How to file for unemployment in Indiana

The online claim is usually the fastest way. Here is what to have ready, when your claim starts and what comes after you file.

All about unemployment in Indiana

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Filing, step by step

File online through Uplink. If you do not have internet access, use a computer at your local WorkOne center during business hours. You must also verify your identity online with ID.me or in person at a U.S. Post Office.

When to file and when your claim starts

File as soon as you become unemployed. To get a voucher for the week you lost your job, you must finish your claim by 8:59 p.m. Eastern time on Saturday of that week. Claims cannot be backdated.

What to have ready

A valid email address (it becomes your Uplink username) and a password
Your full name, date of birth, address and Social Security number
Your driver's license or state ID card
Name, address and phone number of every employer in the last 2 years, your start and end dates and why you no longer work there
Check stubs from your current or most recent employer
Information about any pension, retirement or 401(k) payments, and any vacation, severance or PTO payouts
For out-of-state work in the last two years: the state where you worked and the employer's payroll address
Union hiring hall information and your dues-paid-through date, if any
If you received workers' compensation: the last day you were able to work
Your bank routing and account numbers if you want direct deposit

Certify (claim your weeks)

How often: Weekly. File a weekly voucher online in Uplink. A voucher covers the week before and can be filed starting Sunday; it must be finished by 8:59 p.m. Eastern time that Saturday. Late vouchers are not accepted. Report all work and earnings for the week you did the work.

Your first payment

You should get your first payment within 3 weeks if there are no issues on your claim. You are not paid for the first week you claim (the waiting week). Direct deposit usually arrives within two business days after your voucher is approved; you can instead choose a prepaid debit card.

Register for work

DWD starts an Indiana Career Connect account for you when you file. Log in, complete your profile and create or upload a resume. If you are not registered within 10 days of filing, you will be denied benefits until you register. If you live outside Indiana, register with your own state's job service.

Indiana Career Connect

Law: IC 22-4-14-2; IC 22-4-17-2

Official source: Source page

What applies in every state

File with the unemployment program of the state where you worked. If you worked in another state or in several states, the agency in the state where you live now can tell you how to file with other states.
It generally takes two to three weeks after you file to get your first payment. Some states require a one-week waiting period, so the second week you claim is the first week paid.

Free help

Call 1-800-891-6499. Legal aid and other free help in Indiana → Official sources →