Massachusetts Unemployment Phone Numbers

The Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA) tries hard to provide prompt and courteous service. They understand that during peak periods, it may be difficult to get through the TeleClaim Centers.

If you are calling to file a new claim or reopen a claim for unemployment benefits, or need other assistance, please assess the Call Schedule below before calling. Adhering to this schedule you will be provided help in a timely manner.

If the last digit of your Social Security Number is:Assigned Day to Call TeleClaim is:
0, 1Monday
2, 3Tuesday
4, 5, 6Wednesday
7, 8, 9Thursday
Any last digitFriday

TeleClaim Services:

You can reopen your claim, be interviewed if there are any issues affecting your eligibility for benefits, obtain up-to-date information on the status of your claim and UI benefit payment check, and resolve problems, all by telephone.

TeleClaim Center Hours:

Regular Hours: Monday to Friday: 8:30am – 4:30pm

Expanded Hours (February 4 – 28):  7:30am to 5:30pm Monday through Thursday only

Call 877-626-6800 from area codes 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978 or 617-626-6800 from any other area code.

Shorter waiting times can be expected later in the week.

  1. This is my 1st time applying unemployment, my job ended involuntarily in May, the reason given – ‘It was unfortunately not a good fit’. I filed with DET May 14th, it has been 4 weeks, the status has been Pending. I uploaded the Termination Letter with severance information. I have not received email or any request from DET, what else is needed to move the pending status so that I can start receiving payment? How can I get any help, phone call seems to go nowhere? Help please

  2. hello,
    I am wits ends I have been waiting for someone above tier 2 to contact me back in regards to my claim form Dec 2020…..I have started to make my own records of who I speak to and what they had said to me, Which is basically we don’t understand why you have been waiting over six months for the benefits you qualify for.
    They have forced extensions over and over again, sent my claim to the wage department and the IT tech and still, no one has a clue about what the issue at hand is and it seems to be falling on deaf ears. But I do have to give a big shout-out to two amazing agents Anthony and Lisa who left very detailed messages for the next agents. But I don’t know what else I can possibly do please I need help urgently. Or is this something I should go to the Governor’s office with??? At what point is enough enough.

  3. After being continuously employed for about 40 years my company closed its Boston office and my team’s responsibilities have been outsourced to an Indian consulting firm. Became unemployed for the first time in my life in February and filed for benefits on april 18. After 2 email corresponding to identify myself on ID.me and filling out detailed form the status of my application is “Review” and another line saying something in the line of “not eligible for benefits because I haven’t earned any wages in the period” whatever that means. Phones are useless. After few minutes of monolog saying what can be done online and how important my call is that department , my call is simply disconnected. Can’t find where there is a brick and mortar branch in my area and so far no luck.
    So, with no other options left what a person is supposed to do?
    I guess I shouldn’t be surprised since it’s government and all the taxes we pay are treated as “their” money but I’m curious what other people did in such situations?

    • Hi Mr Skola,
      I am currently in the same situation as you were (or are). I was told I did not make enough during that “period” to qualify for benefits. That “period” started in the height of the pandemic when most people were not working. How unfair to use that time instead of the time I actually worked! One UI rep put a note in my file to use the 2nd and 3rd quarter, which would include when I actually worked, but so far nothing. Another UI rep hung up on me because I kept asking her to dig a little deeper to get me some help. It is hard to call, wait 40 min for a UI rep to answer, who will not do more than just read the same info you can read on your own UI benefit page but not go a little deeper and be helpful!
      Did your situation get resolved? I need a little hope to think mine would be resolved too!

    • STICK IT TO THE MAN-
      THE ENEMY OF MY ENEMY IS MY FRIEND…
      COMMUNISTS HAVE INFILTRATED YOUR LIFE LINES…
      PREPARE FOR THE WORSE- al Skola

    • We understand your situation. There will be a delay considering the pendency. Please continue following up regularly.

