North Carolina Unemployment Weekly Claims

North Carolina Unemployment Benefits

In North Carolina, claimants are required to file weekly certifications in order to maintain eligibility for unemployment insurance benefits. These certifications are a way for the state to verify that individuals are still eligible to receive UI benefits, meaning that they are able and available to work, actively seeking employment, and have not refused any offers of suitable work.

You should file your weekly certifications the week after applying for NC unemployment. The process includes reporting any earned income during the week, and any changes to your status that could affect eligibility, such as starting a new job or attending school full-time.

How to file your weekly certification for NC unemployment benefits

Weekly certifications must be filed online. But If you don’t have access to the internet, you can call the NC Customer Call Center. You can also access computers at your local NCWorks Career Center.

You can also certify using the NCDES mobile app. The North Carolina Division of Employment Security has published this app on Google Play and the Apple App Store.

NCDES Mobile App

 

During the certification process, you must answer a series of questions to verify your ongoing eligibility for UI benefits.

You will be asked to confirm that you:

  • Are able to work
  • Are available to work
  • Completed your work search requirements and documented employer contact information

You will also be asked to:

  • Report any income you earned during the week
  • Report any job offers you declined

Work Search Requirement

State law in North Carolina says you need to reach out to at least three different employers each week. Don’t forget to document their contact information. You can also go to an event at an NCWorks Career Center or a similar job search activity that counts as one of your three contacts.

Reporting Income

If you’re collecting North Carolina unemployment benefits and also working, you must declare any income you earn during your weekly certification filing. You’re permitted to earn up to 20% of your weekly benefit amount without incurring any penalty, but any earnings above this will be deducted from your weekly benefits.

Always provide your income details for the week in which you worked, rather than waiting until you receive payment to declare this income. You must report all income, including weekly earnings, retirement benefits, severance pay, and separation pay.

Not reporting income may lead to overpayment of benefits, and you will be required to repay any such overpayments.

You can file a weekly claim even before you receive your eligibility determination.

You have 14 days to file a weekly claim. After that, your unemployment claim will close. Neglecting to file a weekly claim will result in the following consequences:

  • You will not receive unemployment compensation for that week
  • You will need to reapply for North Carolina unemployment insurance
  • You will be obligated to undergo an additional non-payable waiting week

What is a waiting week?

You don’t get paid for the first week that you apply for NC unemployment. This is known as the waiting week. It doesn’t mean that you should wait a week before filing a UI claim. Even though you won’t receive payment for this initial week, you still must file a weekly claim.

Checking the status of your weekly claim

You can check the status of your unemployment claim by logging in to your online DES account or by using the NCDES mobile app.

Receiving payment

Once you have filed your weekly claim, you can expect payment within 48 hours. You can choose to receive your unemployment compensation via direct deposit or debit card.

For direct deposit, you will need your bank’s routing number and your personal bank account number.

If you don’t set up direct deposit, a U.S. Bank ReliaCard will be mailed to you. It should arrive within 10 days.

You can change your preferred method of payment by logging in to your DES online account.

How to close your claim

When you find a new job, you can simply stop filing your NC weekly claims. To prevent an overpayment and issues with NC unemployment fraud, it is recommended that you inform the DES about your new job.

To report your return to work, call 888-737-0259.

  1. I’ve been unable to file my weekly certification for 4 days now. And I’m now out of options.

    The NC DES website, when I’m able to successfully log in, now no longer shows an option to file my weekly cert on the user homepage. (Note, the NC DES website, as of last year, was the 7th worst in the nation.) This has not worked for almost a month now. The problem is not limited to just Firefox or Chrome. It happens on every browser I make an attempt on.

    The NC DES mobile application has stopped working after two weeks, After logging in, and tapping the “Please Proceed” button, I get a “LOGIN EXCEPTION: NETWORK CONNECTION ERROR” on both a WiFi and Cellular internet connection. No support line or advisor for the application exists. My phone’s operating system is entirely up to date. My phone can reach other websites and other mobile apps work fine, so my connection isn’t an issue. Local time and date are also not an issue as they’re set to update autiomatically from remote connections to the atomic clock. So the mobile app doesn’t work either.

    The above phone line 1-888-372-3453 for filing weekly certifications is no longer valid, as NC DES switched over entirely to their non-functioning website and their now non-functioning mobile app.

