How to file for unemployment in Virginia

The online claim is usually the fastest way. Here is what to have ready, when your claim starts and what comes after you file.

All about unemployment in Virginia

Checked against official sources: October 31, 2026.

Filing, step by step

Apply online in Customer Self Service, signing in with ID.me (fastest; the application takes about 45 minutes). For help, call the Customer Contact Center at 1-866-832-2363, Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., or visit a Virginia Works office.

When to file and when your claim starts

Apply after you are separated or your hours are cut, preferably in the first week. Your claim's effective date is the Sunday of the week you file.

What to have ready

Your Social Security number
Names, addresses, phone numbers and dates of work for all employers in the last 18 months (a recent W-2 or pay stub helps), including out-of-state employers
Your union name and number, if you get work through a union hall
If you are not a U.S. citizen: your Alien Registration number
Your choice of payment: Way2Go debit card, or direct deposit with your bank routing and account numbers
Ex-service members: DD-214 Member 4 or Service 2. Military spouses who left for a PCS move: the PCS orders, marriage certificate and your written notice to your employer

Certify (claim your weeks)

How often: Weekly. File a weekly claim online in Customer Self Service or by phone at 1-800-897-5630, starting the Sunday after you apply, for each Sunday-to-Saturday week. File on Sunday or Monday to avoid delays. If you do not file your first weekly claim within 21 days of applying, or go more than 21 days between claims, your claim becomes inactive.

Your first payment

Your first week is an unpaid waiting week. Payments go to a Way2Go debit card or by direct deposit.

Register for work

You must fully register with the Virginia Workforce Connection and add a resume within 10 days of filing your claim, unless the VEC tells you that you are exempt (for example, union hiring hall members). If you live in another state, register with that state's workforce agency and send proof to the VEC within 10 days.

Virginia Workforce Connection

Law: Va. Code secs. 60.2-612(A)(5)-(7)

Official source: Source page

What applies in every state

File with the unemployment program of the state where you worked. If you worked in another state or in several states, the agency in the state where you live now can tell you how to file with other states.
It generally takes two to three weeks after you file to get your first payment. Some states require a one-week waiting period, so the second week you claim is the first week paid.

Free help

Call 1-866-832-2363. Legal aid and other free help in Virginia → Official sources →