Appeal an unemployment denial in Michigan

An appeal has short deadlines. Find your deadline, then use the letter and checklist to get ready.

All about unemployment in Michigan

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Levels of appeal and deadlines

Protest of a Determination

Unemployment Insurance Agency (UIA)

Deadline

30 calendar days from the mail date on the Determination

Counts as filed
when the agency receives it
How to file
Protest in writing. The fastest way is through your MiWAM account (Determination Status, then 'File protest'). You can also mail or fax Form UIA 1733. Protest each Determination separately. UIA then issues a Redetermination.
Where to send it

Unemployment Insurance Agency, P.O. Box 169, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0169

File online

Fax: 1-517-636-0427

It must include
  • Your name
  • Your Michigan Identification Number (MIN)
  • The Determination you disagree with
  • Why you disagree, with any supporting documents
  • Your signature and the date
  • If late, why you are late
If it is late
A protest received after 30 days is late. Include an explanation of why. UIA decides whether you had good cause; it can reconsider for good cause up to 1 year after the original Determination was mailed.
While you appeal
Keep certifying (filing your weekly or biweekly claims).

Law: MCL 421.32a(1)-(2)

Official source: Source page

Appeal of a Redetermination for a hearing before an Administrative Law Judge

Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules (MOAHR); the appeal is filed with UIA

Deadline

30 calendar days from the mail date on the Redetermination

Counts as filed
when the agency receives it
How to file
Appeal in writing through your MiWAM account (Determination Status, then 'File appeal'), or mail or fax Form UIA 1733 to the address or fax number on the Redetermination. If you have more than one pending case, you can ask when you appeal to combine them into one hearing (in MiWAM or with Form UIA 6631).
Where to send it

Unemployment Insurance Agency, P.O. Box 124, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0124

File online

Fax: 1-616-356-0739

It must include
  • Your name
  • Your Michigan Identification Number (MIN)
  • The Redetermination you disagree with
  • Why you disagree, with any supporting documents
  • Your signature and the date
  • If late, why you are late
If it is late
If your appeal is received late, UIA decides whether you had good cause. A decision that you were late without good cause can itself be appealed to an Administrative Law Judge, who decides whether good cause was shown.
While you appeal
Keep certifying (filing your weekly or biweekly claims).

Law: MCL 421.32a, 421.33(1)

Official source: Source page

Appeal to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission

Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission (UIAC)

Deadline

30 calendar days from the mail date of the Administrative Law Judge's decision (or of a denial of rehearing)

Counts as filed
when the agency receives it
How to file
File in writing. You can e-file with the Commission's online Appeal Form, or send it by mail, email or fax. There is no fee. The Commission reviews the hearing record; you can ask to submit written or oral argument or more evidence by the deadline in its Important Notice. You can instead ask the judge for a rehearing within the same 30 days.
Where to send it

Unemployment Insurance Appeals Commission, P.O. Box 30475, Lansing, MI 48909-7975

File online

Fax: 517-241-7326

It must include
  • Your name, address and phone number
  • The docket number and date of the judge's decision
  • Why you disagree with the decision
  • Your signature and the date
If it is late
The deadline is on the judge's decision. A late request for rehearing that is filed within one year of the decision is treated as a request to reopen, and the judge decides whether you had good cause.
While you appeal
Keep certifying (filing your weekly or biweekly claims).

Law: MCL 421.33(2), 421.34

Official source: Source page

Appeal to circuit court

Deadline

30 calendar days from the mail date on the Appeals Commission's decision (the appeal must be received by the court)

What to know
You can appeal a final Commission decision to the circuit court in the county where you live or where you worked. The appeal must be received by the court within 30 days of the mail date on the decision. Circuit court charges filing fees. Instructions come with the Commission's decision.

Law: MCL 421.38

Every state must give a fair hearing before an impartial tribunal to anyone whose claim is denied.

Law: 42 U.S.C. 503(a)(3) (Social Security Act sec. 303(a)(3))

Appeal deadline calculator

Pick the appeal and enter the date it runs from. We add the days from the state's rule to that date.

Worked out in your browser. Nothing you type here is saved or sent.

Use the date printed on your paper or online notice.

Pick the appeal and enter the date

Appeal request letter

Fill in the boxes and get a letter you can print or send. You write the reasons in your own words. The letter is in English because the agency works in English.

Copy the address where your notice says to send it.

Write it yourself, in English. We do not suggest what to say.

Sign the letter and keep a copy. Keep certifying while you appeal.

Other formats

Preview (the English text you send)

Hearing preparation checklist

Logistics and rights from your state's hearing information, plus your own list of witnesses and documents.