  4. I have been unemployed for 9 weeks. I file a claim each week and it goes “on hold”. My co-worker who was laid off on the same day is getting his payments. Why is my claim not processing? I need to speak with someone and I can’t get anyone on the phone. Is the actual office open to go to in person? What should I do?

    • Andrew,

      Guess your co-worker is just too lucky! The delay is due to the sheer number of pending applications.

  5. I filed for the Extension of the Unemployment CARES Act the day that the last request for Unemployment Benefits were filed and accepted. It has now been over a month and I still have not received either a check or a denial from the Unemployment office. I call all the time and keep being promised that someone will call back within approximately 27 minutes – this has yet to happen. Does anyone know who else I can contact to get this ball rolling? I have had no income for over a month and am beginning to drown in debt! Can someone please give me some advice!!!!

    • RE-FILE? ARE YOU ABLE TO CLAIM WEEKLY? I WORKED DURING 10 MONTHS OF THE PANDEMIC AND PUBLIC OFFICIALS ARE TELLING ME I DID NOT-
      I HAVE SENT THEM MY TAXES…
      KEEP CALLING THE GOVERNOR TOO……..

    • Kathleen,

      The Unemployment Office will have many pending files. Please see if you can visit an office.

  6. number of payments due from 11/07/2020 to 02/20/2021
    marked paid but status is pending, can not get thru on phone.
    how to resolve this

  7. number of payments due from 11/07/2020 to 02/20/2021
    marked paid but status is pending, can not get thru on phone.
    how to resolve this

  8. Ive been waiting for 9 weeks now. I call every week and am told to keep waiting. There is nothing more unhelpful. There has to be a better way to do this? To tell people who are nervous and worried about what they are going to do to just “wait, we understand.”. Stop it with that. Offer real solutions. Give numbers to call, people to email. To say just wait is almost disrespectful.

  9. In the past, I am left a number to be called back. It was a form but do not seem to find it. The phone lines are never picked up, how do I request them to give me a call or do I go into an office?

  10. Why am I on a Hold on my claim? I was told to file my claim for the past week. Now all it says is Hold. What does it mean?

  11. My claim says it’s on hold for a physician’s statement to verify whether or not I can work. I lost my night shift job due to unexpected health issues that prevent me from working nights. I can work during the day so I’m not unable to work, I’m just unable to work my old night shift job. I can’t reach anyone on the phone and there’s no way to resolve this through the online portal. How do I get this taken care of so that I can receive my benefits?

  12. I can not get any answers on my unemployment claim filed a month ago. How do I speak to a person who can help me. Extremely frustrating that I can not get help as I need to receive benefits.

  13. My payments are on hold because of a pension that I am collecting from. DUA is investigating my pension and had me fill out a form. It has been four weeks now and I have not heard anything. I am entitled to unemployment because I was laid off from my last job, I did not have a pension there. I call DUA and I can not get a hold of anyone. I really need money to live on.

  14. My claim expires next week and the account balance is not enough to cover a full week. The job I have been working at is a full time seasonal job.
    April to October. I was advised by my employer that I will not be brought back this season. They are considering not opening the retail section of the Cape Cod store. Can I and how do I file for an extension?

    Don

    • Donald,

      If an extension is available and you’re eligible, you can claim. Please visit the Unemployment Office’s website for details.

  15. It is impossible to speak to someone at massachusetts unemployment. I am currently employed and i am trying to figure out why i received money from unemployment from what i think is an old claim that I never had receive a response from. Its been like 3 months since i last claimed and i dont understand why money was deposited to my account after all this time. I just want to make sure that Mass unemployment knows i am working now and that this money was what was owed to me from an old claim. If someone can help me speak to a representative it will be greatly appreciated.

  16. I did not get paid for my claim for last week. The status is “hold”. When I called yesterday I was told that my employer needs to fill out a questionaire. When my employer logged on their corporate corespondence, there was no questionaire. I cannot seem to get through on the phone today…..please assist.

