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Lost your job in Hawaii? How unemployment works

Hawaii pays regular unemployment insurance through the Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Unemployment Insurance Division. Weekly benefits run $5–$868 for up to 26 weeks. Up to 26 weeks of benefits within the 52-week benefit year. 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. Your claim starts on the Sunday of the week you file. If you wait to file after losing your job, you will not get benefits for the weeks before you filed. You can file online, in person. Open the DLIR UI filing page or call 808-762-5752 (toll-free 833-901-2272) (Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. Hawaii Standard Time).
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: Wages in at least two quarters of the base period and total base period wages of at least 26 times your weekly benefit amount.
  3. Start certifying every week. Claim each week (or biweekly, answering questions for each week separately) online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov; file within 7 days after the end of the week or second week. At least three work search activities each week, recorded in the online Weekly Work Search Log. Hawaii residents are registered automatically with HireNet Hawaii.
  4. Line up other help. Hawaii SNAP income limits, Hawaii health coverage.

Hawaii unemployment at a glance

Agency
Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations, Unemployment Insurance Division (DLIR UI)
Weekly benefit
$5–$868 (table in force from January 1, 2026)
Most weeks
26 — Up to 26 weeks of benefits within the 52-week benefit year.
Waiting week
Everyone must serve a waiting week, usually the first week of the benefit year. You must file a weekly claim and meet all eligibility rules for it, but it is not paid; payments begin the following week.
Appeal deadline
Submit a reconsideration request or appeal in writing within 10 calendar days of the mail date on the decision notice; ESARO may extend to 30 days for good reason. Some tax-related decisions allow 15 or 20 days; check the notice.
Spanish / Chinese help
Translated claimant handbook with Babel and language-assistance pages for Simplified Chinese (https://labor.hawaii.gov/ui/lep-chi), Spanish (https://labor.hawaii.gov/ui/lep-spa), Tagalog, Ilocano, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, Chuukese, Marshallese. Interpreter services are free.

How much you could get

The maximum weekly benefit is $868 for calendar year 2026; the minimum is $5. A claim can pay up to 26 weeks. How it is figured: Highest base period quarter wages divided by 21, with a $5 minimum and the calendar-year maximum.

At the top of the table — $868 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $22,568. That is a ceiling, not a typical claim; most people get less because the amount follows past wages.

Who qualifies

  • Base period. Standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters. If you do not qualify, the alternate base period (the last four completed quarters) is used. Wages from other states can count.
  • Work and wages. Wages in at least two quarters of the base period and total base period wages of at least 26 times your weekly benefit amount.
  • If you quit. A quit may be allowed if you can show good reason as allowed by law (for example unsafe working conditions); leaving for personal reasons does not qualify.
  • If you were fired. Being fired for misconduct connected with work disqualifies you.
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. You can earn up to $150 a week without reducing your benefit; earning more than $150 but less than your weekly benefit reduces it, and earning your full weekly benefit or more makes that week not payable. Self-employment income must be reported; people who are self-employed full-time are not eligible.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
File a new application or reactivate a claim online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov. For help, call the UI Call Center, visit a local claims office (Honolulu, Hilo, Kona, Maui, Kauai) or book an appointment.
Weekly certification
Claim each week (or biweekly, answering questions for each week separately) online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov; file within 7 days after the end of the week or second week.
Work search
At least three work search activities each week, recorded in the online Weekly Work Search Log. Hawaii residents are registered automatically with HireNet Hawaii.
Taxes
Benefits are taxable by federal and state governments; you can choose 10 percent federal and 5 percent state withholding.
State withholding
optional, 5 percent
If you are denied
Employment Security Appeals Referees' Office (ESARO), online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov, or at a local claims office Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
Overpaid benefits must be repaid online, by mail or in person; a monthly payment plan can be requested by emailing dlir.ui.sa@hawaii.gov.

Good to know in Hawaii

  • UI Call Center hours are Monday-Friday 8:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. HST (labor.hawaii.gov/ui/contact-us); the online system runs Mon-Fri 6:30 a.m.-11:00 p.m. HST and weekends/holidays 9:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m. HST.
  • Hawaii's maximum weekly benefit changes every calendar year; the 2026 figure is $868.
  • Cross-check: US DOL July 2026 shows $5 to $868, $150 disregard, 26 weeks.

Sources

Legal and agency information, not legal advice. Rules and benefit tables change — confirm with DLIR UI before you rely on a number. How we check: methodology.