How to file for unemployment in Maine

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 Maine

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Filing, step by step

Apply online in ReEmployME (available 24 hours a day), or by phone at 1-800-593-7660, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. If you are temporarily laid off, your employer may give you a partial claim form.

When to file and when your claim starts

Apply as soon as you are out of work. Weeks before the week you file cannot be paid, and a claim cannot be backdated for any reason. Your benefit year starts with the week you file.

What to have ready

A ReEmployME account and a valid email address
Your Social Security number
If you are not a U.S. citizen: your Alien Registration number and its expiration date
The name, address and phone number of every employer you worked for in the last 18 months, your jobs and the dates you worked
Social Security numbers of children you mainly support (for the dependency allowance)
Veterans who left the military in the last 18 months: DD-214. Federal civilian workers: SF-8 or SF-50

Certify (claim your weeks)

How often: Weekly. File a weekly certification online in ReEmployME or by phone, and report your work search each week, starting right after you apply, even before you are approved. Each weekly claim must be filed within 14 days of the Saturday that ends the week, or it may not be paid. Report all earnings for the week you did the work.

Your first payment

It takes about two to three weeks from the date you file to get your first payment if there are no eligibility issues. You can choose direct deposit (fastest) or a U.S. Bank debit card.

Register for work

You must have an active Maine JobLink account. When you file, the system creates a partial JobLink account for you; log in and set a new password. Browsing JobLink does not count as a work search activity.

Maine JobLink

Law: 26 M.R.S. sec. 1192-A(2)(A), (B)

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 1-800-593-7660. Legal aid and other free help in Maine → Official sources →