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Lost your job in Mississippi? How unemployment works

Mississippi pays regular unemployment insurance through the Mississippi Department of Employment Security. Weekly benefits run $30–$235 for up to 26 weeks. The most you can be paid in a benefit year is 26 times your weekly amount or one-third of total base-period wages, whichever is less; fixed 26 weeks, not indexed to the unemployment rate on the pages reviewed. 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. Your claim is effective the Sunday of the week you file it, so file as soon as you are unemployed. You need work and separation details for the past 18 months. You can file online, by phone. Open the MDES filing page or call 601-493-9427 (Monday to Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.; TTY 800-582-2233).
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: Wages in at least two base-period quarters, at least $780 in the highest quarter, and total base-period wages of at least 40 times your weekly benefit amount.
  3. Start certifying every week. File a weekly certification online every week, after the week ends (Sunday to Saturday) and before 12:01 a.m. the next Sunday; work search details are entered first. Contact 3 employers each week for full-time work (35+ hours), with an actual application or resume submitted to at least one; keep a record of each contact.
  4. Line up other help. Mississippi SNAP income limits, Mississippi take-home pay calculator.

Mississippi unemployment at a glance

Agency
Mississippi Department of Employment Security (MDES)
Weekly benefit
$30–$235
Most weeks
26 — The most you can be paid in a benefit year is 26 times your weekly amount or one-third of total base-period wages, whichever is less; fixed 26 weeks, not indexed to the unemployment rate on the pages reviewed.
Waiting week
You must serve a one-week waiting period; benefits cannot be paid for that week.
Appeal deadline
In most cases, an appeal request must be filed within 14 days of the mailing date of your determination. Include your Social Security Number on any correspondence.
Spanish / Chinese help
Claim pages are in English only. MDES's Language Assistance page has notices in Spanish, Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) and other languages telling you to call 1-888-844-3577 for help if you do not read or understand English.

How much you could get

MDES says the maximum weekly benefit allowed at this time is $235 and the minimum is $30. How it is figured: Total wages in the highest quarter of the base period divided by 26 (see MDES benefit chart), within the minimum and maximum.

At the top of the table — $235 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $6,110. That is a ceiling, not a typical claim; most people get less because the amount follows past wages.

Who qualifies

  • Base period. The first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the effective date of the claim. The base period changes on the first Sunday of January, April, July and October. No alternate base period is described.
  • Work and wages. Wages in at least two base-period quarters, at least $780 in the highest quarter, and total base-period wages of at least 40 times your weekly benefit amount.
  • If you quit. Benefits can be delayed or denied if you left work without good cause under the law.
  • If you were fired. Discharge for willful and wanton disregard of the employer's interest disqualifies you until you are reemployed and have earned 8 times your weekly benefit amount in covered employment.
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. Part-time earnings over $40 a week are deducted from the weekly benefit; you may be eligible if less-than-full-time earnings are under your weekly benefit plus $40. Self-employed and 1099 claimants must report gross earnings and meet the work search rule.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
File online at mdes.ms.gov (24 hours a day, 7 days a week) or call the MDES Contact Center at 601-493-9427. You also need to register for work with MDES (WIN Job Center or online).
Weekly certification
File a weekly certification online every week, after the week ends (Sunday to Saturday) and before 12:01 a.m. the next Sunday; work search details are entered first.
Work search
Contact 3 employers each week for full-time work (35+ hours), with an actual application or resume submitted to at least one; keep a record of each contact.
Taxes
Benefits are taxable; you may choose 10% withheld for federal income tax and you get a 1099-G. The pages reviewed do not mention state withholding or state taxation.
If you are denied
MDES Appeals Department: in person at your local WIN Job Center, by calling 1-866-633-7041, or by mailing or faxing (877-994-6329) a signed letter to P.O. Box 1699, Jackson, MS 39215-1699 Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
All overpaid benefits must be repaid, even if paid in error: in full within 60 days or at least $150 every 30 days for non-fraud debts; unpaid balances accrue 1% interest per month and MDES can intercept tax refunds and offset future benefits.

Good to know in Mississippi

  • MDES says that during an appeal you must continue to file weekly claims as long as you are unemployed, to preserve your benefit rights.
  • The $235/$30 amounts are stated as 'at this time' with no table effective date.
  • A one-week waiting period applies; first-week benefits are not payable even if filed.
  • Fraud can bring a disqualification of up to 52 weeks and criminal penalties.
  • After the Administrative Law Judge decision you can appeal in writing to the Board of Review, then to Circuit Court.

Sources

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