COVID-19 Employer and Claimant Information
If you are laid off temporarily due to a business shutdown as a result of COVID-19, the Division of Unemployment Insurance recommends that you file a claim for unemployment insurance. If your employment or business has been impacted by the coronavirus, please read the COVID-19 Frequently Asked Questions document. If you are eligible, you will be paid for all benefits due. To learn more about the work search requirement exemption, visit the Work Search FAQs.
The Division of Unemployment Insurance’s website and call centers are currently experiencing an unprecedented volume of users due to COVID-19. This may result in long wait times. Please be assured that Maryland does not have a waiting week like many other states do. No matter when or how they file, Marylanders become eligible for benefits starting after the day after they separated from employment. Beginning Wednesday, April 1st, 2020, the Claims Centers telephone lines will be further extended and open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. To contact a Claim Center, call 410-949-0022.
If you are having difficulty placing a call or accessing the website, claimants can e-mail questions to ui.inquiry@maryland.gov. Employers can e-mail questions to dluiemployerassistance-labor@maryland.gov or contact 410-767-2412. Claims may only be filed by phone or online; claims cannot be filed by email.
Updated Process for Filing a Regular Claim
To provide claimants with an efficient and hassle-free filing process, the Division of Unemployment Insurance is encouraging claimants to file according to a new system.
To file an initial regular unemployment claim online or through our call centers, please file your claim according to your last name as detailed below:
- If your last name starts with A - F, file your claim on Monday.
- If your last name starts with G - N, file your claim on Tuesday.
- If your last name starts with O - Z, file your claim on Wednesday.
- Claim filing is open to all last names by phone on Thursday and Friday and online Thursday through Sunday.
- Filing later in the week will not delay your payments or affect the date of your claim.
File Your Missing Weekly Claim Certification(s) Online
The Division of Unemployment Insurance has implemented a new solution and updated their systems to allow you to file ALL the weekly claim certifications you have been unable to file since filing your initial claim. Starting Thursday, April 9th, you will be able to file ONLINE for each of those missing week(s). For detailed instructions, please visit the File Your Missing Weekly Claim Certification(s) Online page.
If you have questions about filing your weekly claim, please visit Weekly Claim Certification Frequently Asked Questions.
If you have questions about filing your 1st quarter reports, please read the 1st Quarter Reports FAQs.