Unemployment benefits in New Jersey
New Jersey calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by New Jersey Department of Labor and Workforce Development, Division of Unemployment Insurance (NJDOL). You may get up to $905 a week for up to 26 weeks, with no waiting week.
Opens NJ Unemployment online account (myunemployment.nj.gov) on the state's site.
Or call 732-761-2020 · Reemployment Call Centers: weekdays (except state holidays), 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. Eastern time · TTY 7-1-1 (New Jersey Relay)
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
For claims filed in 2026, you need at least 20 'base weeks' in your base year (a base week is a week in which you earned at least $310), or total base-year earnings of at least $15,500.
Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-4(e)(4), 43:21-19(c), (t)
If you quit
If you quit, you are disqualified unless you had good cause attributable to the work.
If you were fired
Being fired does not by itself stop benefits.
Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-5(a)-(c)
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
up to $905
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
No waiting week
- Working part time
The amount not deducted is the greater of $5 or 20% of your weekly benefit amount.
How to file in New Jersey
File online at myunemployment.nj.gov (the easiest and quickest way), or by phone through a Reemployment Call Center. If you were a maritime worker in the last 18 months or live outside the United States, you must file by phone.
File as soon as you become unemployed or your hours are cut, but not before.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number
- Your home and mailing address and phone number
- Your New Jersey driver's license or non-driver photo ID number
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. Certify every week online (Sunday through Friday), or every two weeks by phone on your assigned day (Monday if your Social Security number ends in an odd number, Tuesday if it ends in an even number).
Appeal a denial
- Appeal to the Appeal Tribunal — 21 calendar days from the date the determination was mailed to you (or delivered electronically, if you chose electronic notices)
- Appeal to the Board of Review — 20 calendar days from the mailing date (or notification date) of the Appeal Tribunal's decision
- Appeal to the Appellate Division of the Superior Court of New Jersey — 45 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Most hearings are by telephone; some are in person.
- Notice before the hearing
- 5 days
Overpayments and waivers
If you got benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them.
- Appeal
- Follow the appeal instructions at the bottom of the overpayment notice. The law allows 30 calendar days after the notice was mailed, or 20 calendar days after confirmed receipt; NJDOL's page for waiver decisions says appeals must be submitted within 21 days after the determination was emailed.
- Fraud penalty
- 25% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-16(a), (d)
Someone filed a claim in your name
If someone filed a claim using your Social Security number or other information, tell NJDOL right away using its online identity theft form, by phone at 609-376-5945 (option 4), or by mail to Division of Fraud Prevention and Risk Management, PO Box 043, Trenton, NJ 08625-0043. Real NJDOL emails about your claim come from no-reply@dol.nj.gov and include your full name.
- Report it online
- Phone: 609-376-5945
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 New Jersey
Legal aid
- Legal Services of New Jersey - LSNJLAW Hotline (free legal help for low-income residents) · 1-888-576-5529
- LSNJLAW: Unemployment Insurance (free legal information)
- New Jersey One-Stop Career Centers (in-person help with claims by appointment)
Language help
The Division's claimant guide is also published in Spanish (PR-94S, Seguro por Desempleo: Sus Derechos y Responsabilidades). All Reemployment Call Center numbers go to the same place; New Jersey Relay is 7-1-1.
- Reemployment Call Center, North New Jersey (file a new claim): 201-601-4100
- Reemployment Call Center, Central New Jersey (file a new claim): 732-761-2020
- Reemployment Call Center, South New Jersey (file a new claim): 856-507-2340
- Out-of-state claims (call from a phone with an out-of-state area code): 1-888-795-6672
- Certify by phone (Trenton; local numbers for other cities are on the agency's Contact Us page): 609-292-6800
- Overpayments, payment plans and fraud reports (Division of Fraud Prevention and Risk Management): 609-376-5945
- Appellate Division of the Superior Court (court appeals): 609-815-2950
Agency guides and handbooks
- NJDOL: Division of Unemployment Insurance
- NJDOL: Unemployment Insurance - Your Rights and Responsibilities (PR-94)
- NJDOL: Seguro por Desempleo - Sus Derechos y Responsabilidades (PR-94S)
- NJDOL: How we calculate benefits
- NJDOL: Claimant appeals
- NJDOL: About the Appeal Tribunal
- NJDOL: About the Board of Review
- NJDOL: Appeal Research Tool (past appeal decisions)
The agency's unemployment page (NJDOL)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in New Jersey
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in New Jersey
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in New Jersey
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in New Jersey
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in New Jersey
- New Jersey has no waiting week.
Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-4(d)
- Claimants have 21 calendar days to appeal a determination; employers have 7.
Law: N.J.S.A. 43:21-6(b)(1)
- New Jersey does not tax unemployment benefits (NJDOL PR-94); they are subject to federal tax.
Changes in 2024–2026
The maximum weekly benefit rose from $875 (2025) to $905 for claims filed in 2026, and the base-week amount rose from $303 to $310 (the alternative earnings test rose from $15,200 to $15,500). These amounts are updated every year (NJDOL announcement, December 29, 2025).
Questions about unemployment in New Jersey
How do I file for unemployment in New Jersey?
File online at myunemployment.nj.gov (the easiest and quickest way), or by phone through a Reemployment Call Center. If you were a maritime worker in the last 18 months or live outside the United States, you must file by phone. You can use a computer at a One-Stop Career Center, and you can book an appointment there for in-person help with a claim.
How much is the weekly benefit in New Jersey?
The weekly benefit is up to $905. Maximum: claims filed in calendar year 2026 (the maximum for 2025 was $875). Your weekly benefit rate is 60% of your average weekly wage in your base year, rounded down to the whole dollar, up to the maximum ($905 in 2026).
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in New Jersey?
Up to 26 weeks. Your maximum benefit amount is your weekly benefit rate times the number of base weeks you worked in your base year, up to 26 weeks.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in New Jersey?
Appeal to the Appeal Tribunal: 21 calendar days from the date the determination was mailed to you (or delivered electronically, if you chose electronic notices). File as early as you can.