Montana Unemployment
What you need to know to claim unemployment benefits in Montana, read on the agency's own website. The agency is Unemployment Insurance Division - Claims Center (UI Claims Center).
the most weeks of benefits
work search contact a week
Questions about your unemployment claim (Claims Center)
How to file for unemployment in Montana
File your claim online in the UI Claimant Center at uiclaimant.mt.gov. You can also file over the phone with a claims representative at Claims Processing, (406) 444-2545.
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
After you apply: claiming each week
Filing a claim is not the same as requesting payment: you must file a weekly payment request every week, online at uiclaimant.mt.gov. A benefit week runs Sunday to Saturday; request payment for it the following week, between 12:01 a.m. Sunday and midnight Saturday (Mountain time). Weeks must be claimed in order, and your claim goes inactive if four weeks pass without a payment request.
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
How much unemployment pays in Montana, and for how long
Benefits last up to 24 weeks.
Your claim is valid for 52 weeks. Your weekly benefit amount and the number of weeks (24 maximum) depend on your base period wages: how much you made and how those wages are spread across that period.
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
How many jobs you must apply for each week
Montana asks for 1 work search contact a week. Each week you must apply for a job by completing a job application or submitting a resume, with a person who has hiring authority. You cannot use the same employer two weeks in a row unless the employer asks. Seeking self-employment does not count. People in approved training, or job or union attached, may not have to search.
You give your work search contacts with each weekly payment request, and keep a detailed record (business name, person contacted, date, position, business phone, URL if online, result) for 3 years in case of an audit.
From the agency's own page, read October 14, 2026.
Our free job application tracker keeps the list: where you applied, when, and what came of it.
Montana unemployment phone number
Call (406) 444-2545 (questions about your unemployment claim (Claims Center)). 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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