While we are not affiliated with the government in any way, our private company engaged writers to research the LIHEAP program and compiled a guide and the following answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help you get the benefits that you need by providing useful information on the process.

  1. What Is Unemployment Insurance?
  2. What Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits?
  3. How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits
  4. When to Apply for Unemployment
  5. How to Apply for Arkansas Unemployment Insurance
  6. How Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts Are Calculated
  7. I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What?
  8. What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?
  9. How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial
  10. Need More Help?
  11. View or Download Our Free Guide

What Is Unemployment Insurance?

Unemployment Insurance is a benefit program designed to replace part of the income of recently unemployed or underemployed workers. Unemployment Insurance is available to workers who are out of work through no fault of their own.

Learn more about Unemployment on Arkansas’s Unemployment Program Overview page here.

What Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits?

Unemployment Insurance Benefits are weekly payments given to eligible workers who apply to and are accepted into the program. These payments are typically provided via direct deposits to the beneficiary’s issued U.S. Bank ReliaCard.

Learn more about how Unemployment Insurance payments work here.

How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits

To qualify for Unemployment Insurance in Arkansas, you must:

  • Have lost your job due to no fault of your own.
  • Be able to work.
  • Be actively seeking work.
  • Meet Arkansas’s monetary and personal eligibility requirements.

Learn more about Arkansas’s monetary requirements and personal eligibility requirements here.

When to Apply for Unemployment

Apply for benefits online here during the week you are seeking payment, when your hours have been reduced or when you are no longer employed. Do NOT wait until the week is over.

Learn more information on when to apply for Unemployment Insurance here.

How to Apply for Arkansas Unemployment Insurance

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in Arkansas, complete the following three steps:

  1. Gather the documentation related to your previous employment and information you will need for the application.

Learn what documents and information you need here.

  1. Choose how you are going to apply, whether online or in person.

The Arkansas Unemployment Office does not accept claims over the telephone.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance online, click here to access Arkansas’s Unemployment claim portal.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in person, click here to find your nearest Arkansas Unemployment Office location.

  1. Submit the Unemployment application, which is also known as filing a claim.

If you have questions about the application process or require assistance, contact the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services’ Main Office Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST at the following numbers:

  • Phone: (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121
  • Fax: (501) 682-8845
  • TTY Relay: 711

How Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts Are Calculated

The amount of Unemployment Benefits you receive is based on your past reported earnings by employers that you have worked for in Arkansas. To determine the amount you will receive each week, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services takes the highest-earning quarter in the applicant’s base period and divides that amount by 26.

The minimum weekly benefit amount in Arkansas is $119. The maximum weekly benefit amount is $240.

Learn more about Arkansas’s base period and how benefits are calculated here.

I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What?

  1. Report Your Waiting Week

The week after you file your unemployment claim is called the Waiting Week. During the Waiting Week, you must file a Weekly Certification Application through the claimant portal here and the Unemployment Office will make sure you are still unemployed or underemployed, and meet all other eligibility requirements. If approved, you will begin receiving your weekly benefits the following week. You are not paid for the Waiting Week, but you do receive a Waiting Week credit.

Learn more about the Waiting Week here.

Learn more about the online Weekly Certification Application here.

  1. Start Looking for Work

Keep track of your work-search contacts. You are required to make at least two contacts per week to receive payments and waiting week credit.

  1. Discuss Possible Issues

If you were discharged or quit your last job, expect a call (or email if that is your preferred contact method) to determine if you are eligible for unemployment insurance.

You can learn more about what to expect after applying here.

What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?

You must file a Weekly Certification Application every week you are receiving Unemployment Benefits until you are employed again. This weekly claim is like a follow-up application that certifies your continued eligibility for the program, and proves you are actively applying for new jobs.

Learn more about the online Weekly Certification Application here.

It’s important to remember that you will stop receiving Unemployment Benefits and your Unemployment Claim will be canceled if you have not filed Weekly Certifications for two or more consecutive weeks.

How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial

If your Unemployment Insurance application was denied, you have the right to file an appeal. You can submit an appeal to the Division of Workforce Services by calling:

  • Unemployment Claim Appeal Tribunal: (501) 682-1063
  • Board of Review: (501) 683-4300

You can also obtain an appeal request form here, which you can submit:

  • In person, by finding your nearest Arkansas DWS office here.
  • By mail to:

Appeal Tribunal
P.O. Box 8013
Little Rock, AR 72203

You may not file an appeal online.

