North Carolina Unemployment

North Carolina Unemployment Benefits

North Carolina’s Division of Employment Security oversees the administration of unemployment insurance benefits. The program represents a federal-state partnership, funded completely by both federal and state unemployment tax that employers are required to pay on their employees’ wages. 

Benefits are available to help provide temporary income for eligible North Carolina jobless workers who have lost employment through no fault of their own.

North Carolina Unemployment Services

How To Qualify for Unemployment Benefits in North Carolina

North Carolina uses four main criteria to determine UI benefits eligibility, as outlined below:

• The claimant must be unemployed through no fault of his or her own, as determined by the information provided by both the claimant and the employer
• The claimant must have earned sufficient wages during the base period of review – these wages are used to help determine benefit amounts
• The claimant must be physically able and available to accept work when offered
• The claimant must be actively seeking work, including registering for work with NCWorks Online.

Benefit Payments and Duration

How To Apply for Unemployment Benefits in North Carolina

The fastest and most efficient way to get UI benefits is to file an initial claim online. However, if you’d prefer, you also may file by phone through North Carolina’s Customer Call Center at 888-737-0259.

If you choose to file online, you can click on Create an Online Account on the DES homepage and follow the instructions given for setting up an account, including choosing a PIN, which you will need to check your claim’s status and to file for your weekly benefits.

Managing Your Unemployment Benefits

Once your initial unemployment claim is accepted, you must continue to submit a weekly certification for each week you’d like to receive benefits. This entails answering a series of questions that will verify that you were able, available, and searching for new employment during that week.

These weekly benefit claims must be submitted online, using the account you created when you filed your initial claim. If online submission is not possible for you, you can contact the state’s customer call center at 888-737-0259.

Filing an Appeal

If you are unhappy with the decision about your initial claim, you may submit a written statement challenging the decision. You do not need to use any special form to file your appeal.

The letter of determination you receive will outline all the information you need for how to file an appeal, plus the deadline for doing so. The fastest and easiest way to submit an appeal is through the account you already have been using for your UI weekly benefits claims.

After your appeal is received, you may be asked to participate in a hearing and your unemployment claim may be reviewed by the North Carolina Board of Review. The board is an independent, quasi-judicial body that decides Higher Authority Appeals about North Carolina unemployment compensation.

Reporting Fraud

North Carolina’s Division of Employment Security works extremely hard to prevent fraud within the state’s unemployment system. If you suspect someone of using fraudulent information to apply for unemployment compensation, you can report unlawful activity using the DES Fraud Reporting Form.

You also can let the state know through the DES Fraud Hotline at 984-465-9224. State agents are available to take your call Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.

North Carolina Unemployment Office Locations