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Lost your job in Missouri? How unemployment works

Missouri pays regular unemployment insurance through the Missouri Division of Employment Security (Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations). Weekly benefits run $35–$320 for up to 20 weeks. DES pages say 20 weeks is the maximum per benefit year; total is the lesser of 20 times the weekly amount or one-third of base-period wages. The statute (RSMo 288.060.5) lists a 13 to 20 week schedule tied to the state unemployment rate, but the statute page notes the enacting bill was held invalid (Pestka v. State) and DES publishes 20 weeks, so 20 is used. 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. File as soon as you are separated from your employer, otherwise benefits may be delayed. The claim is effective the week it is filed, not the last day worked. You can file online, by phone. Open the DES filing page or call 800-320-2519 (8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Central Time, Monday to Friday (Regional Claims Center); TDD/TTY 800-735-2966).
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: At least $2,250 in the base period, with at least $1,500 in one quarter and at least $750 in the rest of the year, and total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter; or at least $19,500 in two of the four base-period quarters.
  3. Start certifying every week. File a weekly request for payment every week in UInteract, as early as Sunday after the week ends; stop filing when you return to full-time work (claim closes after 28 days). At least 3 work search activities each week unless directed otherwise (union hiring-hall members and some recalled workers are waived); keep a record and visit a Missouri Job Center or jobs.mo.gov at least once a month.
  4. Line up other help. Missouri SNAP income limits, Missouri health coverage, Missouri take-home pay calculator.

Missouri unemployment at a glance

Agency
Missouri Division of Employment Security (Dept. of Labor and Industrial Relations) (DES)
Weekly benefit
$35–$320
Most weeks
20 — DES pages say 20 weeks is the maximum per benefit year; total is the lesser of 20 times the weekly amount or one-third of base-period wages. The statute (RSMo 288.060.5) lists a 13 to 20 week schedule tied to the state unemployment rate, but the statute page notes the enacting bill was held invalid (Pestka v. State) and DES publishes 20 weeks, so 20 is used.
Waiting week
The first eligible week of the claim is a waiting week and is not paid at the time; you must still file a weekly request for it, and you may be paid for it as the last payment on the regular claim.
Appeal deadline
You have 30 days from the date of the determination to appeal; the determination lists the date by which you must file.
Spanish / Chinese help
DES publishes Spanish versions on labor.mo.gov/pubs-and-forms (Spanish Publications topic): Para tramitar beneficios de Seguro por Desempleo en Missouri (MODES-INF-288-5-S), Información para Trabajadores (MODES-INF-170-S) and Tramite su Petición de Seguro por Desempleo (MODES-INF-353-9-S). Translation help by phone at 573-751-9040. No Chinese materials found.

How much you could get

Missouri benefits range from $35 to $320 a week, based on base-period wages. The maximum total on a claim is 20 times the weekly amount or one-third of base-period wages, whichever is less. How it is figured: 4% of the average of your two highest base-period quarters, not more than $320.

At the top of the table — $320 a week for 20 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $6,400. 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 you file; DES's help page shows the base period as the prior 12-month period by filing quarter.
  • Work and wages. At least $2,250 in the base period, with at least $1,500 in one quarter and at least $750 in the rest of the year, and total base-period wages of at least 1.5 times your highest quarter; or at least $19,500 in two of the four base-period quarters.
  • If you quit. You must have lost your job through no fault of your own or quit with good cause attributable to the work or the employer; if you quit without such good cause you are disqualified until you earn wages equal to 10 times your weekly benefit amount in insured work (RSMo 288.050.1).
  • If you were fired. If discharged for misconduct connected with work you are disqualified until you earn wages equal to 6 times your weekly benefit amount (6 times for each separate disqualification); in more aggravated cases the division may cancel wage credits from that employer (RSMo 288.050.2).
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. You may earn the greater of $20 or 20% of your weekly benefit amount without reduction; wages above that are deducted from the benefit. Report gross wages each week; the pages reviewed do not address self-employed or gig workers.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
File a new or renewed claim online in UInteract (uinteract.labor.mo.gov); call the Regional Claims Center at 800-320-2519 if you need a claims specialist. DES offers translation help by phone at 573-751-9040.
Weekly certification
File a weekly request for payment every week in UInteract, as early as Sunday after the week ends; stop filing when you return to full-time work (claim closes after 28 days).
Work search
At least 3 work search activities each week unless directed otherwise (union hiring-hall members and some recalled workers are waived); keep a record and visit a Missouri Job Center or jobs.mo.gov at least once a month.
Taxes
Benefits are subject to federal and state income tax; you can set federal withholding in UInteract (rate not stated on the pages reviewed) and print the 1099-G there.
If you are denied
DES Appeals (written appeal by mail or fax per the Help Topics page; the DES appeals hearing page also says in writing or online using UInteract) Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
You must repay benefits you were not entitled to even if it was not your fault; DES offers payment plans, can take future benefits, garnish wages or intercept tax refunds and lottery winnings, and fraud brings penalties.

Good to know in Missouri

  • The DES Help Topics page says appeals must be filed by mail or fax and not by phone, while the DES appeals hearing page says in writing or online via UInteract; use the instructions on your determination.
  • The maximum-weeks figure (20) conflicts with the statute text (13 to 20 weeks by unemployment rate); see maxWeeksNote.
  • Table effective date for $35/$320 was not stated on the pages reviewed.
  • Under RSMo 288.050, a quit without good cause disqualifies you until you earn 10 times your weekly benefit amount, and a misconduct discharge until you earn 6 times; DES pages do not state these lengths.

Sources

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