Need More Help?

For help with an Unemployment Insurance application, or for any further questions about your Unemployment Insurance claim, call the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services at (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121.

You can also visit or call a local Unemployment Office for further assistance. Find your nearest Unemployment Office location and contact information here.

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services customer service telephone lines are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM CST, except for the observed holidays noted here.

View or Download Our Free Guide

While we are not affiliated with the government in any way, our private company engaged writers to research the Unemployment Insurance program and compiled a guide and these answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help you get the benefits that you need by providing useful information on the process.

Our free Unemployment Insurance Guide is filled with helpful information about how to apply, program eligibility requirements and how to get in touch with local offices. You can view our free guide here.

  1. What Is Unemployment Insurance?
  2. What Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits?
  3. How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits
  4. When to Apply for Unemployment
  5. How to Apply for Arkansas Unemployment Insurance
  6. How Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts Are Calculated
  7. I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What?
  8. What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?
  9. How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial
  10. Need More Help?
  11. View or Download Our Free Guide

What Is Unemployment Insurance?

Unemployment Insurance is a benefit program designed to replace part of the income of recently unemployed or underemployed workers. Unemployment Insurance is available to workers who are out of work through no fault of their own.

Learn more about Unemployment on Arkansas’s Unemployment Program Overview page here.

What Are Unemployment Insurance Benefits?

Unemployment Insurance Benefits are weekly payments given to eligible workers who apply to and are accepted into the program. These payments are typically provided via direct deposits to the beneficiary’s issued U.S. Bank ReliaCard.

Learn more about how Unemployment Insurance payments work here.

How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits

To qualify for Unemployment Insurance in Arkansas, you must:

  • Have lost your job due to no fault of your own.
  • Be able to work.
  • Be actively seeking work.
  • Meet Arkansas’s monetary and personal eligibility requirements.

Learn more about Arkansas’s monetary requirements and personal eligibility requirements here.

When to Apply for Unemployment

Apply for benefits online here during the week you are seeking payment, when your hours have been reduced or when you are no longer employed. Do NOT wait until the week is over.

Learn more information on when to apply for Unemployment Insurance here.

How to Apply for Arkansas Unemployment Insurance

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in Arkansas, complete the following three steps:

  1. Gather the documentation related to your previous employment and information you will need for the application.

Learn what documents and information you need here.

  1. Choose how you are going to apply, whether online or in person.

The Arkansas Unemployment Office does not accept claims over the telephone.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance online, click here to access Arkansas’s Unemployment claim portal.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in person, click here to find your nearest Arkansas Unemployment Office location.

  1. Submit the Unemployment application, which is also known as filing a claim.

If you have questions about the application process or require assistance, contact the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services’ Main Office Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST at the following numbers:

  • Phone: (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121
  • Fax: (501) 682-8845
  • TTY Relay: 711

How Unemployment Insurance Benefit Amounts Are Calculated

The amount of Unemployment Benefits you receive is based on your past reported earnings by employers that you have worked for in Arkansas. To determine the amount you will receive each week, the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services takes the highest-earning quarter in the applicant’s base period and divides that amount by 26.

The minimum weekly benefit amount in Arkansas is $81. The maximum weekly benefit amount is $451.

Learn more about Arkansas’s base period and how benefits are calculated here.

I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What?

  1. Report Your Waiting Week

The week after you file your unemployment claim is called the Waiting Week. During the Waiting Week, you must file a Weekly Certification Application through the claimant portal here and the Unemployment Office will make sure you are still unemployed or underemployed, and meet all other eligibility requirements. If approved, you will begin receiving your weekly benefits the following week. You are not paid for the Waiting Week, but you do receive a Waiting Week credit.

Learn more about the Waiting Week here.

Learn more about the online Weekly Certification Application here.

  1. Start Looking for Work

Keep track of your work-search contacts. You are required to make at least two contacts per week to receive payments and waiting week credit.

  1. Discuss Possible Issues

If you were discharged or quit your last job, expect a call (or email if that is your preferred contact method) to determine if you are eligible for unemployment insurance.

You can learn more about what to expect after applying here.

What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?

You must file a Weekly Certification Application every week you are receiving Unemployment Benefits until you are employed again. This weekly claim is like a follow-up application that certifies your continued eligibility for the program, and proves you are actively applying for new jobs.

Learn more about the online Weekly Certification Application here.

