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Lost your job in Oregon? How unemployment works

Oregon pays regular unemployment insurance through the Oregon Employment Department. Weekly benefits run $211–$902 for up to 26 weeks. Up to 26 times the weekly benefit amount during the 52-week benefit year; total is also limited to one-third of base-year wages in the DOL table. 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. New claims are effective the week you file your claim application, so file as soon as you are out of work. You must then file a weekly claim starting the Sunday after you apply, even while your initial claim is still being reviewed. You can file online, by phone. Open the OED filing page or call 1-877-345-3484 (9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday (automated line for initial and weekly claims available outside those hours)).
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: At least $1,000 in base-year wages (or 500 hours worked) in the base year; DOL table also lists base-year wages above 1.5 times the highest quarter.
  3. Start certifying every week. File a weekly claim every week (Sunday for the prior Sunday-Saturday week) in Frances Online or by automated phone line 800-982-8920 (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Cantonese), 24/7. At least five work-search activities per week, including direct contact with employers in at least two of them. Some claimants (for example union-attached) may differ.
  4. Line up other help. Oregon SNAP income limits, Oregon health coverage.

Oregon unemployment at a glance

Agency
Oregon Employment Department (OED)
Weekly benefit
$211–$902 (table in force from June 28, 2026)
Most weeks
26 — Up to 26 times the weekly benefit amount during the 52-week benefit year; total is also limited to one-third of base-year wages in the DOL table.
Waiting week
Oregon requires one unpaid waiting week per claim. It is the first week you file a weekly claim and meet all eligibility requirements; you must claim it to get credit.
Appeal deadline
Administrative decisions become final 20 calendar days after OED mails them; monetary decisions (weekly/maximum benefit amount, base-year wages) become final 10 calendar days after mailing. Date issued is on the letter.
Spanish / Chinese help
Frances Online is in English and Spanish. The OED site has Spanish (https://unemployment.oregon.gov/es), Simplified Chinese (https://unemployment.oregon.gov/zh) and Traditional Chinese pages, plus paper forms in 12 languages; the weekly phone line offers Spanish and Cantonese; interpreters are free.

How much you could get

For new claims filed on or after June 28, 2026 the range is $211 to $902. Claims filed earlier keep $204 to $872 for the life of the claim. How it is figured: 1.25% of total base-year wages, within the state minimum and maximum (minimum is 15% and maximum 64% of the state average weekly wage).

At the top of the table — $902 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $23,452. That is a ceiling, not a typical claim; most people get less because the amount follows past wages.

Who qualifies

  • Base period. Regular base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters; if you do not qualify, an alternate base year of the four most recently completed quarters is used. Claims filed Oct-Dec 2026 use July 1, 2025 to June 30, 2026.
  • Work and wages. At least $1,000 in base-year wages (or 500 hours worked) in the base year; DOL table also lists base-year wages above 1.5 times the highest quarter.
  • If you quit. You generally cannot receive benefits if you left your job without good cause, but you may if you left for good cause (including being a victim of domestic violence, stalking or sexual assault).
  • If you were fired. You generally cannot receive benefits if you were suspended or fired for misconduct, but you may if you were fired for reasons that were not misconduct; each claim is reviewed case by case.
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. You are generally considered unemployed any week you work fewer than 40 hours and earn less than your weekly benefit amount; report all hours and gross earnings each week (including self-employment) and you may get a partial benefit. Many workers qualify even if an employer calls them gig workers. Weekly earnings that exceed the greater of 10 times the state minimum hourly wage or one-third of your weekly benefit reduce the benefit (US DOL lists the greater of 1/3 WBA or $168).

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
File an initial claim online in Frances Online (the fastest way), by phone at 1-877-345-3484, or with paper Form 115 by fax or mail. Phone staff connect you to a bilingual representative or free interpreter.
Weekly certification
File a weekly claim every week (Sunday for the prior Sunday-Saturday week) in Frances Online or by automated phone line 800-982-8920 (English, Spanish, Vietnamese, Russian, Cantonese), 24/7.
Work search
At least five work-search activities per week, including direct contact with employers in at least two of them. Some claimants (for example union-attached) may differ.
Taxes
Benefits are taxable by federal and Oregon governments; you choose withholding when you file and get a 1099-G by the end of January.
State withholding
optional; you choose federal, Oregon, both, or none; rate not stated on official pages reviewed
If you are denied
Office of Administrative Hearings, via Frances Online, the Contact Us form, phone 503-947-3149, or Form 2602 by fax 503-947-1335 or mail Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
If you were not at fault you generally need not repay but it can be offset from future benefits for five years; you can request a financial-hardship waiver of non-fraud overpayments, and at-fault overpayments must be repaid.

Good to know in Oregon

  • OED phones are closed Wednesday Oct. 21, 2026 and reopen 9 a.m. Oct. 22 (site banner).
  • Federal withholding percent is not stated on the OED pages reviewed, so left null.
  • If a weekly claim is missed the claim must be restarted; missed weeks are the most common cause of delay.
  • Letters are available only in English and Spanish.

Sources

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