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Lost your job in Illinois? How unemployment works

Illinois pays regular unemployment insurance through the Illinois Department of Employment Security. Weekly benefits run $51–$628 for up to 26 weeks. Total in a benefit year is 26 times the weekly benefit amount plus any dependent allowance. 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. File your claim during the first week after you become unemployed. The benefit year usually starts the Sunday of the week you first file. You can file online, in person. Open the IDES filing page or call 800-244-5631.
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: At least $1,600 in base period wages, with at least $440 paid outside the highest quarter.
  3. Start certifying every week. Certify every two weeks online (ides.illinois.gov) or by the Tele-Serve phone system on your assigned certification day. You must actively look for work on your own initiative and register with IllinoisJobLink.com; no weekly contact count is stated in the handbook, but you must keep work search records (at least one year) and may be asked for them.
  4. Line up other help. Illinois SNAP income limits, Illinois health coverage.

Illinois unemployment at a glance

Agency
Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES)
Weekly benefit
$51–$628 (table in force from January 1, 2026)
Most weeks
26 — Total in a benefit year is 26 times the weekly benefit amount plus any dependent allowance.
Waiting week
You must serve one unpaid 'waiting week', usually the first week for which you file a claim. You still have to certify and be eligible for it.
Appeal deadline
By law you must file your appeal within 30 days after the denial letter was mailed; if day 30 is a weekend or IDES closure, the next open day. Mail appeals must be postmarked within the limit.
Spanish / Chinese help
IDES' Babel notice (https://ides.illinois.gov/about/babel-notice.html) says translation services are available in Spanish, Chinese, Cantonese and about a dozen other languages (call 800-244-5631); no separately translated claim pages were found.

How much you could get

For benefit years starting on or after January 1, 2026, the base weekly amount ranges from $51 to $628. A claimant with a dependent spouse can reach $748 and one with a dependent child $859 per week (spouse or child, not both). How it is figured: Based on wages in the two highest base period quarters (47 percent of the claimant's average weekly wage in those quarters), within a state table from $51 to $628.

At the top of the table — $628 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $16,328. That is a ceiling, not a typical claim; most people get less because the amount follows past wages (an allowance for dependents can raise it).

Who qualifies

  • Base period. Standard base period is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters; an alternate base period (four most recent completed quarters) is used only if you are not monetarily eligible under the standard one.
  • Work and wages. At least $1,600 in base period wages, with at least $440 paid outside the highest quarter.
  • If you quit. Quitting without good cause attributable to the employer disqualifies you, except for listed reasons such as health, sexual harassment, domestic violence, unsuitable work or accompanying a military or relocating spouse.
  • If you were fired. Being discharged for misconduct connected with work disqualifies you until you find another job and earn at least your weekly benefit amount in each of four calendar weeks.
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. Partial benefits: the part of weekly earnings above 50 percent of your weekly benefit amount is deducted; you must report all gross earnings and can claim if earnings are below your weekly benefit amount. Official handbook pages do not address gig/self-employment separately.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
File online at the IDES website (ILogin account) or at an IDES office (walk-ins accepted; appointments recommended). Register with IllinoisJobLink.com as part of filing.
Weekly certification
Certify every two weeks online (ides.illinois.gov) or by the Tele-Serve phone system on your assigned certification day.
Work search
You must actively look for work on your own initiative and register with IllinoisJobLink.com; no weekly contact count is stated in the handbook, but you must keep work search records (at least one year) and may be asked for them.
Taxes
Benefits are subject to state and federal income tax; withholding is voluntary and pre-set at 10 percent federal and 4.95 percent Illinois.
State withholding
optional, 4.95 percent
If you are denied
By mail or fax to the address/fax number on the determination letter (IDES Appeals) Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
Overpayments can be recouped from benefits (for non-fraud, up to 25 percent of the weekly benefit per week) or by state tax refund offset; a hardship waiver of recoupment may be requested, but you still owe the amount.

Good to know in Illinois

  • Phone hours for Claimant Services were not stated; IDES page says normal working hours are 8:30 a.m.-5:00 p.m. Monday-Friday (for a legal-services line), so phoneHours is null. Tele-Serve certification line runs Mon-Fri 3:00 a.m.-7:30 p.m. per IDES.
  • Dependent allowance: claimants can add an allowance for a dependent child or non-working spouse, not both.
  • The IDES table is the one in force for benefit years starting on or after 1/1/2026; Illinois updates it each January. A Public Act (104-0839) is referenced for later years; not verified here.
  • US DOL July 2026 summary and IDES's own 2026 table (BEN 548, 11/2025) both show $859 as the maximum with a dependent child.

Sources

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