Unemployment benefits in Montana
Montana calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by Montana Department of Labor & Industry, Unemployment Insurance Division (DLI). You may get $238 to $805 a week for up to 24 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens UI Claimant Center (uiclaimant.mt.gov) on the state's site.
Or call 1-406-444-2545 · TTY 711 (Montana Relay)
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
Your total base-period wages must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter and at least 7% of the state's average annual wage.
Law: Mont. Code Ann. 39-51-2105
If you quit
If you left work without good cause attributable to your employment, you are disqualified.
If you were fired
If you were discharged for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified.
Law: Mont. Code Ann. 39-51-2302, 39-51-2303, 39-51-2304
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$238–$805
- Weeks
Up to 24 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
- Working part time
An amount equal to 25% of your earnings that week is not deducted.
How to file in Montana
File online at uiclaimant.mt.gov, or call Claims Processing at 1-406-444-2545. You may be asked to verify your identity with ID.me.
File as soon as you are out of work or your hours are cut.
What to have ready
- Dates of employment and the reason you no longer work there, for every job in the last 18 months
- Your bank account and routing numbers for direct deposit
- If you are not a U.S. citizen or national: a copy of the front and back of your registration card
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. Request payment online each week, from Sunday through Saturday for the week before.
Appeal a denial
- Request for redetermination (optional) — 10 calendar days from the date of the determination
- Appeal to an Appeals Referee — 10 calendar days from the date the determination or redetermination was sent to your address of record
- Appeal to the Unemployment Insurance Appeals Board — 10 calendar days from the date the Appeals Referee's decision was sent to your address of record
- Petition for judicial review in district court — 30 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Hearings are by telephone and recorded.
Overpayments and waivers
If you are paid benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay the full amount, including any tax withheld.
- Appeal within
- 10 days from the date the overpayment determination was sent
- Fraud penalty
- 50% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: Mont. Code Ann. 39-51-3206
Someone filed a claim in your name
To report possible identity theft or UI fraud, call 1-406-444-0072 or 1-888-556-4677, email mtuifraud@mt.gov, or use the online reporting forms on the UI Division website. You may stay anonymous.
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 Montana
Legal aid
- Montana Legal Services Association (free civil legal help)
- Job Service Montana (free job search help)
Language help
A Spanish version of the Claimant Handbook is available. For an appeal hearing, the Office of Administrative Hearings provides an impartial interpreter if you call the number on your Notice of Telephone Hearing in advance.
- UI fraud and identity theft: 1-406-444-0072
- UI fraud line (toll-free): 1-888-556-4677
- Overpayments, waivers and offers in compromise: 1-406-444-5434
- Office of Administrative Hearings: 1-406-444-4662
- RESEA reemployment appointments: 1-888-406-9675
Agency guides and handbooks
- DLI: Claimant Handbook (December 2025)
- DLI: Manual del Reclamante (Spanish handbook)
- DLI: Claimants Redetermination / Appeal FAQs
- DLI Office of Administrative Hearings: Unemployment Insurance FAQ
- DLI: Benefits Estimator
- DLI: Work Search Record form
The agency's unemployment page (DLI)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in Montana
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in Montana
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in Montana
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in Montana
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in Montana
- Montana's weeks of benefits (8 to 24) depend on how evenly your wages were spread across the base period.
Law: Mont. Code Ann. 39-51-2204
- Since July 1, 2025, you can either ask for a redetermination or appeal straight to the Office of Administrative Hearings (DLI Redetermination / Appeal FAQs).
- Montana appeal deadlines are short: 10 days for the first appeal and for the Board appeal.
Law: Mont. Code Ann. 39-51-2402, 39-51-2403
Changes in 2024–2026
July 1, 2025: claimants may choose a redetermination by UI staff or a direct appeal to the Office of Administrative Hearings. The weekly maximum and minimum are recalculated each July: $767 and $227 for claims from July 1, 2025; $805 and $238 for claims from July 1, 2026 (DLI Benefits Estimator).
Questions about unemployment in Montana
How do I file for unemployment in Montana?
File online at uiclaimant.mt.gov, or call Claims Processing at 1-406-444-2545. You may be asked to verify your identity with ID.me.
How much is the weekly benefit in Montana?
The weekly benefit is $238 to $805. Maximum: new claims establishing a benefit year on or after July 1, 2026. Your weekly benefit amount is 1% of your total base-period wages or 1.9% of your wages in the two highest-paid quarters, whichever is higher, rounded down to the dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in Montana?
Up to 24 weeks. The number of weeks depends on how evenly your wages were spread: your total base-period wages divided by your highest quarter.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in Montana?
Appeal to an Appeals Referee: 10 calendar days from the date the determination or redetermination was sent to your address of record. File as early as you can.