To file for unemployment in Vermont, submit an initial claim to the Vermont Department of Labor either through the UI Claimant Portal at labor.vermont.gov or by calling the Claimant Assistance Center at 1-877-214-3332.1Department of Labor. Contact UI Phone lines are open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. and Friday from 9:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. You qualify if you lost work through no fault of your own, earned enough wages during your base period, and are able, available, and actively looking for work.2Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 21 V.S.A. 1343 – Conditions Filing is only step one. You then have to certify every week to keep the payments coming.
What to Have Ready Before You File
Gather these before you start so the application doesn’t stall:
- Your Social Security number, mailing address, and phone number. Non-citizens also need an Alien Registration number.
- Your employment history for the past 18 months. For each employer, have the full legal business name, physical and payroll addresses with zip codes, phone number, your start and end dates, and the reason you left.3Department of Labor. Establishing an Unemployment Claim
- Your bank routing and account numbers if you want direct deposit.
The dates and separation reasons matter most. The Department uses them to calculate your base period earnings and to decide whether you qualify at all.
Filing the Initial Claim
Both the online portal and the phone line satisfy the legal requirement for establishing a claim. Once you submit, you’ll get a confirmation number. The Department then mails a New Claim Instruction packet (Form B-11) explaining your rights and next steps, followed by a monetary determination letter telling you your weekly benefit amount and how many weeks you can collect.
If You Quit, Were Fired, or Are Self-Employed
The reason you left your last job can disqualify you. If you quit for reasons unrelated to something your employer did, you can’t collect until you return to work, earn at least six times your weekly benefit amount, and then lose that work through no fault of your own.4Department of Labor. Claims Intake and Eligibility, Claims Filing A firing for misconduct carries a disqualification of 6 to 15 weeks. Gross misconduct is treated like quitting without good cause, and wages from that employer can’t be used to calculate your benefit. Self-employment that keeps you from being available for other work also makes you ineligible for those weeks.2Vermont General Assembly. Vermont Code 21 V.S.A. 1343 – Conditions
How Much You’ll Get and for How Long
Your weekly benefit equals your wages from your two highest-earning quarters of the base period, divided by 45, up to a current maximum of $705.5Department of Labor. Calculating Your UI Benefits The base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you filed.4Department of Labor. Claims Intake and Eligibility, Claims Filing
The total you can collect in a benefit year is the lesser of 46 percent of your base period wages or 26 times your weekly benefit. Not everyone gets the full 26 weeks. If the Department finds misconduct in your separation, the maximum drops to 23 full weeks.
Certifying Each Week
Every week you want a payment, you have to file a weekly claim. The certification covers the previous Sunday-through-Saturday week and must be completed by the following Friday at 4:00 p.m. through the online portal or the automated Weekly Claim phone line.6Department of Labor. About Filing Your Weekly UI Claim Miss that deadline and you lose that week’s benefit.
Each week you certify, you confirm that you were able and available for work, and you report any gross earnings from work you performed, even if you haven’t been paid yet. False answers can trigger a fraud investigation and financial penalties.
Three Job Contacts a Week
You must make and report at least three job contacts each week.7Department of Labor. UI Claimant Work Search Keep a detailed log of each one, including the business name, the date, and the outcome. The Department can request your log at any time, and skipping the work search or failing to document it can interrupt your payments.
If You’re Working Part-Time
Part-time work doesn’t automatically disqualify you. Vermont disregards 50 percent of your reported gross wages and deducts the rest from your weekly benefit dollar-for-dollar.8Department of Labor. Vermont Claimant Handbook On a $400 weekly benefit, earning $200 in a week means $100 is disregarded, $100 is subtracted, and you get a $300 payment plus the $200 you earned.
Refusing a Job Offer
You’re expected to accept offers of “suitable work,” judged on pay compared to your previous salary, working conditions, your skills, and commuting distance.9Department of Labor. Refusal of Suitable Work You don’t have to take a job at half your former wage or one with an unreasonable commute. For an offer to count, the employer must specify pay, hours, location, and a start date within two weeks. Refusing a valid offer without good reason can cut off your benefits.
What Can Reduce or Delay Your Benefit
Severance pay doesn’t permanently disqualify you, but you can’t collect unemployment for the same period the severance covers. Once that period ends, you can still collect your full duration.11Department of Labor. Vermont Claimant Handbook
Pension income works differently depending on who paid in:
You’re responsible for reporting pension income. Not reporting it creates an overpayment you’ll have to repay.
Taxes
Unemployment benefits are taxable federal income. You’ll get a Form 1099-G early the following year showing the total paid to you, which you report on Schedule 1 of your Form 1040.12Internal Revenue Service. Unemployment Compensation To avoid a surprise bill, you can submit Form W-4V to the Department of Labor for federal withholding, or pay quarterly estimated taxes. Vermont taxes unemployment on your state return as well, so consider state withholding too.
If You’re Denied
You can appeal a denial or disqualification through three levels of review, each with a 30-day deadline.13Department of Labor. Appealing UI Claim Determinations
- Administrative Law Judge. Submit a written appeal within 30 calendar days of the determination. Hearings are usually by phone.
- Vermont Employment Security Board. File a written appeal within 30 calendar days of the ALJ’s decision.
- Vermont Supreme Court. A written appeal must reach the Clerk of the Employment Security Board within 30 calendar days of the Board’s decision.
Keep filing your weekly certifications for every week you’re fully or partially unemployed while the appeal is pending. If you stop certifying and later win, you can lose benefits for the weeks you skipped.