Job-loss checklist for Illinois

Last checked: October 30, 2026. We are not IDES or the State of Illinois. We never ask for your ILogin or IDES password, Social Security number or any claim details.

1. 1. Apply for unemployment insurance with IDES during your first week out of work

   Deadline: During the first week after you become unemployed (your benefit year usually starts the Sunday of the week you file)

   In Illinois, unemployment insurance (UI) is run by the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES). File your claim during the first week after you become unemployed; IDES says that if you delay, you may lose benefits. The fastest way is online at ides.illinois.gov, where you can file any day at any time except 8 p.m. to 10 p.m. You can also file by phone at IDES Claimant Services, (800) 244-5631. To apply online you must first create an ILogin account, the state's identity verification tool, and set up multifactor authentication (a code by text, phone call or an authenticator app). Finish the application in one sitting: the session expires after an hour and anything you entered is lost. Do not pay anyone to file for you. Have ready: your Social Security number and your name as it appears on your Social Security card; your driver's license or state ID; for every employer in the last 18 months, the name, mailing address, phone number, dates you worked and the reason you separated (W-2s or pay stubs may be needed); any gross wages earned since Sunday of this week; records of any pension you receive (not Social Security); the name, Social Security number and date of birth of a dependent child or spouse you want to claim; and, if it applies, your Alien Registration information (not a U.S. citizen), Member 4 copy of your DD-214 (recent veteran), or Standard Form 8 and Form 50 (federal civilian job). Report the real reason you lost your job; a wrong answer can affect eligibility or delay benefits. Your benefit year usually starts on the Sunday of the week you first file and lasts one full year. Within 7 to 10 days, IDES mails you a UI Finding letter showing your base-period wages, your weekly benefit amount (WBA) and your first certification date. In general, you need at least $1,600 in covered wages in your base period, including at least $440 outside your highest-paid quarter. Your WBA depends on your wages in your two highest-paid base-period quarters. IDES's benefit table for benefit years beginning on or after January 1, 2026 runs from $51 up to a maximum of $628 a week; with a dependent allowance, the most you can get is $748 a week with a nonworking spouse or $859 with a dependent child. You can be paid up to 26 times your WBA in a benefit year. The first eligible week is an unpaid waiting week; you must still certify for it to get credit. If you disagree with your UI Finding, you can appeal within 30 days of the mailing date on the letter. IDES may schedule a telephone interview (an adjudication interview) about your eligibility, for example because of your separation reason or an employer protest. The notice comes by mail. Be available at the phone number you gave; if you cannot make it, send back the Request for Change of Interview Date form attached to the notice. Missing the interview without good cause can cost you benefits. IDES mail is not forwarded by the Postal Service, so keep your address current.

   Apply: IDES File an Unemployment ClaimIDES: create your ILogin accountIDES: Table of Weekly Benefit Amounts (PDF)

2. 2. Get your final paycheck by your next regular payday

   Deadline: Final pay: no later than your next regularly scheduled payday. Wage claim with IDOL: within one year after the pay was due

   Under the Illinois Wage Payment and Collection Act, your employer must pay your final compensation in full at the time you separate if possible, and no later than your next regularly scheduled payday. This applies whether you quit or were fired. If you ask in writing for your final pay to be mailed as a check, the employer must do so. Final compensation includes wages, earned commissions, earned bonuses and the value of earned vacation. If your employer's contract or policy gives paid vacation, unused earned vacation must be paid out at your final rate of pay, and the policy cannot make you forfeit it (unless a union contract says otherwise). You are not owed severance, sick pay or holiday pay unless your employer promised it in a contract or other agreement. If you are not paid, you can file a wage claim with the Illinois Department of Labor (IDOL) using its online Wage Claim application (you need an Illinois Public ID account). File within one year after the wages or final compensation were due. Include pay stubs, W-2s or 1099s, and any vacation, bonus or commission policy. The law covers private employers and local governments for work done in Illinois; state and federal employees are not covered. Also tell IDES about any vacation pay or wages in lieu of notice you receive, because it can affect your benefits for those weeks.

