Unemployment Insurance (UI) is a temporary supplemental income for individuals who have experienced a loss of work due to no fault of their own. Since UI is an insurance paid by Oklahoma employers, it is not available for self-employed, contract or gig workers. Typically, individuals must meet the following criteria to be eligible if they:
Benefit payments are issued to a debit card provided by a third-party vendor but automatic transfers to a personal bank account can be set up.
Learn more about who is eligible for unemployment, how to receive benefits and what the responsibilities are in the "Claimant Handbook".
Visit the unemployment portal to submit an initial unemployment claim, weekly certifications, verify identity, check the status of a claim or manage an open claim.
To apply for and receive unemployment benefits, individuals should follow the steps outlined below. In order to successfully file for and receive benefits, individuals must ensure that all requirements are met and deadlines are adhered to. Regularly checking for updates and responding to any requests from OESC promptly will help in navigating the process efficiently.
It is important to look out for mail and email communications from OESC, as these provide essential information and instructions. There are specific deadlines for all requirements during the process, so timely action is necessary to address any issues, disputes or concerns regarding claims.
Using details such as name, email address, telephone number, date of birth and verification code, create an account on the unemployment portal.
Identity verification is required prior to filing a claim for unemployment. The accepted forms of primary ID are a driver’s license or a state-issued ID or a resident card or green card. Navigate to the unemployment portal to verify identity.
Gather previous employment details like start/end dates and pay to submit a claim for unemployment on the unemployment portal.
Register for a job seeker account on OKJobMatch, and upload and publish an updated resume.
For each week of unemployment, conduct and keep a record of at least two work search efforts. Work searches are not required to be made through OKJobMatch.
After filing an initial claim for each week unemployed, submit weekly certifications on the unemployment portal to receive benefits.
Identity verification is required every 90 days when filing for unemployment benefits. To reverify, go to the unemployment portal.
If selected for the RESEA program, attend all appointments and workshops. Learn more about the RESEA program.
An individual can file an appeal through multiple avenues, all of which are listed on determinations sent to claimants. All appeals should include the claimant's full name, social security number, phone number, date of determination, section of law that they are appealing and a detailed explanation of why they disagree with the decision. Check out more information about appeals by clicking the button below.
The Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) program provides reemployment assistance to Unemployment Insurance (UI) claimants who may not be able to return to their previous occupation or industry and, as a result, may run out of unemployment benefits. Individuals who are selected for this program will be notified by mail and must attend all appointments to receive unemployment benefits. If participants are unable to attend the scheduled appointment, they must contact the Oklahoma Works (OESC) office listed on their notice of eligibility letter prior to the appointment date to reschedule.
You can update your contact information by visiting unemployment.oesc.ok.gov, calling 405-525-1500 or going to your nearest Oklahoma Works office.
To reset and establish a new PIN, you can contact our Unemployment Service Center at 405-525-1500 or visit your nearest Oklahoma Works office. For resetting your debit card PIN, please contact our card vendor Conduent at 866-320-8699.
If there is an 'issue' on your claim that is preventing payment, OESC will investigate the issue and determine whether you are eligible to receive benefits. That process can take varying amounts of time to resolve depending on the issue. If you are approved, payments will be backdated to the date the claim was filed.
To stop your claim (e.g., if you returned to work) simply discontinue filing weekly certifications. No additional payments will be issued. To cancel a submitted claim, please contact our Unemployment Service Center at 405-525-1500 or visit your nearest Oklahoma Works office.
Your benefit year is the 52-week time period that your unemployment claim is considered active before you need to reapply. This starts when you first filed and were approved for unemployment benefits, and lasts for 52 weeks (one year) from when you were eligible. This does not necessarily mean you will be eligible for benefits all 52 weeks. Eligibility depends on your individual situation.
A work search effort can involve the following:
Applying to different positions with the same company can count as separate work searches as long as you document the different jobs being applied for. Example: Work Search #1 at ABC Company, Customer Service Rep, Job Reference #1234 | Work Search #2 at ABC Company, Receptionist, Job Reference #5678.
