How to file for unemployment in Maryland

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 Maryland

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Filing, step by step

File online in BEACON, or by phone with a claims agent at 667-207-6520, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. You may need to verify your identity before your claim is processed. In-person help is offered at a few American Job Centers and at 100 S. Charles Street in Baltimore.

When to file and when your claim starts

File as soon as you are out of work. Your claim's effective date is the Sunday of the week you file, and your benefit year starts then. File in the state where you worked, not where you live.

What to have ready

Your Social Security number
Your address, phone number and email address
The name, address, phone number and your start and end dates for every employer in the last 18 months, and the reason you left each job
Your return-to-work date, if you have one
Names, Social Security numbers and birth dates of dependent children you claim (and the other parent's name, Social Security number and birth date)
If you are not a U.S. citizen or national: your alien registration number and its expiration date
Federal workers: SF-8 or SF-50. Military: DD-214 Member 4
Union members: your union name and local number
Any vacation, holiday, severance, pension or back pay you got or will get

Certify (claim your weeks)

How often: Weekly. Each week, first record your job search in the Maryland Workforce Exchange, then file your weekly certification in BEACON, the MD Unemployment for Claimants app or by phone (410-949-0022 or 1-800-827-4839). File between Sunday 12:01 a.m. and Saturday 11:59 p.m. of the week right after the week you are claiming. Report gross earnings for the week you did the work.

Your first payment

MD Labor aims to decide your claim within 21 days after you file; it can take longer if your employer challenges it. You choose direct deposit or a paper check.

Register for work

After you file, you must register in the Maryland Workforce Exchange, upload or create a resume and make it viewable to employers. You record your weekly job search there before each weekly certification.

Maryland Workforce Exchange (MWE)

Law: Md. Code, Lab. & Empl. secs. 8-801, 8-903

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 667-207-6520. Legal aid and other free help in Maryland → Official sources →