   Illinois Department of Labor: Wage Payment and Collection Act FAQIllinois Department of Labor: how to file a wage claim

3. 3. Register on IllinoisJobLink.com and upload a resume

   Deadline: By the due date on the IDES notice (no benefits for weeks before you finish registering)

   Registering with the employment service is a legal requirement for people who apply for unemployment insurance. In Illinois you do this online at IllinoisJobLink.com. If you are required to register, IDES will not pay benefits on a new claim until your registration is complete. IDES emails all new claimants their IllinoisJobLink.com login when they apply. To finish, log in, answer the questions, and create or upload at least one resume, then pick the job title you are best qualified for. Your registration is complete when you see "UI Registered" in green on the left side of the screen. Registering on another job site does not count. If you do not register right away, IDES mails you a notice with instructions and a due date. If you miss the due date, you will not be eligible for benefits for any week before the week you complete your registration. Your answers on the claim application decide whether you must register; IDES will tell you if you fall into one of the narrow exceptions. Under the state rule, these include, among others, unemployment caused by a labor dispute, a temporary layoff of no more than 10 weeks, union members whose union placement service is certified, construction workers seeking construction work, and people in training. Help desk: (877) 342-7533.

   IllinoisJobLink.comIDES: employment service registration FAQs

4. 4. Certify for benefits every two weeks

   Deadline: Every two weeks on your assigned day (Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday); make-up days are Thursday and Friday

   You are not paid until you certify. Every two weeks you answer questions about the two weeks that just ended (each week runs Sunday through Saturday): whether you worked and your gross earnings, holiday pay, whether you were able and available to work, whether you looked for work, school or training, pensions, workers' compensation, and any change of address or phone. Your UI Finding letter shows your first certification date and your assigned day: Monday, Tuesday or Wednesday, every other week. The best way to certify is online at ides.illinois.gov/certify, from 3:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m. You can also certify by phone with Tele-Serve at (312) 338-4337, Monday through Friday, 3:00 a.m. to 7:30 p.m.; the first time you call, you create a PIN you will need every time. If you miss your day, you can certify on Thursday or Friday of that week, or certify the week after. Certifying late can lead to denial or delay of benefits. If you do not get your UI Finding within two weeks of filing, call Claimant Services. Keep certifying while you wait for an interview or an appeal decision, as long as you stay unemployed. Payment comes 2 to 3 days after you certify with direct deposit, or allow up to 8 days for a paper check. Paper check is the default, so IDES encourages you to choose direct deposit. As soon as you start working again, report it to IDES; do not wait for your first paycheck.

   IDES: certify for benefitsIDES: Tele-Serve

5. 5. Look for work every week and keep a record

   Deadline: Every week you claim (Sunday to Saturday); keep records at least one year

   Illinois law requires you to be able to work, available for work and actively looking for work during every week you claim. This normally means being ready to accept a suitable full-time job. You are not available if, for example, you are sick, on vacation, or set conditions on wages or hours that unreasonably limit your chances of getting hired. Refusing a suitable job offer without good cause can disqualify you. IDES does not publish a set number of employer contacts per week. The state rule requires a thorough, active and reasonable search for work, and a record of: the names and addresses of the employers you contacted (and the person, if possible), the dates, how you contacted them and the results, and the type of work, wages and hours you wanted. If you search on IllinoisJobLink.com, your efforts are saved there automatically. For searches outside IllinoisJobLink.com, use the Work Search Record form (ADJ034F). You must give IDES your records whenever asked; not doing so can lead to a denial of benefits. Keep your written records for at least one year after the week you claimed (the form says 53 weeks), and longer if a work search appeal is pending. If you were last employed by a temporary help firm, contact that firm each week for work. Under federal guidelines, IDES may refer you to reemployment services. If you are referred, you must take part, or your benefits may be suspended.

