Unemployment benefits in Hawaii
Hawaii calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Unemployment Insurance Division (DLIR). You may get $5 to $868 a week for up to 26 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens Hawaii UI claims website (huiclaims.hawaii.gov) on the state's site.
Or call 1-833-901-2272 · Call Center: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Hawaii time (claims offices open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., except state holidays) · TTY 808-586-8842
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have been paid wages in at least two quarters of your base period, and your total base-period wages must be at least 26 times your weekly benefit amount.
Law: HRS 383-29(a)(5)
If you quit
If you quit without good cause, you are disqualified.
If you were fired
You are disqualified if you were fired or suspended for misconduct connected with work.
Law: HRS 383-30, 383-29(a)(5); HAR 12-5-47, 12-5-51
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$5–$868
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
- Working part time
The first $150 you earn in a week is not deducted.
How to file in Hawaii
File online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov (create an account or log in as a claimant). If you need help, call the UI Call Center, visit a local claims office (bring photo ID), or make an appointment at labor.hawaii.gov/ui/appointments.
Apply right away.
What to have ready
- If you are not a U.S. citizen: your alien registration number
- Your work history for the past 18 months: each employer's name, address, zip code and phone number, your dates of work and the reason you left
- Military: DD-214 Member 4 copy (do not delay filing if you do not have it)
Certify (claim your weeks)
Every two weeks. File biweekly claim certifications online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov, answering the questions separately for each week.
Appeal a denial
- Appeal to the Employment Security Appeals Referees' Office (ESARO) — 10 calendar days from the mailing date of the determination
- Appeal to circuit court (judicial review) — 30 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Hearings may be in person or by telephone.
- Notice before the hearing
- 12 days
Overpayments and waivers
If you received benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them unless you were not at fault and repayment would be against equity and good conscience.
- Appeal within
- 10 days from the mailing date of the overpayment decision
- Fraud penalty
- 15% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: HRS 383-44
Someone filed a claim in your name
To report fraud or a claim filed in your name, call the UI Call Center at 808-762-5752 or 833-901-2272 and press 3 for the Internal Security Section.
National steps
- 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.
- 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.
- Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
- 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 Hawaii
Legal aid
- Legal Aid Society of Hawaii (free civil legal help for people with low incomes) · 808-536-4302
- American Job Center Hawaii (job search and training help)
Language help
Free language help is available. Call 808-762-5752 or 833-901-2272, or visit a claims office. The claimant handbook has notices in Chinese, Japanese, Tagalog, Ilocano, Korean, Vietnamese, Spanish, Chuukese and Marshallese, and DLIR has language pages for each. ESARO says you have the right to a free interpreter (call 808-586-8930).
- UI Call Center (Oahu number): 808-762-5752
- Employment Security Appeals Referees' Office (ESARO): 808-586-8930
- ESARO from Molokai/Lanai (toll-free, then ext. 6-8930): 1-800-468-4644
Agency guides and handbooks
- DLIR: Unemployment Insurance Handbook
- DLIR: Unemployment Insurance FAQ
- DLIR: Tax Rate Schedule and Weekly Benefit Amount
- DLIR: Benefit estimator
- ESARO: Appeals Process
- ESARO: Frequently Asked Questions
- DLIR: Información en español
The agency's unemployment page (DLIR)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in Hawaii
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in Hawaii
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in Hawaii
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in Hawaii
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in Hawaii
- Hawaii's maximum weekly benefit is $868 for 2026, among the highest in the country (DLIR).
- Hawaii has only one appeal level inside the agency (ESARO); after that, you can ask for reopening or go to circuit court.
- You can earn up to $150 a week without any cut in your weekly benefit.
Source: DLIR FAQ
- A 2025 law changes the appeal rule from April 1, 2027: if a notice is not mailed, the 10 days run from the date of electronic notification, and hearing notices may be sent electronically.
Law: Act 214; HRS 383-38, version effective April 1, 2027
Changes in 2024–2026
The maximum weekly benefit rose from $796 (2024) to $835 (2025) and $868 (2026); it is reset each calendar year.
Questions about unemployment in Hawaii
How do I file for unemployment in Hawaii?
File online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov (create an account or log in as a claimant). If you need help, call the UI Call Center, visit a local claims office (bring photo ID), or make an appointment at labor.hawaii.gov/ui/appointments. You must verify your identity through Login.gov or in person at most post offices in Hawaii.
How much is the weekly benefit in Hawaii?
The weekly benefit is $5 to $868. Maximum: calendar year 2026 (it was $835 in 2025); the maximum is set by law each year. DLIR divides the wages from the highest-paid quarter of your base period by 21 and rounds up to the next whole dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Hawaii?
Up to 26 weeks. Your claim lasts one year (your benefit year).
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in Hawaii?
Appeal to the Employment Security Appeals Referees' Office (ESARO): 10 calendar days from the mailing date of the determination. File as early as you can.