  17. Follow up to my earlier comment: It’s been multiple days of multiple calls “We’re not able to take your call at this time. Your call is important to us.” If my call is important, at least let me sit on hold!

  18. I’m freaking out over a letter I got saying all the assistance I received over the past year is invalid and I have to pay it back due to an identification issue. I have no idea what that means or what I can do to remedy it and I can’t get anyone on the phone.

  19. Have you tried calling the news stations? I’m getting ready to. It’s only been 2 weeks, but I’m starting to get really stressed out and worried.

  20. I’ve been calling for 2 weeks only to be hung up on by the automated system because it states you are too busy….no matter what time of day I call. Two weeks ago My boss sold his practice, and so that week was put on hold for review and I answered all inquires from UI and it said thanks, we’ll get back to you. This next week my benefit year is up. I reapplied, and I go on my home page today and it says I didn’t qualify based on your new calculated benefit amount based which is now on the part time hours that I worked that I have to work because of covid. My hours used to be 36hrs and will go back to that as soon as we can fully reopen. Nothing mentioned about the first week with the new boss was on my home page any more. It’s just gone. There is no option on my home page to apply for any other help. I just want to know if I’m in big trouble now financially or will any of this change if the new act passed by the government goes into effect??

    • Ryan,

      Have you followed up? Please consider the option of visiting an office in the vicinity if safe and feasible since phone lines are generally not answered.

  21. I have been received unemployment payment for few weeks via Direct Deposit and the payment goes to my bank account. But I haven’t got payment made on 3/10/2021. After waiting for few more days, still no payment in my bank account. Then I checked Payment Method and noticed that it has been changed from my bank account to Go2Bank by somebody. I have not idea with this account and seems like my DUA account has been hacked. What should I do? Will I be able to get money back?

  22. I’ve been on hold this time around with DUA for 8 weeks. I’m told my case was assigned to an adjuster, one week ago. Three years ago I was on hold for 13 weeks before receiving any benefits. There was no pandemic then…??? I worked hard to find another job and get back to work. I think the DUA should work just as hard at adjusting/reviewing cases. I’m thankful to be back to work, but that doesn’t mean I’m not still behind in my rent. The world today is stressful enough today. It’s unfortunate that so many people are being failed by the system created to support them in times of need. There’s just not a legitimate excuse.

  23. ive had a check that wasnt received ive spent a year getting told there gonna make it a prioity to get resolved then it takes them 2 times to send a copy of the check request form now after time and time again calling about it and it being put off they tell me they cant send me a replacement chack because its been a year. i then spoke to a mrs turner who was a director or manager was told she would call me back a week later its now 10 days later and nothing, ive spent this year all this effort and im not getting it back and its frustrating just to get this resolved and prove that its the error of the unemployment company that i now have to resort to commenting on the site

  24. I waited for 3 1/2 for an unemployment benefits determination (10-2-20 to 1-16-21). Sadly, I was denied benefits. I appealed on 1-20-21, but as of today 2-24-21, I still haven’t gotten an appeal date. Every time I call, I hardly get through, and when I do get through, the representatives are clueless as to how they can help with the process. I even wrote to Senator Markey, but haven’t gotten a response yet. What is going on?!

  25. I have not been paid my UA claim even though for last 3 weeks even though the UA website says paid, but the payment is pending status. When I call check status line, it says the paying was processed and yet nothing has hot my accounts.

  26. I had PUA ever since the first covid-19 impacted. I had no issue with it until I noticed from PUA that I am now eligible for the regular unemployment benefit or UI, which I had to go through the process with them. The PUA has denied me unless I get denied from the UI, then I will be able to process with the PUA again. However, it has been a month that I have heard nothing from the UI. I reached out to the customer assistant regarding my status, and they said my status is still pending because the adjuster has not been assigned. I am concerned about delaying and how long the hold will be off after submitting and completing the questionnaire.

  27. I have been on hold for a month and I am being hung up on by the automated system. I’m beginning to get hungry and grow increasingly worried. Why has this process taking so long and where did all the agents go?

