Illinois Unemployment Department

The department in this state that handles unemployment insurance is called Illinois Employment Security. If you have questions or issues about filing a new or weekly unemployment claim, they should be able to assist you. We provide the contact information for the Illinois Unemployment Department below including the location, phone number and government website where you can find out how to file your claims, report fraud, find a job for employees and help businesses grow for employers. We also provide the information on how to file for IL unemployment online and file for unemployment over the phone.

If you lost your job at no fault of your own, then it is important to file your claim right away. ​Assuming you are eligible, it is possible to receive as many as 26 weeks of benefits within your benefit year. The MBA (WBA x 26) is the total gross amount of money you will receive (not including dependent allowance). At the time of filing you will need information including your Social Security Number and Name as it appears on your Social Security card. Your Driver License/State ID (this will provide your weight, which is required). If claiming your spouse or child as a dependent​, the Social Security Number, date of birth and name(s) of dependent(s). Name, mailing address, phone number, employment dates, and separation reason for all the employers you worked for in the last 18 months. If you worked since Sunday of this week, the gross wages earned this week and more. To see if you are eligible to receive these benefits and what additional information is needed when applying, find out how to file your Illinois unemployment claim. As a reminder, unemployment insurance benefits are taxable. You must report any unemployment benefits you receive as part of your gross income on your taxes.