It’s important to remember that you will stop receiving Unemployment Benefits and your Unemployment Claim will be canceled if you have not filed Weekly Certifications for two or more consecutive weeks.

How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial

If your Unemployment Insurance application was denied, you have the right to file an appeal. You can submit an appeal to the Division of Workforce Services by calling:

  • Unemployment Claim Appeal Tribunal: (501) 682-1063
  • Board of Review: (501) 683-4300

You can also obtain an appeal request form here, which you can submit:

  • In person, by finding your nearest Arkansas DWS office here.
  • By mail to:

Appeal Tribunal
P.O. Box 8013
Little Rock, AR 72203

You may not file an appeal online.

Need More Help?

For help with an Unemployment Insurance application, or for any further questions about your Unemployment Insurance claim, call the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services at (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121.

You can also visit or call a local Unemployment Office for further assistance. Find your nearest Unemployment Office location and contact information here.

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services customer service telephone lines are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM CST, except for the observed holidays noted here.

View or Download Our Free Guide

While we are not affiliated with the government in any way, our private company engaged writers to research the Unemployment Insurance program and compiled a guide and these answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help you get the benefits that you need by providing useful information on the process.

Our free Unemployment Insurance Guide is filled with helpful information about how to apply, program eligibility requirements and how to get in touch with local offices. You can view our free guide here.

  1. How to Apply for Arkansas Unemployment Insurance
  2. How to Check Your Application Status
  3. The Unemployment Benefits Waiting Week
  4. How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial
  5. Need More Help?
  6. View or Download Our Free Guide

How to Apply for Arkansas Unemployment Insurance

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in Arkansas, complete the following three steps:

  1. Gather the documentation related to your previous employment and information you will need for the application.

Learn what documents and information you need here.

  1. Choose how you are going to apply, whether online or in person.

The Arkansas Unemployment Office does not accept claims over the telephone.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance online, click here to access Arkansas’s Unemployment claim portal.

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in person, click here to find your nearest Arkansas Unemployment Office location.

  1. Submit the Unemployment application, which is also known as filing a claim.

If you have questions about the application process or require assistance, contact the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services’ Main Office Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM to 4:00 PM MST at the following numbers:

  • Phone: (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121
  • Fax: (501) 682-8845
  • TTY Relay: 711

How to Check Your Application Status

If you have already applied for Unemployment Insurance online, you can check the status of your application by logging into your account through the Arkansas Claimant Portal here.

You can also check the status of your application by calling the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services’ customer service line at (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121.

The Unemployment Benefits Waiting Week

You will not begin receiving Unemployment Benefits immediately after submitting the application. By law, you must wait one week before finding out whether you will begin receiving benefits. This is called the Waiting Week.

The Waiting Week is the week after you file your unemployment claim. During the Waiting Week, you must file a Weekly Certification Application through the claimant portal here and the Unemployment Office will make sure you are still unemployed or underemployed, and meet all other eligibility requirements. If approved, you will begin receiving your weekly benefits the following week. You are not paid for the Waiting Week, but you do receive a Waiting Week credit.

Learn more about the Waiting Week here.

Learn more about the online Weekly Certification Application here.

Learn more about the Weekly Certification Application by phone here.

How to Appeal an Unemployment Insurance Denial

If your Unemployment Insurance application was denied, you have the right to file an appeal. You can submit an appeal to the Division of Workforce Services by calling:

  • Unemployment Claim Appeal Tribunal: (501) 682-1063
  • Board of Review: (501) 683-4300

You can also obtain an appeal request form here, which you can submit:

  • In person, by finding your nearest Arkansas DWS office here.
  • By mail to:

Appeal Tribunal
P.O. Box 8013
Little Rock, AR 72203

You may not file an appeal online.

Need More Help?

For help with an Unemployment Insurance application, or for any further questions about your Unemployment Insurance claim, call the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services at (855) 225-4440 or (501) 682-2121.

You can also visit or call a local Unemployment Office for further assistance. Find your nearest Unemployment Office location and contact information here.

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services customer service telephone lines are available Monday through Friday from 8:00 AM until 4:00 PM CST, except for the observed holidays noted here.

View or Download Our Free Guide

While we are not affiliated with the government in any way, our private company engaged writers to research the Unemployment Insurance program and compiled a guide and these answers to frequently asked questions. Our goal is to help you get the benefits that you need by providing useful information on the process.

Our free Unemployment Insurance Guide is filled with helpful information about how to apply, program eligibility requirements and how to get in touch with local offices. You can view our free guide here.