   IDES: Work Search Record form ADJ034F (PDF)IllinoisJobLink.com

6. 6. Sort out health coverage within 60 days

   Deadline: 60 days (Get Covered Illinois: from losing coverage; COBRA: from the later of coverage end or your notice). Illinois continuation: written request within 30 days of the later of your job ending or your notice, and no later than 60 days after your job ended

   Get Covered Illinois (getcovered.illinois.gov) is Illinois' official health insurance marketplace and the only place in Illinois to apply for tax credits that lower the cost of a plan. Losing job-based coverage is a qualifying life event, so you can enroll during a special enrollment period. Get Covered Illinois can help you get coverage within 60 days of the event; you may need proof of the loss. Help: 1-866-311-1119 (TTY 711). When you apply, if it looks like you qualify for Medicaid, your application is sent to the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services (HFS) for a final decision. COBRA (private employers with 20 or more employees, and state and local governments): you have 60 days to elect COBRA, counted from the later of the date your coverage ends or the date the election notice is given or mailed to you. The plan must send the notice within 44 days of the job loss. After you elect, you have 45 days to make the first payment. COBRA usually lasts up to 18 months after a job loss, and you generally pay the full premium plus 2 percent. Illinois continuation: if your group health insurance is an insured policy issued in Illinois, state law lets you continue it for yourself and your dependents for up to 12 months if you were covered for the whole 3 months before your job ended. Your employer must give or mail you a written notice within 10 days after your job ends. You must ask for continuation in writing within 30 days after the later of your job ending or the date you got the notice, and never more than 60 days after your job ended. You pay the full group premium monthly in advance. It is not available if you were fired for a work-related felony or theft that you admitted or were convicted of. Medicaid: apply online through ABE (abe.illinois.gov), by paper application, or at your local IDHS Family Community Resource Center. Questions: 1-800-843-6154. If you miss the 60-day window, you can still sign up during open enrollment, which runs from November 1, 2026, to January 15, 2027. Sign up by December 15 for coverage that starts January 1.

   Get Covered Illinois: special enrollmentU.S. DOL: COBRA continuation coverage215 ILCS 5/367e: Illinois continuationApply for Medicaid: ABE

7. 7. Apply for SNAP food benefits through ABE

   SNAP helps people with low income buy food. In Illinois it is run by the Illinois Department of Human Services (IDHS), and benefits are loaded on the Illinois Link card, which most grocery stores accept. Apply online anytime through ABE (Application for Benefits Eligibility) at abe.illinois.gov; you can also mail, fax or bring a paper application to your local IDHS Family Community Resource Center, or apply at that office. For help, call the ABE Help Line at 1-800-843-6154. Your application starts the day the office receives your signed application. IDHS will interview you in person or by phone and may ask for proof of identity, residence and Social Security numbers. Eligibility and the amount depend mainly on your household's income and expenses and the number of people who live and eat together. Emergency (expedited) SNAP benefits are ready in 5 days or less from the date you apply. You may qualify if your monthly income plus cash and bank accounts are less than your rent or mortgage plus utilities; if your monthly income is less than $150 and your cash and bank accounts are not more than $100; or if someone in your household is a migrant farm worker and your cash and bank accounts are not more than $100. Work rules: federal law requires able-bodied adults without dependents (ABAWDs), ages 18 through 64, who do not qualify for an exemption, to meet work requirements to keep SNAP. You can meet them by working (paid or unpaid), volunteering with an approved organization, or taking part in an approved work program such as SNAP Employment & Training, for an average of 20 hours a week (80 hours a month). Use the SNAP Work Requirements Screener in ABE to see if you should ask for an exemption. If you must follow the SNAP work rule and you don't meet it or get an exemption, you can get SNAP for only 3 months in a fixed 3-year period. The current period runs from January 1, 2024, to December 31, 2026. Illinois started counting these months in February 2026, after its waiver ended. The 3 months do not have to be in a row. If you are getting unemployment benefits, you do not have to meet the SNAP work rule. This is also true if you applied for unemployment or have an appeal pending, as long as you are following the unemployment work-search rules. Living with a child counts for this rule only if the child is 13 or younger and lives in your SNAP household. A child 14 or older does not exempt you.

