Illinois Unemployment
What you need to know to claim unemployment benefits in Illinois, read on the agency's own website. The agency is Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES).
the most a week, for up to 26 weeks
Claimant Services Center: your claim, certification and payment, ILogin, appeals
How to file for unemployment in Illinois
File your claim online, or at an IDES office, during the first week after you become unemployed. You must also register with IllinoisJobLink.com.
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
After you apply: claiming each week
Certify every two weeks, on the day given in your UI Finding, for the two weeks just ended. You can certify online or by Tele-Serve (phone).
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
How much unemployment pays in Illinois, and for how long
The most you can get is $628.00 a week. Benefits last up to 26 weeks.
The weekly amount depends on your wages in the two highest-paid quarters of your base period, up to a maximum set by law. The most you can be paid in a benefit year is 26 times your weekly benefit amount, plus a dependent allowance if you have one.
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
The most a week: from another of the agency's pages, read October 14, 2026. Without dependents, for benefit years beginning on or after 1/1/2026. With a non-working spouse $748.00, with a dependent child $859.00.
Illinois unemployment phone number
Call (800) 244-5631 (claimant Services Center: your claim, certification and payment, ILogin, appeals). Every line and what it is for.
Where this comes from
Everything on this page was read on the agency's own website, and each part links the page it came from and the day we read it. Rules and amounts change, so check that page before you rely on a figure. Jobareer is not part of any state agency and cannot see or change your claim.
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