How To Apply for Oklahoma Unemployment Benefits
Apply Online
If you live outside the metropolitan calling area of Oklahoma City:
CALL 1-800-555-1554
If you live within the metropolitan calling area of Oklahoma City:
CALL (405) 525-1500 (8 am – 4 pm, Mon – Fri except for state holidays)
If you are hearing-impaired or need to use a text telephone system to file your initial claim for benefits you may do so using the following telephone numbers: (800) 522-8506 (voice calls) or (800) 722-0353 (to have calls relayed).
Visit an Oklahoma Job Center
Applying for Oklahoma UI Benefits
Residents of Oklahoma who have lost employment through no fault of their own have a couple of options when it comes to applying for Oklahoma unemployment insurance benefits.
Apply online
The easiest way to apply, and the method most recommended by the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission, is to submit your claim online. Visit unemployment.state.ok.us, where you can verify your identity, set up your account, and submit your initial claim for unemployment insurance compensation.
Before you log in, make sure you have appropriate documentation at hand, including two forms of identification and all relevant information about your previous employer. Once you’ve applied, you can return to this portal to update any of your contact information, update payment options for receiving your benefits, and more.
Apply by phone
If applying online isn’t available to you, another option is to use the Oklahoma interactive voice response (IVR) system to file your claim over the phone. If you call during regular business hours, you also have the option to speak with a customer service representative from the unemployment office. The IVR can be reached at 800-555-1554.
Unemployment insurance eases the economic burden of unemployment by providing a temporary source of income to individuals who are unemployed through no fault of their own. Each state administers a separate unemployment insurance program, but all states have to follow the guidelines established by federal law. These benefits are in place to aid unemployed individuals to survive until they find a new job. Unemployment insurance is funded by unemployment taxes paid by your employer.
Apply for unemployment benefits the week you became unemployed or your hours were greatly reduced. Also note that at least a weeks time is required to process your documents after which your eligibility status will be declared.
Checklist
Keep the following documents ready before you contact the unemployment office to file a claim.
Personal Details
- Social Security number
- Name (including prior and maiden names)
- Complete mailing address, telephone number and email address
- Alien Registration number and expiration date, if a non citizen
- Oklahoma Driver’s license number or ID card number
Last Employer Information
- Name of the company as it appears on your pay check stub
- Complete mailing address including zip code and physical location
- Company’s phone number and Supervisor’s name
- The reason for dismissal or reduced working hours
Employment History
- Employment history for the past 18 months
- Each employer’s name, address and telephone number as on pay check stub or W-2 form
- Period of employment with start date and end date
- Wages earned and period of payment (hourly, weekly or monthly)
Specific Information
- DD form 214 if you served in the military in last 18 months.
- Form SF 8 or SF 50 if you were employed by the Federal government in the last 18 months.
Identity Verification
A key portion of submitting your initial Oklahoma unemployment benefits claim is verifying your identity. All claimants must go through this important process, regardless of whether you’ve previously filed a claim or created an online account – and regardless of the method you use to submit your claim.
Oklahoma’s process for identity verification has been put in place to protect your valuable personal data and to prevent cases of identity theft and unemployment fraud.
In order to verify your identity, you’ll need a form of the following accepted documentation as a primary form of I.D.:
- A driver’s license or other state-issued identification card from any U.S. state – with the exception of Pennsylvania
- A resident card/green card
In some cases, you also may be asked to provide a secondary form of identification. At the current time, a valid passport is the only acceptable form of secondary I.D. If you are unable to verify your identity through the online system, you’ll be asked to verify in person at an Oklahoma Works Office. If you are living out of state, you also may verify in person at your nearest workforce or American Job Center office.
After You Apply for UI Benefits
Once your initial claim is submitted and received, the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission (OESC) will follow a prescribed process to determine whether you’re eligible for unemployment benefits.
First, reviewers will determine whether you meet the monetary eligibility criteria for approval. This means they’ll decide whether you earned enough income during your base period to qualify for benefits. Your base period is defined as the first four of the previous five completed calendar quarters.
This process may vary slightly from claim to claim, depending on the specific conditions of the case. For example, the state may need to request wages from other states you worked in, complete an investigation around missing wages, request federal agency or military wages, or adjust your claim’s base period to accurately determine your monetary eligibility. The complexity of your given situation will determine how long this process will take.
Once you’ve been determined eligible based on previous earnings, the state will review your claim to determine if you are eligible for unemployment benefits under the Oklahoma Employment Security Act. The U.S. Department of Labor has stated that this eligibility determination must be issued within 21 days of a claim being deemed monetarily eligible.
After the state makes a determination about your unemployment claim, you will receive an official letter that outlines the decision and provides further information about what you should do next.
If your unemployment application is denied:
If the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission has significant questions about your claim, or if your employer provides distinctly different information about your separation from employment, the state of Oklahoma may choose to deny your unemployment claim. At this point, you’ll receive an official decision letter from the state outlining its decision and outlining the steps you’ll need to take if you’d like to file an Oklahoma unemployment appeal.
If your unemployment application is approved:
Once your initial claim for Oklahoma unemployment insurance benefits has been approved, you can begin fulfilling your Oklahoma unemployment work search requirements and filing your weekly claims for payment. First, you’ll need to register and create an account with Oklahoma Works – you must do so at Okjobmatch within seven days of submitting your initial unemployment claim.
You will also need to keep documentation of your work search activities since you’ll need them to answer questions as part of your Oklahoma unemployment weekly claim for each unemployment benefit pay period. You must perform two work search activities each week you claim benefits, and you’re also required to attend all work-related appointments made on your behalf.
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