    The general line at 1-888-737-0259 isn’t much help. Most operators there are tier 1 phone center employees. Having worked for a subcontractor for some state agencies, I’m pretty sure this line probably goes to a call center, and not the actual NCDES. The wait when I attempted to call last week was an hour and 50 minutes. That stretched out considerably, being stuck at what the automated voice told me was a wait of an hour and 10 minutes for more than half an hour. As the atrocious elevator played on through interminable messages that I need to call weekly to file my certification, someone eventually answered. We were just getting somewhere with the issue at hand when the phone call dropped at the 3 hour mark.

    All in all, it feels like the NCDES is cutting off legitimate avenues, or at least, letting issues with them go uncorrected. All issues are sent to the website. The website and app being non-functional, refers you to the phone line. And the phone line is a multi-hour wait. And if that’s too slammed, it merely tells you that they’re too busy and disconnects you, suggesting you try back later. Honestly, at this point it feels like the scammers running the robocalls about your car’s extended warranty are doing a better job with their scams than the NC DES is doing. I’m doing my bit. I’m troubleshooting their program. I’m making the attempts again and again to see if they’ve fixed their issues. They have not.

  2. this morning i filed my weekly and got a confirmation but when you push the date to see things and confirmation history it says scubi error alot of others have the same issue will we still get paid.

    • Angela,

      Please check if it was successfully submitted and shows on record. Else, you can call the Claims Center.

  3. I called 888toll free#to file weekly certification & agent put wrong answer&saved i had wages which isn’t truei didn’t receive my check today i can i fix this problem

  4. I just applied for benefits on 10/17/2019. It has been so long since I have file for UI that I’m not sure about anything. Since I have an interview on Tuesday with a temp agency, I don’t anticipate having to be on UI for too long. But, for starters, on my homepage on the web site, where do I go to file my weekly certification? The only hyperlink in on the Contact page doesn’t work. This being a Saturday could be why since it hasn’t been a full week for me yet. There also appears to be some unresolved issues regarding my claim. Anyway, the last time I was on UI, I was told to go ahead and file my certification like normal despite the problems and keep track of my work search. But, my main question though, “How do I file my weekly certification online?”

    • Hi my name is William dedios i file for unemployment day before yesterday and i done everything I suppose to do i try to go check on it see if it when thru and now i can’t get in its saying my username doesn’t match its my name could you help me with this matter thanks

      • William,

        Please try finding answers online since there might be limited phone support due to the shortage of staffing. You can use the “Resources” or “FAQs” section of the website. You may have to reset your user credentials.

      • Can you confirm that you must file your weekly claim by 6p Sunday for the payment to post Monday? I didn’t receive mine today & the lady I spoke with said this but Ive filed at 11p. Just concerned because no one had ever informed me of this. Thanks!

  5. I files and approved on a reopened claim. been approved a week ago. got the card but nothing was released to card.

    • I am not able to file my weekly certification online for the last week of my claim. The weekly certification tab is not available. What do I do?

      • Theresa,

        The tab/option will only be available if you’re eligible for it. Please check again and contact the Unemployment Office if required.

  6. I guess the website has been down for maintenance all day today? the past few weeks any sort of maintenance is noted in a box in the bottom right hand corner with a timeframe or when it will be back up. Am I the only one having this issue today? I mean I need to file my claim for the past week and calling in takes hours to get someone on the phone with no assurance they wont just disconnect the line.

  7. So I was fired for violating policy on October 18th,2018… filed on nov 11th 2018 cause I figured I wouldn’t get Benefits cause of the reason but I learned that due to what happened even tho I was fired that they would research it and I would be approved, so I applied, it took until Dec 19th to finally be approved. So I was approved… I called and they said 48 hours and I would get paymemt… it’s now dec 23 and no payment which sucks cause there goes Christmas… anyways I went online to file for my weekly claim as I do every week anyways and it said ‘reason for delay in payment this week’ – nothing was listed… said beneath it ‘reason for delay in ALL payments’ it said “Relief of charges”… so the reason why I’m messaging… since I was approved and filed this week could I possibly expect a payment tomorrow? By chance? Also- is anyone else having this much of a delay and run around right now? And most importantly- ‘relief of charges’ does this Mean they are fighting to not have to pay still even tho I was approved? And will this delay my payment further?? This is horrific… I can’t pay my rent, no food, and Christmas is ruined for my family… and I can’t find a job tho I apply for multiple every day and have had numberous interviews… * side note I did land two jobs this week but I have to wait until after the new year to start ughhj u

    • He’ll yeah I am getting issues delaying payment for the last three weeks.But it tells you not to call to wait but does not tell you what the reason is for the delay.Well I am calling Monday this is bull s

    • I am so happy to see your note for I am in the same situation. I have been trying to sell whatever I can of personal property with no luck. I guess I may lose my home and lose everything. The neighbors have made sure that I don’t starve. So, probably a lot of folks are just like us. I have been paying taxes in this State all my life. I cannot believe the State would let us go like this.