Work search efforts involving the same employer for the same role or position may only be repeated every four (4) weeks. You may search for different roles or positions with the same employer, as desired. If employer initiates a second interview and you complete the interview, the second interview may be considered a work search effort.
Work searches may be done through okjobmatch.com, as well as other career websites such as Indeed or LinkedIn.
If you have an active claim, you are required to conduct and keep a record of at least two work search efforts for each week you file for unemployment benefits.
You are only exempt from work searches if:
You should retain documentation of your work search activity for two years, even after finding employment. In case of an audit, you are required to provide the needed information within 5 business days of the notice being mailed. OESC will then contact your employers listed on the work search documentation to confirm the work search activity.
The best way to record work search efforts is by adding them to your OKJobMatch.com account. To record work searches on OKJobMatch, navigate to your home screen after logging in and click “Job Search Activity” on the left navigation menu. From that screen, select the tab labeled “External Job Search Activity”. Click on the button labeled “Add Activity” to fill in the information associated with your work search activity.
By adding your work searches here, you can keep your work registration and work searches all in one place without having to worry about keeping track of a paper form in case you’re audited.
Your work search documentation should include:
View a sample documentation form and template.
OESC may contact you by phone or email if there is suspicion that a claim has been fraudulently filed under your name. If you are unsure whether you’re speaking or communicating with an OESC representative, you can call OESC directly at 405-525-1500 or visit an Oklahoma Works office.
If you quit or were fired, a hold will be placed on your claim until a determination of eligibility can be made by OESC. You may be ineligible for benefits if you leave work voluntarily without a good cause. For more information about what is considered a "good cause", reference Oklahoma Statute Title 40 Section 2-405. For information about provisions for leaving work due to compelling family circumstances, reference Oklahoma Statute Title 40 Section 2-210. For information on being discharged or fired for misconduct, reference Oklahoma Statute Title 40 Section 2-406.
In order to complete your application, you'll need the following information and documents:
The amount that you qualify for is based on wages earned from covered employers during the base period. The base period is the first four of the previous five completed calendar quarters (approximately first 12 of the last 15 months). You can find more information on the full method of calculation for weekly benefit amounts and maximum benefit amounts in sections 2-104 and 2-106 in the Oklahoma Employment Security Act.
Yes, all the unemployment benefits are taxable. You will receive a 1099-G tax form from the Oklahoma Employment Security Commission if you filed for and received unemployment benefits.
When you file for unemployment, you can choose to have taxes taken out when benefits are paid. If you opt to have the deductions taken out of your unemployment benefits, the standard deduction used is 10% for Federal taxes and 3% for State taxes. When filing your yearly income taxes, you will include the 1099-G as part of your income documents and report accordingly.
Once your claim is filed, OESC will first determine if you are monetarily eligible for benefits. We may need to request wages from other states, complete investigations on missing wages, request federal agency or military wages or adjust your claim’s base period to accurately determine monetary eligibility.
Once we have determined that you are monetarily eligible, we will review your claim to determine if you are allowed benefits under the Oklahoma Employment Security Act. The U.S. Department of Labor has established that this eligibility determination should be issued within 21 days of a claim becoming monetarily eligible. After a determination is met, you will be mailed a letter detailing the decision and further information.
You are required to serve a one week waiting period per Oklahoma law (Title 40 Section 2-206) if you are filing for unemployment. The first week when you file a weekly certification during which all eligibility requirements are met, will be considered the waiting period, during which no payments will be issued. This will not subtract from your total benefit amount.
Yes, you can draw unemployment if you work part-time. Part-time is defined as 31 hours or less. You must report the hours worked and gross amount of money you earned before any deductions were made. Earnings must be reported during the week you earn them, not when you actually receive the payment. “Work” means anything you do for wages during the seven (7) days of the week you are claiming unemployment benefits.
According to the Oklahoma law, if you are a victim of domestic violence or abuse that has resulted in your separation from employment, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance (UI) benefits.
For additional information and assistance, please visit your nearest Oklahoma Works office.
To complete work registration for unemployment insurance, you must have an active job seeker account and an active resume:
Log in regularly to prevent your account from being disabled due to inactivity.
