Unemployment benefits in Louisiana
Louisiana calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by Louisiana Works (formerly the Louisiana Workforce Commission), Office of Unemployment Insurance Administration (Louisiana Works). You may get $35 to $282 a week for currently 12 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens HiRE (Helping Individuals Reach Employment) on the state's site.
Or call 1-866-783-5567 · UI Call Center (1-866-783-5567): Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Online filing in HiRE is open any time. · TTY 1-800-259-5154
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have at least $1,200 in total base-period wages, and your total base-period wages must be at least 1.5 times the wages in your highest-paid quarter.
Law: La. R.S. 23:1592(A), 23:1600(5)
If you quit
If you quit, you are disqualified unless you left for good cause attributable to a substantial change the employer made to your job.
If you were fired
You are disqualified if you were fired for misconduct connected with your work.
Law: La. R.S. 23:1601(1)-(3), (10)
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$35–$282
- Weeks
Currently 12 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate)
- Waiting week
A waiting week
- Working part time
The amount not deducted is the lesser of $50 or 50% of your weekly benefit amount.
How to file in Louisiana
File online any time through your HiRE account (fastest). If you cannot file online, call the UI Call Center at 1-866-783-5567.
File as soon as you are out of work.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number
- Names, addresses, job-site locations and phone numbers of all employers you worked for in the last 18 months
- Name and local number of your union hall, if any
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. Request payment every week online in HiRE or by phone at 1-866-783-5567.
Appeal a denial
- Request for redetermination of your benefit amount — The Monetary Determination
- Appeal to the Appeals Tribunal (Administrative Law Judge) — 15 calendar days from the mailing date of the Notice of Claim Determination or Notice of Overpayment
- Appeal to the Board of Review — 15 calendar days from the mailing date on the Administrative Law Judge's decision
- Petition for judicial review in state district court — 15 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Most hearings are by telephone.
- Notice before the hearing
- 7 days
Overpayments and waivers
If you get benefits you were not eligible for, you must pay them back.
- Respond within
- 7 days
- Appeal within
- 15 days from the mailing date of the Notice of Overpayment
- Fraud penalty
- 25% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: La. R.S. 23:1713(C), 23:1714
Someone filed a claim in your name
If someone filed a Louisiana unemployment claim in your name, report it through Louisiana Works' "Report UI Identity Fraud" link on its fraud page, or call 1-866-783-5567.
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 Louisiana
Legal aid
- Acadiana Legal Service Corporation (free civil legal aid, central, north and southwest parishes)
- Southeast Louisiana Legal Services (free civil legal aid, southeast parishes)
- Appeals Clerk of Court: 1-800-256-8023
- U.S. Bank ReliaCard (UI debit card): 1-855-274-0354
- UI Custodian of Records (wage records): 225-342-3018
Agency guides and handbooks
- Louisiana Works: Unemployment Benefits Rights and Information (Rev. 08/2026)
- Louisiana Works: Claimant Benefits FAQs
- Louisiana Works: Claimant Appeals FAQs
- Louisiana Works: Maximum Duration of Weekly UI Benefits (2026 chart)
- Louisiana Works: Rules for UI Appeals and Employment Security Law
The agency's unemployment page (Louisiana Works)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in Louisiana
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in Louisiana
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in Louisiana
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in Louisiana
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in Louisiana
- Benefit weeks follow the state unemployment rate (12 to 20 weeks). Claims filed from December 2025 through December 2026 get up to 12 weeks.
Law: R.S. 23:1595, Act 412 of 2024
Source: Louisiana Works duration chart
- Since January 4, 2026, new claimants must do five work search activities a week instead of three.
Law: Act 151 of 2025
- An overpayment waiver is decided only on an appeal of the overpayment.
Law: R.S. 23:1713(B)
Changes in 2024–2026
Act 412 of 2024 (effective January 1, 2025; new claims filed on or after January 5, 2025) cut the maximum from 26 weeks to 12-20 weeks based on the unemployment rate. Act 553 of 2024 (effective December 31, 2024) amended the overpayment penalty law. Act 151 of 2025 (effective December 31, 2025; new claims from January 4, 2026) raised work search to five activities a week and added missing a job interview and refusing approved training as grounds for disqualification. Act 184 of 2026 changed the duration update to twice a year (January and July). The maximum weekly benefit is $282 for 2026 (it was $275 under the lower trust-fund procedure).
Law: R.S. 23:1714
Questions about unemployment in Louisiana
How do I file for unemployment in Louisiana?
File online any time through your HiRE account (fastest). If you cannot file online, call the UI Call Center at 1-866-783-5567. You must also verify your identity before any benefits can be paid.
How much is the weekly benefit in Louisiana?
The weekly benefit is $35 to $282. Maximum: new claims in calendar year 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1/25 of the average of your wages in the four quarters of your base period, rounded down to the next lower dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Louisiana?
Currently 12 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate). For new claims filed in 2026, benefits last up to 12 weeks.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in Louisiana?
Appeal to the Appeals Tribunal (Administrative Law Judge): 15 calendar days from the mailing date of the Notice of Claim Determination or Notice of Overpayment. File as early as you can.