    • Just an update… I finally got my approval and all the issues fixed after calling my state representative… the approval and payment was sent in the same day after the BS was fixed which was on Jan 4th… what a mess it was. Unemployed since Oct 19th, and finally was approved dec 19th and took til Jan 4th to be paid

    • I applied January 12th. Got the approval letter shortly after about how much I could potentially get. I submitted a weekly claim online and it shows pending resolution. I was let go the very last day of my maternity leave because my husband, who previously worked for the company, took a new job and they viewed it as a conflict of interest. I then got another letter in the mail for an Eligibility review notice. I tried to upload that on the portal because it says you can and no matter how many times I try, the documents NEVER show online. I called yesterday, 38 minute hold time just to find out what’s going on. So, still haven’t gotten paid and can’t figure out what’s going on. I submitted my weekly claims twice. Still no update. It’s so frustrating.

      • Ashleigh,

        I can understand your situation. If you continue facing difficulties reaching the Claims Center, please consider visiting an office in the vicinity.

    • I filed before thanksgiving and it took till I contacted the media, govonors office, and Lockhart Taylor (ui secretary) before I got approved just last week. They act like it’s just your case but it is not. I was patient but nothing happened till I got nasty. Get nasty. Tell on them. Get your money.

  8. I have been filing weekly since 9/30/18 with no payments. It has a pending resolution due to termination as no fault of my own. I need answers as to why its taking so long. I have not been denied. Any answers would be appreciated.

    • I applied 09/23/2018 got wage info 10/29 filed weekly certifications, still nothing emailed a rep advised to wait full six weeks. Replied back it has been 12+ weeks was advised to call to provide claim is number. Attached in email was contact info, I called rep said she will send to supervisor due to length of time with no denial or approve advised to keep all work search.

    • They are an absolute joke!!! Who knew I would have to jump through so many freaking hoops just to claim benefits. After holding for almost three hours the very “professional” and polite customer service representative hung up on me!

      • clearly I didn’t read that this forum was for no. I applied 09/23/2018 got wage info 10/29 filed weekly certifications, still nothing emailed a rep advised to wait full six weeks? Replied back it has been 12+ weeks was advised to call to provide claim is number. Attached in email was contact info, I called rep said she will send to supervisor due to length of time with no denial or approve advised to keep all work search. I would advised you try this. Especially if it is past six weeks. Good luck, let me know if I can help in any way.

    • Kathy,

      Please note this is a private forum and we do not have access to your claim file. I suggest you chase the Claims Center for updates at regular intervals until payments normalize.

  9. I have been filing my claims since the first of September. I went online to file my claim for last week and am not given the option to File Weekly Certification. My benefits have not expired. I worked a temp job 3 days the prior week. That seems to have thrown a wrench in the system.

    • I have been filing weekly certifications for months now and this week there is absolutely no option for me to even file for my weekly certification how am I supposed to file and why is there not even an option for me to file nothing has changed in my situation

      • Paige,

        Have you tried calling the Unemployment Office? If the phone lines are busy, please consider the option of visiting an office in the vicinity.

      • Thank you, Sam. I’ve called 4 times, 2 of the times I was on hold close to 4 hours. They started my claim over due to a glitch in the system so they’re counting 2 of the weeks I didn’t get paid as my grace period. It can only be fixed by a certain department. The reps I talk to send emails to that department, to no avail. I’m hurting w/o those 2 weeks of pay. Looks like I’m going to call a 5th time and hope they will resolve it this time.

    • I erroneously replied “yes” to private insurance on Pa claim thinking this simply means was my employers business was legit and insured incase of bankrupt or hurricanes etc , they deemed me ineligible and I appealed , they set appeal hearing several months away , now I’m in lingo all because of a simple error.