   Apply: ABE (abe.illinois.gov)IDHS: SNAPIDHS: SNAP work requirements

8. 8. Plan for federal and Illinois income tax on your benefits

   Deadline: Form 1099-G is available and mailed by the first week of February

   Unemployment insurance benefits are taxable income for both federal and Illinois income tax. Withholding is your choice: you can have federal tax, Illinois tax or both taken out of your payments, at set rates of 10 percent for federal and 4.95 percent for Illinois. You can choose when you file your claim or later. To change withholding on a current claim, complete IDES's TAX-2 form, sign it and fax it to (630) 495-8199. A change cannot apply to a payment you have already received. If you do not have tax withheld, the IRS says you can make quarterly estimated tax payments instead. IDES sends Form 1099-G showing the benefits paid to you and any tax withheld. It is available to download and is mailed by the first week of February. Get it online in your IDES account (Individual Home, then Request 1099-G), where you can see forms from the past seven years, or request a mailed copy through Tele-Serve at (312) 338-4337, option 3. If you get a 1099-G but never received unemployment benefits, someone may have filed a fraudulent claim in your name: call IDES right away at (800) 244-5631. IDES staff cannot give tax advice; send tax questions to the IRS.

   IDES: get your 1099-GIRS: unemployment compensation

9. 9. If IDES denies benefits, appeal within 30 days of the mailing date

   Deadline: Within 30 calendar days of the mailing date on the IDES finding or determination

   You can appeal any IDES finding or determination that denies you benefits, including your UI Finding. File within 30 calendar days of the mailing date stated on the document. Write a letter explaining why you disagree, or complete the Request for Reconsideration of Claims Adjudicator's Determination form, and mail, fax or deliver it to your local IDES office; the address and fax number are on the finding or determination. A mailed appeal must be postmarked within the time limit. If the last day falls on a Saturday, Sunday or another day IDES offices are closed, you can file on the next day they are open. If the reconsideration is denied, your appeal goes automatically to the Appeals Division. You will get a Notice of Hearing in the mail, about 10 days ahead. Hearings are by telephone with an Administrative Law Judge, called a Referee, who calls you at the number on the notice; stay available for at least one hour from the scheduled time. If you filed the appeal and do not take part, your appeal will be dismissed. Send any documents to the Referee and to the other parties so they arrive at least 24 hours before the hearing. If you miss the hearing, you can ask to reopen it within 10 days after the hearing date. Limited free legal help for claimants: (844) 562-7448; call right away after a ruling against you. If you disagree with the Referee's decision, appeal in writing to the Board of Review within 30 days of the mailing date of the decision, and include the docket number. You can use form APL124F and file by digital upload, at a local office, by fax at (630) 645-3731, or by mail to Illinois Department of Employment Security, C/O Board of Review, 115 South LaSalle Street, LL2, Chicago, IL 60603. The Board usually decides without a new hearing. If you disagree with the Board's decision, you can appeal to the circuit court of your county within 35 days. Keep certifying every two weeks while your appeal is pending, as long as you remain unemployed. If you win, you are paid only for the weeks you certified and were eligible.

   IDES: appealsIDES: preparing for your appeal hearing

10. 10. Working part time? Report your gross pay for each week

    If you work part time, you may still get full or partial benefits. When you certify, report all gross wages (before taxes and other deductions) for each week, in the week you earned them, not the week you were paid. This includes pay in the form of lodging, meals or merchandise. Your earnings for the week must be less than your weekly benefit amount, not counting any dependent allowance. If you earn less than half of your weekly benefit amount, you can get your full benefit for that week. Anything you earn above half of your weekly benefit amount is subtracted from your benefit, and the result is rounded up to the next dollar. IDES's example: with a $110 weekly benefit and $76.50 in earnings, $21.50 is above half ($55), so you get $89. Holiday or vacation pay is subtracted in full. If you work full time, you are not eligible for that week even if you earn less than your weekly benefit amount. Report your return to work right away; employers must report new hires to IDES. Not reporting work or wages leads to an overpayment and possibly a fraud finding, with penalty weeks, offset of state payments such as tax refunds, fines and prosecution. Overpayments that are not due to fraud can be taken out of future benefits, no more than 25 percent of your weekly benefit amount each week.

    IDES: partial benefits (working part time)