Unemployment benefits in Nebraska

Can I get benefits?

You must have earned at least the yearly minimum in total base-period wages, with at least $1,850 in one quarter and at least $800 in another quarter.

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. secs. 48-602(2), 48-627.01

If you quit

If you quit without good cause, you are disqualified.

If you were fired

If you were fired for misconduct connected with your work, you are disqualified for the week of the firing and the next 14 weeks.

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. secs. 48-628.10, 48-628.12, 48-628.13

Quit, fired, refused work and the federal rules →

The wage test, the amount and your estimate →

How much and how long?

Weekly benefit

up to $582

Weeks

Up to 26 weeks

Waiting week

A waiting week

Working part time

An amount equal to 25% of your weekly benefit amount is not deducted.

How it is figured, the full rules and the estimate tool →

How to file in Nebraska

File online at NEworks: register as an individual, enter your work history for the last 18 months, and create or upload a resume (plan about an hour). If you do not have internet access or need assistive technology, a local Job Center can help.

File in the week your job ends or your hours are cut.

What to have ready

• Your home mailing address, phone number and email address
• Your driver's license or state ID card number
• Bank routing and account numbers, if you want direct deposit

Certify (claim your weeks)

Weekly. File a weekly claim in NEworks after each Sunday-to-Saturday week ends, starting as early as Sunday and no later than the following Saturday.

Everything about filing →

Appeal a denial

• Appeal to the Nebraska Appeal Tribunal — 20 calendar days from the date the determination was mailed
• Request to Reconsider (to the Appeal Tribunal) — 10 calendar days from the mail date on the Tribunal's decision
• Petition for review in District Court — 30 calendar days

Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →

The hearing

Format

Appeal hearings are mainly held by Zoom (telephone hearings are also used).

Overpayments and waivers

If you got benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them.

Appeal within

20 days from the date the determination was mailed

Waiver

Not available in our data for regular benefits.

Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. sec. 48-665

Waiver details and the hearing checklist →

Someone filed a claim in your name

If you get a determination letter from NDOL but did not apply, call the Benefit Integrity Unit at 402-471-2865 right away. If you got a 1099-G from NDOL but did not file a claim, email NDOL.1099fraud@nebraska.gov and file a police report.

• Report it online
• Phone: 402-471-2865

National steps

1. 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.
2. 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.
3. Check your free credit reports at AnnualCreditReport.com or 877-322-8228. Report other identity theft at IdentityTheft.gov.
4. 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

Good to know in Nebraska

• Nebraska requires five reemployment activities every week, including at least two job applications (NDOL Required Reemployment Activities).
• There is no board of review: after the Appeal Tribunal, you can ask it to reconsider within 10 days or go to District Court within 30 days (NDOL Disqualifications and Appeal Rights).
• Nebraska's weekly benefit is rounded down to an even whole dollar.

  Law: Neb. Rev. Stat. sec. 48-624

Changes in 2024–2026

The maximum weekly benefit is reset each year at half of the state average weekly wage; NDOL lists $582 for 2026. The base-period wage minimum is adjusted each January 1 for inflation (NDOL lists $5,297 for 2025). Laws 2025, LB265 amended the maximum-benefit section (48-626) with a statement that benefit amounts are not affected.

Questions about unemployment in Nebraska