Unemployment benefits in Illinois
Illinois calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). You may get $51 to $628 a week for up to 26 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens IDES online account (Illinois Benefits Information System, IBIS) on the state's site.
Or call 1-800-244-5631 · Online claims and Tele-Serve certification: Monday through Friday, 3 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. · TTY 1-866-488-4016
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have been paid at least $1,600 in your base period, and at least $440 of it outside the quarter when your wages were highest.
Law: 820 ILCS 405/237, 405/500(E)
If you quit
If you quit without good cause attributable to your employer, you are disqualified, unless you left for one of the reasons the law lists.
If you were fired
If you were fired for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified.
Law: 820 ILCS 405/601, 405/602, 405/603
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$51–$628
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
- Working part time
An amount equal to 50% of your earnings that week is not deducted.
How to file in Illinois
File online through your IDES account. If you cannot file online, call 1-217-558-0401 to make an appointment to file in person or by phone at an IDES office.
File during the first week after you lose your job, or as soon as you can.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number and your name as it appears on your Social Security card
- Your driver's license or state ID
- If you claim a spouse or child as a dependent: their names, Social Security numbers and birth dates
Certify (claim your weeks)
Every two weeks. Certify every two weeks on your assigned day online or by Tele-Serve at 1-312-338-4337.
Appeal a denial
- Request for reconsideration and appeal to a Referee (Administrative Law Judge) — 30 calendar days from the mailing date on the finding or determination
- Appeal to the Board of Review — 30 calendar days from the mailing date of the Referee's decision
- Administrative review in the circuit court — 35 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Hearings are by telephone.
Overpayments and waivers
An overpayment means you were paid benefits you were not eligible for.
- Appeal within
- 30 days from the mailing date on the overpayment (recoupment) decision
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: 820 ILCS 405/900, 405/901
Someone filed a claim in your name
If you get a debit card, check or UI Finding letter but did not file, or your employer tells you about a claim you did not file, report it to IDES online or call 1-800-814-0513. IDES investigates and sends a letter when it stops the claim. You do not have to pay back benefits paid to an identity thief, and you can still file your own claim if you need to.
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 Illinois
Legal aid
- IDES Legal Services Program (free legal help for eligible claimants at appeal hearings, run by contracted law firms) · 1-844-562-7448
- Illinois Legal Aid Online (free legal information and a directory of legal aid programs)
Language help
IDES notices tell you to contact your local office if you need an interpreter. The guide "What Every Worker Should Know About Unemployment Insurance" is available in English, Spanish, Polish, Chinese and Arabic. At an appeal hearing, the judge brings in an interpreter for you or your witnesses if you need one.
- Tele-Serve (certify by phone): 1-312-338-4337
- Appointment scheduling (in-person or phone appointment): 1-217-558-0401
- Fraud and identity theft (Benefit Payment Control): 1-800-814-0513
- Overpayment repayment plans (Benefit Collections): 1-800-245-9762
- IllinoisJobLink.com Help Desk: 1-877-342-7533
Agency guides and handbooks
- IDES: Unemployment Insurance Benefit Handbook
- IDES: What Every Worker Should Know About Unemployment Insurance (CLI111L, also in Spanish)
- IDES: Appeals
- IDES: Preparing for Your Appeal Hearing
- IDES: Table of Weekly Benefit Amounts (CLI110L)
The agency's unemployment page (IDES)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in Illinois
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in Illinois
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in Illinois
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in Illinois
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in Illinois
- Illinois adds a dependent allowance: for 2026 the weekly maximum is $628, or $748 with a dependent spouse and $859 with a dependent child (IDES CLI110L).
- In Illinois, the first step after a denial is a request for reconsideration; if IDES does not change its decision, the same request becomes an appeal to a Referee.
Source: IDES Appeals page, form ADJ024F
- A 2026 law postponed the benefit cuts that were scheduled for 2027 claims until 2029, so the 47% rate and 26 weeks stay in place for 2027.
Law: Public Act 104-0839; 820 ILCS 405/401, 403
Changes in 2024–2026
The weekly maximum is recalculated each year from the statewide average weekly wage. For benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2026, the maximum is $628 (individual), $748 (with dependent spouse) and $859 (with dependent child). A 2026 law postponed scheduled benefit cuts that were set to start in 2027: the lower rate and the 24-week limit now apply only to benefit years beginning in 2029, so for 2027 claims the 47% rate and 26 weeks remain in the law.
Law: Public Act 104-0839, signed August 21, 2026; 40.8% of the average weekly wage
Questions about unemployment in Illinois
How do I file for unemployment in Illinois?
File online through your IDES account. If you cannot file online, call 1-217-558-0401 to make an appointment to file in person or by phone at an IDES office. You can also get help at IDES offices and Illinois workNet Centers.
How much is the weekly benefit in Illinois?
The weekly benefit is $51 to $628. Maximum: benefit years and weeks of unemployment beginning on or after January 1, 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 47% of your average weekly wage in the two quarters of your base period when you were paid the most.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Illinois?
Up to 26 weeks. You can get up to 26 full weeks of benefits in your benefit year.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in Illinois?
Request for reconsideration and appeal to a Referee (Administrative Law Judge): 30 calendar days from the mailing date on the finding or determination. File as early as you can.