting from the Claimant Portal, within 10 calendar days of filing.

How much is the weekly benefit in Alabama?

The weekly benefit is $45 to $275. Maximum: benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2020. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/26 of the average of your wages in the two highest-paid quarters of your base period.

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Alabama?

Currently 14 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate). The total you can get in your benefit year is the lower of 14 times your weekly benefit amount or one-fourth of your total base-period wages.

What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in Alabama?

Appeal to the Hearings and Appeals Division (appeals tribunal hearing): 15 calendar days from the mailing date on the notice of determination (or 7 calendar days if the notice was delivered to you in person). File as early as you can.