Unemployment benefits in South Dakota
South Dakota calls it Reemployment Assistance (RA), run by South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division (DLR). You may get $28 to $575 a week for up to 26 weeks, after a waiting week.
Opens RA Benefits Portal on the state's site.
Or call 605-626-3179 · Claims Call Center: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Central time. Customer Service: Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central time. Closed on state holidays. · TTY 1-800-877-1113
Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.
Can I get benefits?
You must have been paid at least $728 in the quarter of your base period with your highest wages.
Law: SDCL 61-6-4
If you quit
If you quit your most recent job without good cause after working there at least 30 days, you are denied benefits.
If you were fired
If you were fired or suspended from your most recent job (after at least 30 days there) for misconduct connected with your work, you are denied benefits.
Law: SDCL 61-6-9, 61-6-9.1, 61-6-14, 61-6-14.1, 61-6-16
How much and how long?
- Weekly benefit
$28–$575
- Weeks
Up to 26 weeks
- Waiting week
A waiting week
How to file in South Dakota
File online through the RA Benefits Portal, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week (the fastest way). You first create a mySD login and then an RA profile.
File as soon as you become unemployed or your hours are cut.
What to have ready
- Your Social Security number
- Your driver's license or other state ID number
- Your work history for the last 18 months: each employer's name, address and phone number, dates worked (month and year), pay rate and why you are no longer working there
Certify (claim your weeks)
Weekly. Ask for payment every week online in the RA Benefits Portal or by phone at 605-626-3212.
Appeal a denial
- Appeal to an administrative law judge (hearing) — 15 calendar days from the date DLR mailed your determination
- Request for Department of Labor and Regulation review (appeal to the Secretary) — 15 calendar days from the date of the administrative law judge's decision
- Appeal to circuit court — 30 calendar days
Deadline calculator, appeal letter and hearing checklist: Appeal details →
The hearing
- Format
- Most hearings are by telephone conference call with an administrative law judge.
- Notice before the hearing
- 7 days
Overpayments and waivers
If you were paid benefits you were not entitled to, you must repay them.
- Respond within
- DLR asks you to make a payment within 15 days and set up a reasonable monthly payment to avoid further collection action.
- Appeal within
- 15 days from the date DLR mailed the overpayment determination
- Fraud penalty
- 50% added when the overpayment is fraud
- Waiver
- The state can waive some overpayments.
Law: SDCL 61-6-39, 61-6-41, 61-6-42, 61-6-44
Someone filed a claim in your name
If you got mail about a South Dakota claim or a 1099-G you did not expect, report it right away by email to RAFraud@state.sd.us or call the Benefit Payment Control Unit at 605-626-7649. DLR investigates and sends a corrected 1099-G if appropriate.
- Report it online
- Phone: 605-626-7649
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 South Dakota
Legal aid
- SD Law Help - one application for South Dakota's three nonprofit legal aid programs (listed by DLR)
- Dakota Plains Legal Services
- South Dakota Job Service offices (help with job search and work search)
Language help
If you need another language, call Customer Service at 605-626-2452 and ask for an interpreter. Translator services are available on request. The Claimant Handbook, fact sheet and appeals brochure come in English, Spanish and Somali.
- Customer Service Center (questions): 605-626-2452
- Weekly request for payment by phone: 605-626-3212
- Appeals Section: 605-626-2310
- Benefit Payment Control (overpayments and fraud): 605-626-7649
Agency guides and handbooks
- DLR: Reemployment Assistance Benefits
- DLR: RA Claimant Handbook (English)
- DLR: RA Claimant Handbook (Spanish)
- DLR: Appeals
- DLR: Reemployment Assistance Appeals brochure
- DLR: Reemployment Assistance Appeals brochure (Spanish)
- DLR: Frequently Asked Questions about RA Benefits
The agency's unemployment page (DLR)
National help
Go deeper
How to file in South Dakota
What to have ready, when your claim starts, certifying and your first payment.
Weekly benefit amount in South Dakota
The wage test, how the amount is figured, weeks, the waiting week, part-time work and an estimate.
Appeal a denial in South Dakota
Every level and deadline, a deadline calculator, an appeal letter, the hearing and overpayments.
Quit or fired in South Dakota
What the state says about quitting, being fired and refusing work.
Good to know in South Dakota
- South Dakota calls unemployment insurance "Reemployment Assistance" (RA).
- After the hearing decision you can choose: ask the Secretary of Labor and Regulation for review within 15 days, or go straight to circuit court within 30 days.
Source: DLR Appeals page
- You must do at least two work search activities every week, including the unpaid waiting week (DLR Work Search Requirements).
Changes in 2024–2026
The maximum weekly benefit is reset every July at 50% of South Dakota's average weekly wage; it is $575 for weeks since July 5, 2026. The overpayment waiver income table was also updated July 1, 2026. No 2024-2026 changes found to the wage test, duration, waiting week or appeal deadlines.
Questions about unemployment in South Dakota
How do I file for unemployment in South Dakota?
File online through the RA Benefits Portal, open 24 hours a day, seven days a week (the fastest way). You first create a mySD login and then an RA profile. You can also file by phone with the Claims Call Center at 605-626-3179, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Central time.
How much is the weekly benefit in South Dakota?
The weekly benefit is $28 to $575. Maximum: july 5, 2026 (the maximum is reset each fiscal year). Your weekly benefit is 1/26 of the wages paid in the highest quarter of your base period, rounded down to the dollar.
How many weeks of unemployment can I get in South Dakota?
Up to 26 weeks. The most you can get in your benefit year is one-third of your total base-period wages, but not more than 26 times your weekly benefit.
What is the deadline to appeal an unemployment denial in South Dakota?
Appeal to an administrative law judge (hearing): 15 calendar days from the date DLR mailed your determination. File as early as you can.