Alaska unemployment benefits are paid bi-weekly. After opening an initial claim, it is required to file every two weeks in order to receive your UI compensation. The weekly period starts from Sunday and ends at midnight on Saturday.
Filing your Alaska unemployment weekly claim:
There are two ways to file your biweekly claim: online or over the phone. Filing online at my.alaska.gov is the fastest way to receive your unemployment compensation. However, you can also call VICTOR, Alaska’s automated system.
When filing your biweekly claim, you will be asked a series of questions to maintain your unemployment eligibility.
You must be willing and able to work, and report your weekly work search activities required by the state. If you live within 55 miles of an Alaska Jobs Center, you must perform two work searches each work. You are only required to perform one job search per week if you live more than 55 miles from a job center.
How to file your bi-weekly unemployment claim over the phone:
Filing by phone – VICTOR
To file your biweekly claims by phone, use VICTOR, an automated system that is available every day, 6 a.m. to 7 p.m., Alaska Standard Time.
- Anchorage Area: 907.277.0693
- Fairbanks Area: 907.451.6126
- Juneau Area: 907.586.4650
- All other areas (toll-free): 888.222.9989
Alaska Relay:
- Inside Alaska: 711
- Outside Alaska: 800.770.8255 (toll-free)
Note: If you hang up before VICTOR tells you your claim was accepted, your answers will not be recorded, and your benefit claim will not be processed. You will have to call again to file.
If you are instructed to call the UI claim number, do so within seven days. You will be denied benefits if you do not call.
VICTOR menu options:
- File weekly claims
- Get information about your claim
- Check the payment status
- Excess earnings amount
- 1099-G amount (taxes)
- Start, change, or cancel direct deposit to personal bank account
- Check status of debit card (cannot cancel or request through VICTOR)
- Update your mailing address
- Change your VICTOR PIN
- Contact UI claim center for assistance with PIN recovery
- Talk to a claim center representative.
How to file your bi-weekly claim online:
File your Alaska unemployment insurance certification online for a fast and easy experience.
Visit my.alaska.gov and select “Unemployment Insurance Benefits” under “Services for Individuals”. Sign in to your account and choose “File for UI benefits”.
Provide your information by answering every question. You must verify your current address, mailing address and phone number each time you file.
The “Weeks Claimed” screen requires you to provide answers to specific questions about the week you are claiming. The week ending date for your current filing cycle will be displayed when you file your certification. If you earned any income for the week, be sure to provide the employer’s name, address, phone number, total hours worked, and gross wages earned.
Your information will be verified with the employer. Inaccurate information can result in denial of UI benefits, requiring repayment of benefits, and unemployment fraud penalties.
Documenting Your Work Searches
The information you provide for your job search will be evaluated and potentially audited. It’s necessary to keep track of all job search activities when claiming UI benefits. Not following job search guidelines may lead to denial of UI benefits. If you claim not to have searched for work during a week, you must explain why. A claim center representative may reach out to you for further information.
Reporting Earnings
You must report any weekly income. You don’t need to report Social Security income, however.
Most overpayments occur due to incorrect reporting of work and earnings. If fraudulent information is found, you’ll need to repay all benefits received during the affected week, plus a 50% penalty, and be disqualified from receiving benefits for up to 52 weeks.
When reporting your hours worked, include any partial hours in 15-minute increments. For example, if you worked 4 hours and 15 minutes, enter 4.25. If you worked 5 hours and 45 minutes, enter 5.75.
Reporting gross wages
Your gross wage is the total amount you earned before any fees or taxes are taken out. To report your wages, multiply the total hours worked by the total hourly wage. Report dollars and cents rounded to the nearest cent.
For example: You worked 4 hours and 15 minutes in one week, and you made $10.25 an hour. Multiply total hours worked (4.25) by hourly wage ($10.25) to obtain gross earnings ($43.5625). Round wages to the nearest cent to report $43.56.
Examples of Weekly Claim Questions
Here are some examples of the questions asked on the Alaska weekly UI benefits application. Based on your answers, you may be asked additional questions or requested to provide more documentation.
- Were you able to work full-time every day and available to do so?
- Did you decline a job offer or referral?
- Did you attend school or training?
- Did you travel or move to a different zip code?
- Did you receive vacation, sick, retirement, bonus, holiday, or severance pay?
- Did you search for work? You must provide information on any weekly work search activity, as per the Alaska work search requirements.
Receiving Payment
Payments are usually sent within 3 days of filing your biweekly claim. You can choose to receive direct deposit or have funds loaded onto a debit card. If you do not specify a preferred payment method, you will receive a debit card in the mail. Interested in how much unemployment you’ll receive? You can estimate your weekly benefit amount using the Alaska unemployment calculator.
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