Once you begin, you will have 15 minutes before your session times out. If you do not complete the process within the 15 minute window, your progress may be lost.
The accepted forms of ID for online verification are your driver’s license or a state-issued ID from any US state (except PA) or your resident card/green card. In rare cases when the information from an ID can't be validated, you will be requested a secondary ID. At this time, only your passport is acceptable as a secondary ID online. No other forms of ID are valid for online verification.
When verifying in-person at an OESC office, you must provide two forms of identification, one primary and one secondary ID. Below is a list of acceptable primary and secondary IDs for in-person verification, which are different than those accepted for online verification. If you are an out-of-state resident, you will need to have the workforce office fax the front and back of the IDs to 405-962-7524 and include your SSN and email on the fax.
Primary
Secondary
When verifying in-person at a USPS facility, you must provide a current (i.e., not expired) photo identification. The only approved forms of identification are below. These differ from the approved IDs that can be used when verifying at an OESC office. Additionally, the address listed on a photo ID must match the address that you provided to OESC.
Primary ID
If the address on your ID does not match the address you provided to OESC, or if it does not have an address listed, you must provide a secondary ID or document containing the address provided to OESC in addition to the photo ID above. Acceptable forms of secondary identification are:
Secondary ID
Your unemployment benefits will be paid to a debit card provided by the state's vendor, Conduent. You can leave funds on this card or set up automatic transfers from the debit card to your own banking account for no fee.
To set up automatic transfers, you must receive and activate your card and then visit GoProgram.com or call 866-320-8699 to use the automated system to enter your banking information.
If you were previously issued a debit card for benefit payments within the past three (3) years, your payment will be issued to that debit card unless otherwise specified. If you no longer have your previously issued debit card, please contact Conduent at 866-320-8699.
If you have previously filed unemployment and received a debit card within the previous three years, you will receive funds on that debit card within 2-3 days of filing your first eligible weekly certification.
If you have not filed unemployment previously, or if it has been more than three years, an unemployment debit card will be mailed to you after your first eligible weekly certification has been filed. Please allow 10-14 days to receive the card. When you receive the card, it may already have funds issued to it.
If it has been more than 14 days since you filed your first eligible weekly certification and you have received confirmation from OESC that you are eligible for benefits and payments have been issued, please contact Conduent at 866-320-8699 to resolve your missing card.
Your cards can be expedited by Conduent, but there is a fee for the additional mailing costs. These will be deducted from the balance on the card. There is a limited number of debit cards Conduent can issue in a single day, so in rare cases you may be unable to expedite cards. To expedite a card, please contact our Unemployment Service Center at 405-525-1500, your nearest Oklahoma Works office or Conduent at 866-320-8699.
All unemployment benefits are issued to a pre-paid debit card provided by our card vendor Conduent. If you would like these funds automatically transferred to your personal banking account, you can do so after receiving and activating your card. To set up recurring transfers, contact Conduent at 866-320-8699 or visit their website at goprogram.com.
If your claim is valid and you file an eligible weekly certification, payments are typically issued the following day to your unemployment debit card. Please keep in mind that weekends and holidays may delay deposits. Also, if you have set up recurring transfers to your personal banking account, an additional day may be required depending on your bank's processing time.
You can access a digital version of your 1099-G form on Unemployment.oesc.ok.gov. If you have trouble accessing it, please contact OESC's Unemployment Service Center at (405) 525-1500 for assistance or contact your nearest Oklahoma Works office.
If you received a 1099-G form and didn't file for unemployment benefits, you may have had a fraudulent unemployment claim filed in your name so please contact us.
Additionally, the Internal Revenue Service has provided resources to help you navigate this issue. You will find detailed information on what steps you should take by accessing the following link Employment Related Identity Theft | Internal Revenue Service (irs.gov)
Your 1099-G reflects the total amount paid to you or on your behalf, which may include regular unemployment compensation, federal unemployment benefits (PUA, FPUC and PEUC), child support deductions, any backpay or lump sum deposits made during the year, as well as any benefits used to offset an overpayment(s) during the tax year.
If you believe there are still incorrect funds showing, please contact us. You may need to provide all monthly Conduent statements for review.
