Kentucky Unemployment FAQ Sheet

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 Kentucky 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 Kentucky’s Unemployment Program Overview page here.

What are Unemployment Insurance benefits?

Unemployment Insurance benefits are weekly payments that are given to eligible workers who apply to and are accepted into the program. These payments can be provided via a direct deposit to their bank account or a state-provided debit card.

Learn more about how Unemployment Insurance payments work here.

How to Qualify for Unemployment Benefits

To qualify for Unemployment Insurance in Kentucky, you must:

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

Learn more about Kentucky’s monetary 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.

How to Apply for Unemployment

To apply for Unemployment Insurance in Kentucky, 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.

2. Choose how you are going to apply, whether online, over the phone, or in person. 

To apply for Unemployment Insurance online, click here to access Kentucky’s Unemployment claim portal. To apply for Unemployment Insurance over the phone, call (502) 875-0442. To apply for Unemployment Insurance in person, click here to find your nearest Kentucky Unemployment Office location.

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

If you have questions about the application process or require assistance, you can contact the Kentucky Career Center at (502) 564-2900 Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM EST, except for observed holidays.

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 Kentucky. To determine how much you will receive each week, the Kentucky Career Center considers the amount of wages you earned during your base period.

The minimum weekly benefit amount in Kentucky is $39. The maximum weekly benefit amount is $665.

Learn more about the base period and how benefits are calculated or to estimate your weekly benefit amounts here.

I Just Applied for Unemployment Insurance. Now What?

• 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 Bi-Weekly Certification Application through the claimant portal or by calling (502) 875-0442, and the Unemployment Office will make sure you are still unemployed or underemployed, and meet all other eligibility requirements. You can find the Kentucky claimant portal here.

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 Bi-Weekly Certification Application here.

Note: The seven-day waiting period is temporarily suspended due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

• 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.

• 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.

What Happens After You Are Approved for Unemployment Benefits?

You must file a Bi-Weekly Certification Application while you are receiving Unemployment Benefits and until you are employed again. This bi-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 Bi-Weekly Certification Application here.  File your Weekly Certification Applications here.

It’s important to remember that your Unemployment Benefits may be delayed or denied if you fail to submit your bi-weekly claim.

How to File an Appeal If You Are Denied Unemployment Benefits

If your Unemployment Insurance application was denied, you have the right to file an appeal. You can submit an appeal by writing a letter to the Appeals Branch or UI commission stating your intent to appeal. Your letter may be submitted by mail, email, or fax.

Appeals Branch
275 E. Main St. 2EB
Frankfort, KY 40621
Fax: (502) 5640-7850
Email: UIappeals@ky.gov

UI Commission
275 E. Main St. 2WF
Frankfort, KY 40621
Fax: (502) 564-3562
Email: UIcommission@ky.gov

Need More Help?

If you have general questions about the Unemployment Benefits provided in Kentucky, you can call the Kentucky Career Center’s customer service center at (502) 564-2900.

Additionally, you can contact your local office before visiting the location for service. Find the location nearest you as well as its contact information here.

The Kentucky Career Center is available Monday through Friday from 7:30 AM to 5:30 PM EST, except for observed holidays.

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.