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Lost your job in Wyoming? How unemployment works

Wyoming pays regular unemployment insurance through the Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Unemployment Insurance Division. Weekly benefits run $48–$671 for up to 26 weeks. Total is the lesser of 26 times the weekly benefit or 30% of base-period wages. 2026 bill HB0006 (cut 26 to 20 weeks) failed introduction in the House on 2/9/2026, so 26 weeks remains. No waiting week. Last checked .

What to do this week

  1. File your claim now. File as soon as you become unemployed; benefits begin the week you file and claims cannot be backdated. You can file online, by phone. Open the DWS filing page or call 307-473-3789 (Claims Center: Mon, Tue, Thu, Fri 8:00am-4:00pm; Wed 8:00am-noon).
  2. Gather your records. The agency will ask for your last employers, dates and pay. To qualify: Base-period wages of at least 8% of the statewide average annual wage (rounded to the lowest $50) and total wages of at least 1.4 times the high-quarter wages; the dollar figure was not found in sources reviewed.
  3. Start certifying every week. Weekly (continued) claim online in WYUI for each week, which ends Saturday; file within 14 days after the week ends. At least two qualifying work search activities each week (such as applying with two or more different employers), with a written record; waived if you are job-attached (recall within 12 weeks) or in a union hiring hall for 12 weeks.
  4. Line up other help. Wyoming SNAP income limits, Wyoming health coverage, Wyoming take-home pay calculator.

Wyoming unemployment at a glance

Agency
Wyoming Department of Workforce Services, Unemployment Insurance Division (DWS)
Weekly benefit
$48–$671 (table in force from July 5, 2026)
Most weeks
26 — Total is the lesser of 26 times the weekly benefit or 30% of base-period wages. 2026 bill HB0006 (cut 26 to 20 weeks) failed introduction in the House on 2/9/2026, so 26 weeks remains.
Waiting week
No waiting week: the state eligibility statute has no waiting-period requirement (the former provision was repealed in 2005) and DOL's state-law tables list Wyoming with no waiting period. The DWS guide and FAQ do not mention one.
Appeal deadline
Appeals must be filed within 28 days of the mailing date on the determination; a missed deadline may mean the appeal is not processed.
Spanish / Chinese help
UI Claimant Guidebook in Spanish (Google Drive link on https://dws.wyo.gov/es/dws-division/unemployment-insurance/claimants/); site pages are also offered in Chinese (https://dws.wyo.gov/zh/dws-division/unemployment-insurance/claimants/), Turkish, Russian and German; the guidebook itself is English and Spanish only.

How much you could get

As of July 5, 2026 the weekly benefit ranges from $48 to $671 (prior year max $651), reset each July with the statewide average weekly wage. How it is figured: Weekly benefit is 4% of wages in the highest-paid base-period quarter, rounded down, capped at 55% of the statewide average weekly wage.

At the top of the table — $671 a week for 26 weeks — the most a claim can pay is $17,446. That is a ceiling, not a typical claim; most people get less because the amount follows past wages.

Who qualifies

  • Base period. Usually the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file; wages from other states can be combined if you have Wyoming wages.
  • Work and wages. Base-period wages of at least 8% of the statewide average annual wage (rounded to the lowest $50) and total wages of at least 1.4 times the high-quarter wages; the dollar figure was not found in sources reviewed.
  • If you quit. Quitting without good cause attributable directly to the job (health, training, domestic violence and military-spouse moves are exceptions) disqualifies you until you work and earn 8 times your weekly benefit.
  • If you were fired. Discharge for misconduct connected with work disqualifies you until you work and earn 12 times your weekly benefit.
  • Part-time, gig and self-employed work. You are paid your weekly benefit minus earnings above 50% of it; no benefit if earnings reach the benefit amount or you work 35+ hours. Self-employment is reported as net earnings, and more than 3 days or 24 hours of self-employment in a week counts as full-time work.

Weekly certification, taxes and appeals

How to file
Create a WYUI account at wyui.wyo.gov (open 24/7) and file the initial claim there, or call the Claims Center at 307-473-3789 to file a new claim. You must also verify identity with ID.me and register for work at hire.wyo.gov within 14 days.
Weekly certification
Weekly (continued) claim online in WYUI for each week, which ends Saturday; file within 14 days after the week ends.
Work search
At least two qualifying work search activities each week (such as applying with two or more different employers), with a written record; waived if you are job-attached (recall within 12 weeks) or in a union hiring hall for 12 weeks.
Taxes
Benefits are federally taxable; you may elect 10% federal withholding and change it as often as you like.
State withholding
no (Wyoming has no state income tax; only 10% federal withholding is offered)
If you are denied
DWS Appeals Division: WYUI online form, mail or fax to the Appeals Division, email dws.appeals@wyo.gov, or any Wyoming Workforce Center; further appeal to the Unemployment Insurance Commission Keep certifying every week while the appeal is pending.
Overpayments
Overpaid benefits must be repaid even if unintentional (repayment plans and offsets against future benefits are available); DWS reviews waiver requests for hardship cases where fraud is not involved.

Good to know in Wyoming

  • Official dws.wyo.gov pages may return 403 to plain HTTP clients; facts were read through a fetch tool and the official UI Claimant Guidebook PDF.
  • The minimum-wage dollar threshold (8% of statewide average annual wage, rounded to lowest $50) is set by statute but the dollar figure was not published in sources found.
  • 2026 HB0006 (cut maximum weeks from 26 to 20) failed introduction in the House 29-33 on 2/9/2026; maximum remains 26 weeks.
  • Claim identity must be verified through ID.me (or Login.gov per DWS) before payment.

Sources

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