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Lost your job in South Dakota? How unemployment works

South Dakota pays regular unemployment insurance through the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance. Weekly benefits run $28–$575 for up to 26 weeks. DOL July 2026 table shows duration of 15-26 weeks (the lesser of one-third of base-period wages or 26 times the weekly amount); the DLR handbook does not state the cap, and the Monetary Determination shows your total. 1 unpaid waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. File the week you become unemployed. The claim Effective Date is always the Sunday of the week you applied. You file a weekly request for payment after each claim week ends. You can file online, by phone. Open the DLR filing page or call 605-626-3179 (Monday-Friday 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Central, except state holidays).
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: The DOL table shows $728 in the high quarter and 20 times the weekly amount outside it; DLR says you must have earned a certain amount in the last 12 to 18 months from an employer who paid taxes.
  3. Start certifying every week. File a weekly request for payment each week by telephone or online, for the prior Sunday-Saturday week, no later than 11:59 p.m. Central on the following Saturday; payments come about two business days later. Your claim goes inactive after four weeks without a payment request, and you must reactivate it (also after any job separation, even one day). At least two job contacts each week, made within the week being claimed using the employer's application method; repeat contacts with the same employer are limited (different positions or 30 days). Some claimants are exempt.
  4. Line up other help. South Dakota SNAP income limits, South Dakota health coverage, South Dakota take-home pay calculator.

South Dakota unemployment at a glance

Agency
South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance (DLR)
Weekly benefit
$28–$575 (table in force from July 1, 2026)
Most weeks
26 — DOL July 2026 table shows duration of 15-26 weeks (the lesser of one-third of base-period wages or 26 times the weekly amount); the DLR handbook does not state the cap, and the Monetary Determination shows your total.
Waiting week
The first eligible calendar week after filing is an unpaid waiting week. You must file a payment request and meet all eligibility requirements that week; payments start the following week.
Appeal deadline
You or your employer have 15 days from the date of the Determination, Redetermination, or Hearing Decision to file an appeal. Appeals can only be accepted by mail or fax per the Notice of Determination. To contest a Hearing Decision, mail a letter to the Secretary within 15 days; a further appeal to Circuit Court has 30 days.
Spanish / Chinese help
Spanish claimant handbook (https://dlr.sd.gov/ra/publications/ra-claimant-handbook-esp.pdf), Spanish fact sheet and how-to-file brochure (https://dlr.sd.gov/ra/publications/RA-How-to-File-A-Claim-Brochure-SPAN.pdf); Somali versions; free interpreter via Customer Service 605-626-2452. No Chinese materials found.

How much you could get

DLR's July 2026 fact sheet says benefits range between $28 and $575 per week. Your weekly amount and total appear on the Monetary Determination letter. How it is figured: 1/26 of wages paid in the highest quarter of the base period, up to the maximum set from the state average weekly wage.

At the top of the table — $575 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $14,950. 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 claim is filed; an alternative base period (the last four completed quarters) is used if you cannot qualify with the standard one.
  • Work and wages. The DOL table shows $728 in the high quarter and 20 times the weekly amount outside it; DLR says you must have earned a certain amount in the last 12 to 18 months from an employer who paid taxes.
  • If you quit. A quit (the job continues but you do not want or cannot keep doing it) can stop payments while DLR reviews it; the handbook does not state the good-cause test in plain terms.
  • If you were fired. Being fired for misconduct can stop payments; DLR defines misconduct as careless or deliberate behavior that results in being fired or suspended (examples: dishonesty, unexcused absences, policy violations).
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. The first $25 of weekly wages is not counted and 75% of wages over $25 is deducted; no payment if wages exceed the weekly benefit amount. Seeking or working in self-employment or independent contract work does not meet the work-search requirement.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
South Dakota calls unemployment insurance Reemployment Assistance (RA). File in the RA Benefits Portal (24/7, requires a mySD login) or call the Claims Call Center at 605-626-3179 (Mon-Fri 8 a.m. to 4:20 p.m. Central except state holidays); speech or hearing impaired callers can use 800-877-1113. In-state claimants are registered for work with SDWORKS automatically when the claim is filed; only claimants living outside South Dakota must register with their own state's workforce agency and send proof within 14 days.
Weekly certification
File a weekly request for payment each week by telephone or online, for the prior Sunday-Saturday week, no later than 11:59 p.m. Central on the following Saturday; payments come about two business days later. Your claim goes inactive after four weeks without a payment request, and you must reactivate it (also after any job separation, even one day).
Work search
At least two job contacts each week, made within the week being claimed using the employer's application method; repeat contacts with the same employer are limited (different positions or 30 days). Some claimants are exempt.
Taxes
Benefits are federally taxable and you can have 10% withheld; you get an IRS 1099-G. The handbook says nothing about state tax.
State withholding
not addressed in the handbook (only federal withholding is offered)
If you are denied
By mail or fax only, following the instructions on the Notice of Determination; questions to the DLR Reemployment Assistance Appeals Section (605-626-2310) Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
Overpaid benefits must be repaid in full (12% yearly interest if you are at fault); a waiver may be granted if the overpayment was a department error, or was not fraud and repayment would cause financial hardship.

Good to know in South Dakota

  • maxWeeks 26 and the $728 high-quarter requirement come from the DOL cross-check table.
  • State taxability of benefits is not addressed on the DLR pages reviewed, so stateTaxable is null.

Sources

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