  28. To Whom It May Concern:
    When I submitted my week it keeps telling my to update my earnings. I have done that for three weeks and it will not let me go any further. I have received benefits prior to this. i am thinking I might have made some mistake. Either someone needs to call or email me back so I can fix this.
    Thank you
    Carol

  29. I did not receive my 1099G in the mail and when I visit the site it to get a PDF all it says under “view pdf” is;

    “The Form 1099-G “Statement for Recipients of Certain Government Payments” summarizes information about unemployment insurance payments made to you by the Department of Unemployment Assistance (DUA), and any credits applied to your account during the selected calendar year in PDF Format.”

    I have been trying to contact a live person for the past week and my tax appointment is tomorrow so I need it today. How can I view this online and print out a PDF? Why can’t I just log in and view/print to adobe?

    Please help!
    Thanks

    Brett

  30. When I was laid off again Dec 1, my claim was denied because my license address didn’t match my home address as I had moved and not yet switched over my license (even though I had received benefits earlier last year with no issue). I filed for a hearing on January 5th, but have not yet received anything. When I call to try to get an update, I repeatedly get an automated message that my call cannot be answered due to volume. Is there any way that I can submit a copy of my updated license (with the correct address) for processing? Or do I need to wait for a hearing date to be set? How long should it take to receive a hearing? I’m worried that maybe I didn’t receive something I should have.

  31. I have been waiting over 5 weeks for a response to a fraudulent claim and erroneous 1099-G. I have called over 50 times and was disconnected 48 times. Twice I spoke to someone and was told my case was being escalated. Why no follow up? In this environment and due to the fact this was a widespread breach on your system, I would expect alternative methods of communication be made available to those impacted. I need to file my taxes and need the corrected form to do so. It would be extremely helpful to know who to contact or at least provide a status update on this issue so individuals like myself may manage our tax filings accordingly.
    Thank you

  32. One message says there is a non-monetary determination due to insufficient information. My home page says my benefit year lasts until 2/21/22. I’m going with that, and if you’re wrong, there will be hell to pay.

  33. I would like to cancel the first incomplete week claimed (1/31-2/6) so that I can claim the second week only (2/7-2/13). This is so that I only claim one week each month and that week is completely contained within the month.

    How do I cancel a request?

  34. I would like to ONLY file for the FIRST FULL week in each month. This month (February) it is the second week, since the first week starts on January 31.

    There doesn’t seem to be any way to get this to work without calling someone up every month and getting them to ‘reset’ thing. I was told by someone — after waiting an inordinate amount of time on hold — to decline the benefits for the first week. This causes the claim to be closed, then when I try to re-open it, it takes at least a week or so. This same person indicated that it would re-open immediately. It doesn’t.

    It would be really nice if there was a way to select which week you are trying to claim at the beginning.

    The workaround is to, every month which does not contain a full first week, call you guys up, wait on hold, get to a human, and assuming that person has been sufficiently trained, get him/her to ‘decline the first week but leave the claim open’ or whatever magic they must do to make it work.

    Now I can’t even get on hold. It disconnects me saying there’s too much time to wait. I will try again tomorrow.

    I’d be happy to up a solution to this rather archaic process.

  35. I have applied for the extension 2 times. Mass Unemployment has added the extension weeks, then taken them out. Then made me apply again and approved and added the extra weeks and then taken half of them out again. I cannot get anyone on the phone despite calling as soon as they open every single day. It says my wait time is 1 min., then hangs up on me. When I call back it says my wait time is 4 minutes then hangs up on me, then 8 minutes and hangs up on me. How do I get help??!?!?!

  36. Hello.I called on Wednesday February 17th at 7:30 am and recording says you open at 8:30am but it is clear from above that you have extended your hours. I have been trying to talk with a human being for a few weeks now and cannot get through.
    I keep getting messages that I am disqualified for unemployment benefits and I would like to know why.

