Michigan UIA Form 1795 is the request you file to ask the Unemployment Insurance Agency to forgive an unemployment benefit overpayment instead of making you pay it back. Its official name is “Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance,” and you can submit it online through the Michigan Web Account Manager (MiWAM), by mail, or by fax.1Unemployment Insurance Agency. Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance A waiver is not automatic. You have to show you meet one of three specific conditions set in state law, and overpayments the agency has classified as fraud are not eligible.
Who Qualifies for a Waiver
Michigan Compiled Laws Section 421.62 requires the agency to waive recovery when repayment would be “contrary to equity and good conscience,” provided the overpayment did not involve an intentional false statement or concealment. The statute defines that phrase narrowly, with three qualifying situations:2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 421.62 – Recovery of Improperly Paid Benefits
- You gave inaccurate wage information without intending to mislead, and your employer either failed to supply wage information when the agency asked or supplied inaccurate information that caused the overpayment.
- Your average net household income and cash assets (excluding welfare benefits) fell at or below 150% of the federal poverty guidelines during the six months before you applied.
- The overpayment resulted from an administrative or clerical mistake by the UIA. A claim reversed on appeal does not count as agency error under this provision.
“Household” means you and your dependents, not everyone under your roof. Most applicants use the financial hardship ground. For 2026, 150% of the federal poverty guidelines works out to roughly $23,940 for a single person, $32,460 for a household of two, $40,980 for three, and $49,500 for four.3HealthCare.gov. Federal Poverty Level (FPL) The agency averages across the full six-month window, so a single stronger month can lift you over the threshold even when the other five are lean.
One boundary matters before you start: if the UIA determined your overpayment involved fraud, the waiver application will be denied automatically.1Unemployment Insurance Agency. Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance If you believe the fraud label is wrong, challenge that determination through a protest first; the waiver door stays closed until the fraud finding is removed.
Filling Out Form UIA-1795
The form asks for three categories of financial information: household income over the past six months, monthly expenses, and total assets. The numbers you report need to hold up against documentation the agency may request. If they don’t, the waiver will be denied.
Six Months of Household Income
Report disposable income from all sources for the six completed calendar months before the date you sign the form. “Disposable income” is what’s left after legally required deductions like federal and state income taxes and court-ordered child support.1Unemployment Insurance Agency. Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance The form uses a month-by-month layout rather than a single total. Sign in May, and your window runs November through April.
Include wages, unemployment benefits, Social Security, rental income, workers’ disability compensation, school aid, scholarships, grants, self-employment profits, retirement distributions, and investment income. Do not include food stamps or welfare benefits; the form specifically excludes those. Next to each dollar amount, identify the source. Pulling bank statements and pay stubs for the six-month window before you start saves rework.
Monthly Expenses
Enter your average recurring monthly expenses: rent or mortgage, utilities, groceries, transportation, medical costs, and debt payments such as credit card minimums or a car loan. Use reasonable monthly averages for bills that fluctuate. The agency weighs these numbers against your income to see whether your household is running a surplus or a deficit. Keep recent billing statements on hand so your figures match if supporting documents are requested.
Household Assets
The statute defines “cash assets” as cash on hand plus checking and savings balances.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 421.62 – Recovery of Improperly Paid Benefits The form also asks for the market value of real estate, vehicles, and accessible financial instruments like stocks and bonds. Report values for yourself and your dependents. The section exists to show whether you have resources that could reasonably be used to repay. A $200 checking balance and a $3,000 car reads differently than $40,000 in savings and a paid-off rental property.
How to Submit the Form
Three channels are available:
- Online through MiWAM at michigan.gov/uia. Log in and look for “Request Restitution Waiver for Financial Hardship” under Claimant Services. The online version follows the same questions as the paper form and is the fastest route.
- By mail to Unemployment Insurance Agency, P.O. Box 169, Grand Rapids, MI 49501-0169.
- By fax to 1-517-636-0427.
If you mail or fax the form, keep a copy together with your fax confirmation or a certificate of mailing. If a filing date is ever disputed, that paperwork is your only proof.1Unemployment Insurance Agency. Request to Waive Repayment of Benefit Overpayment Balance
What Happens After You File
The agency reviews your financial information against the statutory thresholds and issues a written determination through MiWAM or by mail stating whether the waiver is granted, partially granted, or denied. An approved waiver covers only the balance owed as of the date you filed. Amounts already collected before that date are not refunded, with one exception: if the waiver is granted under the financial hardship provision, the agency must refund any payments you made after your application date.2Michigan Legislature. Michigan Compiled Laws 421.62 – Recovery of Improperly Paid Benefits
Collection does not pause while you wait. The agency can continue to intercept state tax refunds, offset current unemployment payments, and pursue wage garnishments while your request is pending or after a denial. Federal tax refunds can also be intercepted through the Treasury Offset Program.4Bureau of the Fiscal Service. Treasury Offset Program If your request is denied, you cannot reapply for six months. Use that window to tighten documentation or address whatever gap the agency flagged.
If Your Waiver Is Denied
You have 30 days from the mail date printed on the determination to file a protest. The clock runs from that date, not from when you opened the envelope. A protest is a signed written statement explaining why you disagree, and you can send it through MiWAM, by mail, or by fax. Each protest addresses one determination.5State of Michigan. Protests and Appeals
The agency reviews the protest and issues a redetermination. If that still goes against you, you have another 30 days to appeal to the Michigan Office of Administrative Hearings and Rules, where an Administrative Law Judge holds a hearing.6Michigan Department of Labor and Economic Opportunity. A Guide to Unemployment Insurance Appeals Hearings Skipping the hearing after you’ve appealed usually ends in dismissal, which leaves the redetermination in place.
Missing the 30-Day Deadline
A late protest is still accepted, but you must explain why it’s late. The agency looks for “good cause,” meaning something like an illness that prevented timely filing or new information that was not available earlier. Routine reasons such as being out of town generally do not qualify.7State of Michigan, Unemployment Insurance Agency. Good Cause Without a good-cause finding from the agency, an ALJ lacks authority to hold a hearing on a late appeal, so the agency’s decision on your explanation effectively controls whether you get any further review.