How to Fill Out and File the Delaware Unemployment Insurance Claim Form

To file a Delaware unemployment claim, go to uics.delawareworks.com, open an Initial Claim for Benefits, verify your identity through ID.me, and then certify for benefits every week after that. The program pays between $20 and $450 per week for up to 26 weeks. If your paperwork is in order, filing takes about 30 minutes and the state mails a monetary determination within three days telling you what you qualify for.

What to Have Ready Before You Start

Gather these items first. Missing one can force you to abandon the application partway through and start over.

Your Social Security number. The system uses it to pull your Delaware wage records.
A Delaware driver’s license or a motor vehicle agency ID card.
Names, addresses, and phone numbers for every employer you worked for in the last 18 months.
Start and end dates for each of those jobs.
The reason you left each employer: layoff, reduction in force, end of contract, and so on.
Gross pay for the current week, if you earned any.
Your bank routing and account numbers if you want direct deposit instead of a debit card.¹

Non-citizens authorized to work in the United States have one extra step. Within 14 calendar days of filing, email or mail legible copies of the front and back of your Social Security card and your Employment Work Authorization document to UIClaims@Delaware.gov, with your first and last name in the subject line.²

How to Open the Initial Claim

Delaware accepts new claims online or by phone. There is no paper application by mail or fax.

Online

Go to the Division of Unemployment Insurance portal at uics.delawareworks.com and choose the option to file a new claim.³ The screens walk you through personal information, employment history, and the reason each job ended. Watch date formatting and employer addresses closely. The system cross-checks what you type against employer records, and mismatches cause delays.

At the end you review a certification statement and check a box confirming everything you entered is true. That checkbox is your legal signature. Click submit and the claim transmits to the Department of Labor.

By Phone

If you can’t use the online system, call TeleBenefits at (302) 761-6576.⁴ Have the same documents in front of you. The automated system asks for the same information the website does.

Verify Your Identity Through ID.me

Every Delaware claimant has to verify identity through ID.me, a third-party service. Skip this step and your benefits are held until it’s done.⁵

You upload a photo of a government-issued ID and a selfie. Most people finish in about 15 minutes. If the self-guided process fails because of a blurry photo, a name mismatch, or an expired ID, you can verify with a real person on a video call instead. Already verified through ID.me for another government service? Log in with that account rather than starting over.⁵

What Arrives Next: The Monetary Determination

Within three days of filing, the Department of Labor mails you a Determination of Monetary Eligibility. This is the most important piece of mail you will get during your claim. It lists every employer who reported wages under your Social Security number during your base period, shows your weekly benefit amount, and states the maximum you could collect.²

Read it carefully. Watch for employers you never worked for, employers that should be listed but aren’t, and wages that look off. If something is wrong, call the Division at (302) 761-8446 and ask for a Benefit Accounting Specialist. To formally protest the determination, you have 10 calendar days to file a written appeal.²

The state may also schedule a fact-finding interview if your former employer disputes the reason you left. A claims examiner reviews the circumstances to decide whether you qualify. Keep filing your weekly certifications while that investigation runs. Stop filing and you forfeit those weeks permanently.

Certify Every Week to Get Paid

Opening the claim does not trigger payment. To actually receive money, you have to certify for benefits every single week, starting the first week after you open your claim.⁶ Each certification confirms you were available for work, actively looked for work, and reports any earnings for that week.

You pick your certification method when you file the initial claim. WebBenefits lets you certify online at uicc.delawareworks.com. TeleBenefits lets you certify by phone at (302) 761-6576.³ Don’t miss a week. If you stop certifying, even while an appeal or a fact-finding interview is pending, you lose those weeks. The Department will not pay retroactively, and you will have to reopen your claim to resume benefits.⁶

Report all income during each weekly certification. That includes part-time wages, self-employment earnings, odd jobs, pensions, vacation pay, severance, and bonuses.² The Department may ask to see your work search log at any time, so keep a running record of every employer you contact and every application you submit.

Why a Claim Can Be Denied

Filing a claim does not guarantee benefits. Delaware law lays out several situations that disqualify you.⁷

You quit without good cause related to the work itself.
You were fired for just cause.
You refused a suitable job offer or a referral from a state employment office.
Your unemployment resulted from a strike or work stoppage at your employer (lockouts are excluded).
The Department determined you are physically unable to work.
You were convicted and incarcerated.

In every scenario except the labor dispute and inability-to-work rules, requalifying means working at a new covered job for at least four weeks and earning at least four times your weekly benefit amount. The clock doesn’t start until you actually begin working the new job. Simply waiting out time does not count.

How to Appeal a Denial

You have 10 calendar days from the date on your denial notice to file a written appeal. That deadline is strict. Miss it and you lose the right to a hearing.²

Email the appeal to DOL_DUI_APPEALS_REQUEST@DELAWARE.GOV or mail it to:

Division of Unemployment Insurance Appeals Unit
PO Box 9950
Wilmington, DE 19809-0951

Include your full name, contact information, and case number. Your signature has to be on the request. Keep filing weekly certifications while you wait. Stopping costs you benefits for every missed week.² An Appeals Referee holds the first hearing. If either side disagrees with the result, the case can move to the Unemployment Insurance Appeal Board.

Taxes on What You Receive

Unemployment benefits are taxable federal income. Delaware lets you have 10 percent of each payment withheld for federal income tax, which saves you from a surprise bill in April. To set up or change withholding, email UICLAIMS@DELAWARE.GOV. You can only change the election once per calendar year.⁸

By January 31 of the following year, the Department mails you a Form 1099-G showing total benefits paid during the prior calendar year. You will need this form for your federal and state returns.⁸

1
Delaware Department of Labor. Delaware Unemployment Insurance – Start Claim
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Delaware Department of Labor. Unemployment Insurance Claimant FAQs
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Delaware Department of Labor. Delaware Department of Labor Division of Unemployment Insurance
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Delaware Department of Labor. MobileBenefits
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Delaware Department of Labor. Delaware ID.me
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Delaware Department of Labor. Delaware Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook
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Delaware Code Online. Delaware Code Title 19 – Unemployment Compensation
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Delaware Department of Labor. Delaware Income Tax 1099G Information