Other formats

Preview

The hearing

Format
Hearings are normally by telephone conference call; they can be by video (Teams or Zoom) or in person. To ask for an in-person or video hearing, send a written request explaining why; the judge decides.
Notice before the hearing
10 days
Documents and witnesses
Send copies of any documents you want considered to the judge and to the other party so they arrive at least 3 days before the hearing. If you already sent them to UIA, send them again. Sworn written statements are not accepted as evidence; witnesses must have direct knowledge and be ready to testify at the hearing time.
Subpoena
If a witness may not come voluntarily, ask the judge's office for a subpoena and deliver it to the witness yourself, well before the hearing. Neither UIA nor the judge delivers subpoenas.
Interpreter
If you need an interpreter or other accommodation, tell MOAHR as soon as you get your Notice of Hearing. If you bring your own interpreter, the judge may postpone so an independent interpreter can be scheduled.
Representation
Representation is not required. UIA's Advocacy Program gives free help at the first hearing to people whose cases qualify; call 1-800-638-3994 after you get your Notice of Hearing and at least two business days before the hearing. If the judge finds you committed fraud, you must pay the cost of the advocacy services. You may also hire your own representative.
If you miss it
If you filed the appeal and do not appear, the judge may dismiss it and the Redetermination stays in effect. You can ask the judge for a rehearing within 30 days of the decision; a late request filed within one year is treated as a request to reopen, and the judge decides whether you had good cause. To reschedule before the hearing, write or fax the judge with your reasons; only exceptionally good reasons are accepted.

Law: MCL 421.33, 421.34

Overpayments and waivers

An overpayment means you got benefits you were not entitled to. UIA sends a letter explaining it and how to repay. Interest is 1% per month, capped at 50% of the principal. If UIA finds you intentionally made a false statement or hid information, it cancels your benefits for that benefit year and can charge damages equal to the amount obtained, and you may be prosecuted.

Law: 1.5 times for a repeat violation

Appeal within
30 days from the date on the determination or redetermination letter (protest a determination; appeal a redetermination)
Fraud penalty
100% added when the overpayment is fraud
Waiver
The state can waive some overpayments.
The standard
Except in cases of intentional false statements or hiding information, UIA must waive repayment and interest if repayment would be contrary to equity and good conscience. The law says this means any of these: your household's average net income and cash assets for the last 6 months were at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines (financial hardship); the overpayment came from an administrative or clerical error by UIA; or you gave incorrect wage information without meaning to and the employer gave no or wrong wage information.
How to ask
Ask for a financial hardship waiver in MiWAM (UI Claim screen, Claimant Services tab) or with Form UIA 1795. Since July 17, 2026, you can apply up to four times a year. Unemployment benefits are not counted as household income, and cash assets count only if you have more than $100,000 in checking or savings. If a waiver is denied, you can protest with Form UIA 1733. Collection does not begin until your protest and appeal rights are used up.
Waiver form
Request for Waiver of Restitution - financial hardship (UIA 1795)
Income
Your household's average net income and cash assets for the 6 months before you apply, not counting social welfare or unemployment benefits, must be at or below 150% of the current federal poverty guidelines.
How the state collects
If you are still getting benefits, UIA takes up to 50% of each payment (100% if fraud was involved). Unpaid overpayments can lead to wage garnishment, interception of federal and Michigan income tax refunds (the federal refund only for an overpayment caused by fraud or unreported earnings, after a notice giving you at least 60 days to respond), and taking lottery winnings over $1,000. Call the Benefit Overpayment Collection Unit at 1-866-500-0017 to set up repayment.

Law: MCL 421.54(b), 421.62; MCL 421.62(a)

What federal law adds on overpayments

  • Whether an overpayment can be waived, and how to ask, depends on your state's law. See your state's page.
  • Your federal tax refund can be taken to pay a past-due state unemployment overpayment caused by fraud or by not reporting your earnings, once it is final under state law. Before this happens, the state must notify you and give you at least 60 days to show that the debt is not owed or not legally enforceable.

    Law: 26 U.S.C. 6402(f)

  • For fraud overpayments, the state must add a penalty of at least 15 percent.

    Law: 42 U.S.C. 503(a)(11)

Free help

Call 1-866-500-0017. Legal aid and other free help in Michigan → Official sources →

More questions about unemployment in Michigan

Where can I get free help with an unemployment claim in Michigan?

UIA Advocacy Program (free help at your hearing for qualifying cases), Michigan Legal Help: Unemployment Benefits (free legal information and help finding legal aid) and Michigan Works! Service Centers.