Unemployment benefits in North Dakota
North Dakota calls it Unemployment Insurance (UI), run by Job Service North Dakota (JSND). You may get $43 to $800 a week for up to 26 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens UI ICE (Unemployment Insurance Internet Claims Entry) on the state's site.
Or call 701-328-4995 · Claims Center staff: Monday through Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central time. The online system (UI ICE) and the automated phone line are closed daily from 10 p.m. to midnight Central time. · TTY 1-800-366-6888
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have wages in at least two quarters of your base period, and your total base-period wages must be at least 1.5 times your highest quarter.
Law: N.D.C.C. sec. 52-06-04(1)(b), (2)
If you quit
If you quit without good cause attributable to your employer, you are disqualified.
If you were fired
You are disqualified if you were discharged for misconduct in connection with your most recent work.
Law: N.D.C.C. secs. 52-06-02, 52-06-36
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$43–$800
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
- Working part time
An amount equal to 60% of your weekly benefit amount is not deducted.
How to file in North Dakota
File online through UI ICE with a State of North Dakota login, or by phone on the automated system at 701-328-4995. You must verify your identity with ID.me before using the online system.
File in the week you become unemployed.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number
- Name, address and phone number of every employer you worked for in the last 18 months (or since you last filed)
- The wage you are willing to accept
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. Certify each week online in UI ICE or by phone after the week ends (weeks run Sunday to Saturday).
Appeal a denial
- First-level appeal to the Appeal Tribunal (appeal referee) — 12 calendar days from the date of mailing of the determination (the deadline date is printed on your determination)
- Bureau review — 12 calendar days from the date of mailing of the appeal referee's decision (the deadline is on the decision's cover letter)
- Petition for judicial review in district court — 30 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Mostly by telephone conference call; in-person only in limited cases the referee decides.
Overpayments and waivers
If you get benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them, in a lump sum or installments, or they can be taken from future benefits.
- Appeal within
- 12 days from the date of mailing of the overpayment determination (the deadline is printed on it)
- Fraud penalty
- 15% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: N.D.C.C. sec. 52-06-33
Someone filed a claim in your name
If someone applied for North Dakota benefits using your information, fill out Job Service's online identity theft form. Job Service will call you only if it needs more information; you do not need to call. The form is not a report to law enforcement.
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 North Dakota
Legal aid
- Legal Services of North Dakota (free civil legal aid; under age 60) · 1-800-634-5263
- Legal Services of North Dakota (age 60 and over) · 1-866-621-9886
Language help
Job Service will give you information in your preferred language at no cost. Call the unemployment claims center at 701-328-4995 for help with translation and understanding your documents. This notice is printed in the Claimant Guide in Spanish and many other languages.
- Appeals unit (toll-free; withdraw an appeal, questions): 1-800-351-9098
- Overpayment repayment and waiver: 701-328-2818
- Way2Go debit card customer service: 1-844-893-3119
Agency guides and handbooks
- Job Service North Dakota: Unemployment Insurance Claimant Guide (2026)
- Job Service North Dakota: Unemployment Benefit Chart (July 5, 2026 - July 3, 2027)
- Job Service North Dakota: Unemployment Benefits Estimator
- Job Service North Dakota: File a Claim
- Job Service North Dakota: Forms for Claimants (Job Contacts form and others)
The agency's unemployment page (JSND)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in North Dakota
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in North Dakota
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in North Dakota
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in North Dakota
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in North Dakota
- Appeal deadlines are short: 12 days from the mailing date for both the first appeal and the bureau review.
Law: N.D.C.C. secs. 52-06-13, 52-06-15
- North Dakota has no fixed 26 weeks for everyone: weeks (12 to 26) depend on how evenly your wages were spread over the base period.
Law: N.D.C.C. sec. 52-06-05
- The weekly benefit chart changes each July; for July 5, 2026 to July 3, 2027 the range is $43 to $800.
Source: Job Service benefit chart
Changes in 2024–2026
The maximum weekly benefit is reset each July under N.D.C.C. sec. 52-06-04; the schedule from July 5, 2026 to July 3, 2027 tops out at $800. No 2024-2026 changes to the waiting week, duration table, appeal deadlines or overpayment waiver were found in the current code text.
Questions about unemployment in North Dakota
How do I file for unemployment in North Dakota?
File online through UI ICE with a State of North Dakota login, or by phone on the automated system at 701-328-4995. You must verify your identity with ID.me before using the online system.
How much is the weekly benefit in North Dakota?
The weekly benefit is $43 to $800. Maximum: claims in the benefit schedule of July 5, 2026 to July 3, 2027. Add your wages from your two highest-paid quarters plus half of your third highest quarter, then divide by 65 and round down to the dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in North Dakota?
Up to 26 weeks. The number of weeks (12 to 26) depends on your total base-period wages divided by your highest quarter: a ratio of 1.50 to 2.29 gives 12 weeks; 2.30 to 2.44, 14; 2.45 to 2.59, 16; 2.60 to 2.74, 18; 2.75 to 2.89, 20; 2.90 to 3.04, 22; 3.05 to 3.19, 24; 3.20 or more, 26.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in North Dakota?
First-level appeal to the Appeal Tribunal (appeal referee): 12 calendar days from the date of mailing of the determination (the deadline date is printed on your determination). File as early as you can.