Unemployment benefits in North Carolina

Can I get benefits?

You must have been paid wages in at least two quarters of your base period, and your total base-period wages must be at least six times the state's average weekly insured wage.

Law: N.C. Gen. Stat. 96-14.1(b)

If you quit

If you quit, you are disqualified unless you left for good cause attributable to your employer.

If you were fired

You are disqualified if you were fired for misconduct connected with the work.

Law: N.C. Gen. Stat. 96-14.1(c), 96-14.5, 96-14.6, 96-14.8, 96-14.11

Quit, fired, refused work and the federal rules →

The wage test, the amount and your estimate →

How much and how long?

Weekly benefit

$15–$350

Weeks

Currently 12 weeks (it changes with the unemployment rate)

Waiting week

A waiting week

Working part time

An amount equal to 20% of your weekly benefit amount is not deducted.

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

How to file in North Carolina

Apply online through your MyNCUIBenefits account (the fastest way) or by phone at 888-737-0259. You must also register as a job seeker with NCWorks.

Your benefit year starts once you both file a claim with DES and register with NCWorks.gov.

What to have ready

• Your Social Security number, or your Alien Number and its expiration date if you are not a U.S. citizen
• Your work history for the past two years: employer information (W-2s or pay stubs), total wages, employment dates and pay rate
• Why your job ended

Certify (claim your weeks)

Weekly. File a weekly certification every week in your MyNCUIBenefits account, starting the week you file your claim, even while waiting for a decision.

Everything about filing →

Appeal a denial

• Appeal of a determination to an Appeals Referee — 30 calendar days from the date you were notified of the determination or the date it was mailed, whichever is earlier
• Appeal to the Board of Review (higher authority appeal) — 10 calendar days (plus 3 days for mail) from the date the Appeals Referee decision is mailed (or you are notified, if earlier)
• Petition for judicial review in superior court — 30 calendar days

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

The hearing

Format

Hearings are usually by telephone conference call, or in person at the DES central office in Raleigh if requested.

Overpayments and waivers

An overpayment means DES paid you benefits you were not eligible for, and you must repay it, even if the mistake was not yours or a decision in your favor is later reversed on appeal.

Appeal within

30 days from the date you were notified of the overpayment determination

Fraud penalty

15% added when the overpayment is fraud

Waiver

The state can waive some overpayments.

Law: N.C. Gen. Stat. 96-18(e), (g), (h)

Waiver details and the hearing checklist →

Someone filed a claim in your name

If someone filed an unemployment claim using your information, report it to DES online through its fraud reporting form or call the Fraud Hotline at 919-701-3543. DES will not contact you about unclaimed benefits or ask for your password or user ID.

• Report it online
• Phone: 919-701-3543

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 North Carolina

• North Carolina has one of the shortest benefit periods: currently up to 12 weeks, set twice a year by the unemployment rate.

  Law: N.C. Gen. Stat. 96-14.3

• The maximum weekly benefit is $350 and is not indexed.

  Law: N.C. Gen. Stat. 96-14.2

• You have only 10 days (plus 3 if the decision was mailed) to appeal an Appeals Referee decision to the Board of Review.

Questions about unemployment in North Carolina