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Lost your job in North Dakota? How unemployment works

North Dakota pays regular unemployment insurance through the Job Service North Dakota. Weekly benefits run $43–$800 for up to 26 weeks. Duration ranges from 12 to 26 weeks, set by the ratio of base-period wages to your highest quarter (1.50 to 2.29 gives 12 weeks up to 3.20 or more gives 26). 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. File the week you become unemployed. The claim is effective the Sunday of the week you file (weeks run Sunday to Saturday) and cannot be backdated. You can file online, by phone. Open the JSND filing page or call 701-328-4995 (Claims Center staff Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. Central; online and automated phone systems are down daily 10 p.m. to midnight Central).
  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 totaling at least 1.5 times your highest quarter, with a weekly benefit amount of at least $43 (about $2,795 in the highest 2.5 quarters).
  3. Start certifying every week. Certify each week you want benefits online in UI ICE or by phone at 701-328-4995 with your PIN, any time after Saturday midnight; you must certify within 13 days of your last certification or the claim goes inactive and must be reopened. Make the number of job contacts Job Service assigns each week (including the waiting week), post a resume at jobsnd.com within 10 days, and keep a record; contacts must be for work you are qualified for and would accept.
  4. Line up other help. North Dakota SNAP income limits, North Dakota take-home pay calculator.

North Dakota unemployment at a glance

Agency
Job Service North Dakota (JSND)
Weekly benefit
$43–$800 (table in force from July 5, 2026)
Most weeks
26 — Duration ranges from 12 to 26 weeks, set by the ratio of base-period wages to your highest quarter (1.50 to 2.29 gives 12 weeks up to 3.20 or more gives 26).
Waiting week
Generally the first week you file is an unpaid waiting week; you must still certify and make job contacts for it. The waiting week is completed in a week when you work less than full time and earn less than your weekly benefit amount.
Appeal deadline
An appeal to the appeal tribunal must be filed within twelve days after the date the notice was mailed (the exact date is on each determination).
Spanish / Chinese help
JSND publishes a Babel Notice (language assistance for vital information) in Spanish, Traditional Chinese, Vietnamese and other languages (https://www.jobsnd.com/sites/www/files/documents/jsnd-documents/uibabelnotice.pdf) and gives free translation help at 701-328-4995; no translated claim pages were found.

How much you could get

JSND's benefit schedule for 7/5/2026 to 7/3/2027 runs from a $43 weekly benefit up to $800 (for 2.5-quarter wages of $52,000 or more). The US DOL July 2026 table shows $815 as the maximum, which does not match the JSND schedule. How it is figured: Your wages in the two highest base-period quarters plus half of the third-highest quarter, divided by 65, rounded down; the minimum is $43 and the maximum is set by law each July.

At the top of the table — $800 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $20,800. 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 your claim; the guide does not describe an alternate base period.
  • Work and wages. Wages in at least two base-period quarters totaling at least 1.5 times your highest quarter, with a weekly benefit amount of at least $43 (about $2,795 in the highest 2.5 quarters).
  • If you quit. Quitting without good cause attributable to your employer disqualifies you until you work for another insured employer and earn eight times your weekly benefit amount.
  • If you were fired. Being fired for misconduct connected with work disqualifies you until you work for another insured employer and earn at least ten times your weekly benefit amount.
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. You can earn up to 60% of your weekly benefit with no reduction; each dollar over 60% is deducted until earnings reach the full weekly amount, and you must report all employment and self-employment earnings each week.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
File online in the UI ICE system, or by the automated phone system at 701-328-4995; identity verification through ID.me is required before you can use the system. Claims Center staff can help by phone.
Weekly certification
Certify each week you want benefits online in UI ICE or by phone at 701-328-4995 with your PIN, any time after Saturday midnight; you must certify within 13 days of your last certification or the claim goes inactive and must be reopened.
Work search
Make the number of job contacts Job Service assigns each week (including the waiting week), post a resume at jobsnd.com within 10 days, and keep a record; contacts must be for work you are qualified for and would accept.
Taxes
Benefits are fully taxable; on request JSND withholds 10% for federal tax and 2% for North Dakota tax and mails a 1099-G by January 31.
State withholding
Optional, 2% of gross benefit
If you are denied
Job Service North Dakota appeals, through UI ICE or as instructed on the determination Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
Overpaid benefits must be repaid; you may be released from liability if repayment is contrary to equity and good conscience, and fraud brings penalties and a possible one-year disqualification. Call 701-328-2818 about repayment or a waiver.

Good to know in North Dakota

  • Weekly maximum conflict: the JSND benefit chart for 7/5/2026-7/3/2027 ends at $800 while the US DOL July 2026 table shows $815; the JSND chart is used.
  • Appeal deadlines: the first-level appeal is 12 days (NDCC 52-06-13), a bureau review of a referee decision must be filed within 12 days of mailing; the determination letter states the exact date.
  • Claims cannot be filed again until the 52-week benefit year ends; an inactive claim can be reopened during the year.
  • The maximum weekly amount is 62% of the state average weekly wage (65% if the state's average contribution rate is below the national average).

Sources

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