  10. I tried to file my weekly claim, but was told I couldn’t, due to the system update to file today 8/28…I have tried to file online but cannot get in to do that. I have been on hold for 2 hours with customer service. I need help….
    Judy

  11. I got my back pay and did my weekly certification on Sunday, June 3 and got all three payments that Monday. Will that happen again this Monday, which is today, since I did my weekly certification at 2 a.m. on Sunday June 10?

  12. I went thru my 1 week waiting period , then filed my 2nd week certificate and it said I will not get a payment this week because I didn’t do what I was supposed to do during 1 week wait period ? I have email record of job searches for every day since I was laid off. I’m about to be homeless and or starve to death. What is the issue ????? Thanks for any help.

  13. I under reported my earnings by just a few dollars because I earned $15 per hour and some-odd cents. But I reported my earnings as just $15 an hour and it does make a little bit of difference. Can I adjust my report to be more accurate so that I am not charged with fraud and forced to pay the difference with suitable penalty

  14. I tried calling the number to for calling in unemployment to answer questions for my week but said I was already certified but when I gave the computer my pin number it said I couldn’t? use that for me set another pin but on Des account that what I use so how to change my pin number to what I gave computer on Des account

  15. Need help changing my pin#. Dont have access to a computer its saying my pin is incorrect… I cant file..

    • Please note this is a private forum. For instructions regarding PIN reset, please call the Claims Center on the phone numbers provided.

  16. I have been filing weekly claim for 4 weeks received a call about my benefits was approved but I don’t know when benefits actually start how would I find this out?

  17. Website that I go to for weeks to file claims now says certificate error and I can’t file my claim. What do I do?

    • If you were fired due to “Involuntary” reasons that was not a fault from your end, please consider applying for UI benefits.

  18. Is there a limit to the amount of money you can make weekly while on unemployment benefits? For example if I were to get a part time job and make $180 weekly to supplement my unemployment.

  19. I try to claim an week but don’t let me because I need to sing in on workforce in North Carolina. But I live in another state and I’m sing in for that state what I need to do. ?

    • You can try applying over the phone.

      Please call the Customer Service for further information in this regard.

  20. I was trying to file my weekly certification and I received a message that stated “You may not file a claim at this time, because our records show that your benefits have exhausted.” What does this mean?

    • It means there are no benefit weeks left in your account. You seem to have claimed it all.

      Please speak to a claims representative for clarification.

  21. I filed my weekly claim & 4 additional questions were added this week. I was told my claim was accepted but could not payout this week. I really need my benefits and believe I may have answered one of these questions incorrectly, as nothing has changed with my status. Please help.

  22. Last week when I went to work I was told that I was suspended for stealing time, I was sent home on Thursday and didn’t work Friday. I called Friday and they told me the person who makes the decisions was on vacation, I called my supervisor at 4:45 and he told me to come in Monday at 8:00 am, I did and I could not log in until 8:45 and I went to work. I went back to work Tuesday and they told me that they haven’t heard a thing about coming back and it is now Thursday and they keep telling me that they still haven’t heard a thing about my employment, I keep calling and they are still not telling me anything, what are my options here.

    • Please chase until they convey the final decision.

      If they terminate your job wrongfully, you can claim UI benefits until you find another job.

  23. i did my weekly claim but i made a mistake and punch the wrong answer, now it says i wont get my check this week ,can i fix this problem?

  24. I was forced to resign from Cleveland County Schools because I failed out
    of bus driver training and they require you to have a bus driver’s license. Do I still qualify for unemployment benefits, I worked the entire 10 month school year?

  25. My last day of work was January 30th, 2014, I applied for benefits and am on my last day of one week waiting period. My question is this, on the weekly certification what do I put for the week ending 02/01/14? I was paid semi monthly and my last check went from 01/16-01/30/2014? Should I file my weekly certification starting February 14th, 2014?

  26. I am waiting for my benefits of two weeks ..I fill it the forms,and a send all my information..could you tell me what happen …thanks for your cooperation..

    David lopez social security 770-03-0743

    • I filed for unemployment in July . It was temporarily layoff. The 1st week was a waiting week and the 2nd week I worked 1 day. I was calling in to my job. to check to see if there were work during this time and have not received money for my unemployment. Why

      • Please check the website to see if there is any information on your claim status. Did you actually claim benefits for these two weeks? Did the employer give you a definite date of recall? I do not see any reason you were not approved. If the website does not give you information that answers your questions and if you have actually “claimed” the benefits either online or by phone, call the local office and let them know.

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