  37. MY NAME IS DARIS J SANTIAGO AND I AM IN THE SAME SITUATION WERE THEY ASK FOR MY IDENTITY VERIFICATION WHEN THEY GOT ALL THAT INFO. AND THEY ALSO HAVE ME ON HOLD EVEN WHEN I PDF THAT INFORMATION.

  38. This is tooo much ! I have been calling every other day and been disconnected because of the high call volume ! No answer about the paperwork copied and my online account as well as in the mail as well as picture to send in as required and it has to be reviewed .. No money / no reply . Then send me a statement to say I need to repay and they will take my taxes when I file . My husband and 7 year old son both have COVID at this time !

  39. I have not received my 1099 G for 2020, the automated line says we have no 1099 g for you, What do I do now?
    can’t ever get thru to an agent

    • i am having the same problem, it is already mid feb and they said theyd have it late jan.
      when i access it on my dua login is does not have any year available nor the option to request.

      • They wont give me a 1099G til I verify my identity. Sent pictures of my license and social security card. This was not good enough. so i figured out how to turn the pictures into PDF and uploaded them to the unemployment site, still not good enough. I have to verify using something called ID.me. My computer doesnt recognize the program. Need a 1099G to pay my taxes, cant get one!!!!!!!!!

      • Sorry that doesn’t work . If by law these are to be sent out on January 30 , then by law whomever is in charge is liable not there are too many to process . They didn’t know how many people were collecting ? The same agency that collects information ? Whaaaaaaat ? So it’s a shocker how many 1099’s need to go out whaaaaat ? It’s funny they have enough staff to collect all the unemployment insurance money from all the companies in the state there’s enough staff to send all the companies paperwork and receive the money and file all the information and then to their dismay last minute they’re overwhelmed and there’s not enough people to provide the 1099G’s are legally due whaaaaat ?

  40. I have been calling day after day for the last 2 weeks, at different times of the day. I tried calling in the mornings right after opening. I first get a message stating “Please Hold”, then something about high call volumes, and then “your wait time will be xx minutes”, typically something reasonable, stating less than half an hour. Find. I’d be happy to wait. But then immediately after that I get another voice stating “Due the high call volume, we are unable to take your call at this time.” After completing a few more not-very-helpful statements the line just disconnects. What happened to allowing me to wait?

  41. My identity verification was finally accepted after almost 4 weeks, and I also recieves my monetary claim but on Saturday. It’s Monday and my claims are still on hold and I am unable to reach assistance on the phone. What now?

  42. I have been hung up on 28 times and sit on the phone all day. Said my claim was fraudulent. I have sent in EVERYTHING I was asked to do and STILL nothing. PUA said it is not the problem, I have had NO issues with them it is Mass unemployment. I have been dealing with this since October 2020 and have exhausted all my money and need help with this.

  43. My unemployment claim is a mess! I’m disqualified but I never received a notice. I have a huge debt to pay back but never received a notice. I was told to appeal #8701 but no button to hit to appeal. Was told to open any document and appeal so I did now they say I should of appealed another way! Nobody is helping. Nothing but misinformation depending on who you talk to. first appeal, then it’s with an adjuster then appeal can’t talk to a manager. This is so frustrating. Meanwhile back unemployed again and no assistance given.

  44. If you are not going to ANSWER the 877-626-6800 customer service line, you should provide an ALTERNATE way to reach you like chat or call back. It is unacceptable to direct someone to a phone number and then on the line say you are unable to answer ANY calls at this time, especially in the middle of a pandemic with unprecedented unemployment numbers! I have an idea – HIRE MORE PEOPLE to answer the phone lines! God knows we are all looking for a JOB! I can not solve this problem without speaking to someone. When will you be open and answering calls please?!?

  45. Received a 1099 saying I got over $27k in unemployment in 2020. I actually received about $1200 and they’re asking for it back. I’ve been calling the number every day since July about my claim and can’t get through to anyone. When I call the number provided about 1099’s it just hangs up. Someone needs to contact me!!

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