Unemployment benefits in Arizona

Arizona calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by Arizona Department of Economic Security, Unemployment Insurance Administration (DES). You may get up to $320 a week for currently 24 weeks, after a waiting week.

File a claim

Opens DES online unemployment application on the state's site.

Or call 1-877-600-2722 · TTY 1-877-877-6226

Can I get benefits?How much and how long?Appeal a denialFree help
Weekly benefitup to $320Maximum: benefit years starting after June 30, 2022
Weeks of benefitscurrently 24 weeksYou can get 26 times your weekly benefit if Arizona's average seasonally adjusted unemployment rate for the most…
Waiting weekYes

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Can I get benefits?

You can qualify in one of two ways.

Law: A.R.S. 23-605, 23-771(A)(6), 23-622(B)(1)(b)

If you quit

If you left work voluntarily without good cause in connection with your job, you are disqualified.

If you were fired

If you were fired for willful or negligent misconduct connected with your job, you are disqualified.

Law: A.R.S. 23-771(D), (E), 23-775, 23-776

Quit, fired, refused work and the federal rules →

The wage test, the amount and your estimate →

How much and how long?

Weekly benefit

up to $320

Weeks

Currently 24 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate)

Waiting week

A waiting week

Working part time

The first $160 you earn in a week is not deducted.

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

How to file in Arizona

Apply online on the DES website (the fastest way), or by phone at 1-877-600-2722 (602-364-2722 in Maricopa County, 520-791-2722 in Tucson). You can also fill out the paper application (UIB-1272A, in English or Spanish) and mail it to DES. ARIZONA@WORK centers offer free computer access and help.

Apply as soon as you can after your last day of work.

What to have ready

  • Your Social Security number
  • Your mailing address and county
  • Your driver's license or state ID number

Certify (claim your weeks)

Weekly. File a weekly claim online every week, even while DES is still deciding your claim or an issue is pending.

Everything about filing →

Appeal a denial

  • Request for reconsidered determination (optional) — 15 calendar days from the date DES mailed the determination (the same deadline as an appeal)
  • Appeal to the Appeal Tribunal (hearing with an administrative law judge) — 15 calendar days from the date DES mailed the Determination of Deputy to your last known address (if the notice was handed to you, you have 7 calendar days after delivery)
  • Petition for Review to the Appeals Board — The date the judge's (Appeal Tribunal) decision was mailed or sent electronically
  • Application for Appeal to the Arizona Court of Appeals — 30 calendar days

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

The hearing

Format
Hearings are usually by telephone with an administrative law judge unless you ask for an in-person hearing.

Overpayments and waivers

If you got benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them.

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

Law: A.R.S. 23-787

Waiver details and the hearing checklist →

Someone filed a claim in your name

If you got mail about an Arizona unemployment claim you did not file, report it to DES. The DES Fraud Hotline is 1-800-251-2436.

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 Arizona

Legal aid

Language help

The paper application, the claimant guide and the appeal request form are available in English and Spanish.

Agency guides and handbooks

The agency's unemployment page (DES)

National help

Go deeper

How to file in Arizona

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

Weekly benefit amount in Arizona

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

Appeal a denial in Arizona

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

Quit or fired in Arizona

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

Good to know in Arizona

  • Arizona pays 24 or 26 weeks depending on the state's unemployment rate in the most recently published quarter; the rate averaged 4.9% in July-September 2026, so the number of weeks will rise to 26 if a quarter averages 5% or more.

    Law: A.R.S. 23-780

  • You must make at least one job contact a day on four different days each week.

    Law: A.R.S. 23-771

  • You can ask DES to reconsider a determination before the appeal deadline; a denied request is treated as an appeal.

    Law: A.R.S. 23-773(D)

Questions about unemployment in Arizona

How do I file for unemployment in Arizona?

Apply online on the DES website (the fastest way), or by phone at 1-877-600-2722 (602-364-2722 in Maricopa County, 520-791-2722 in Tucson). You can also fill out the paper application (UIB-1272A, in English or Spanish) and mail it to DES. ARIZONA@WORK centers offer free computer access and help.

How much is the weekly benefit in Arizona?

The weekly benefit is up to $320. Maximum: benefit years starting after June 30, 2022. Your weekly benefit is 1/25 of the wages paid in the quarter of your base period with your highest wages, rounded to the nearest dollar (50 cents rounds up).

How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Arizona?

Currently 24 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate). The most you can get in a benefit year is 24 times your weekly benefit (26 times when Arizona's unemployment rate is 5% or more), but never more than one-third of your total base-period wages.

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

Appeal to the Appeal Tribunal (hearing with an administrative law judge): 15 calendar days from the date DES mailed the Determination of Deputy to your last known address (if the notice was handed to you, you have 7 calendar days after delivery). File as early as you can.