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Reopen an Unemployment Insurance Claim

If it’s been more than 30 days since you last certified for benefits, your unemployment claim will become inactive. To continue receiving benefits, you must reopen your claim.

You can reopen your claim if it was filed within the last 52 weeks and you have not used all of your benefits. If your benefit year ended, you may need to reapply for unemployment. Visit Benefit Year End for more information.

You can also watch this video for more help with reopening your claim.

Important: Waiting to reopen or apply for a new claim can delay benefit payments.

How to Reopen a Claim

The fastest and most convenient way to reopen your claim is through myEDD. You can reopen your claim at any time by following these steps:

Step 1: Access your online account.

Log in to myEDD and select UI Online.

Step 2: Select Reopen Your Claim.

Select Reopen Your Claim from the Notifications section of your UI Online homepage. This link will only appear if you need to reopen your claim.

Step 3: Check your status.

Access your UI Online homepage to check the status of your request. If your claim was successfully reopened, you’ll see a confirmation message in UI Online. We will also let you know when to certify for benefits by mailing you the paper certification or by sending a message to your UI Online account. If we need more information, we will schedule a phone interview or email you a questionnaire. Your phone interview date and time will be sent by mail and will also appear in the Notifications section of your UI Online homepage. It may take up to 10 days to reopen your claim if we need to review it.

Call one of the following toll-free phone numbers Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. (Pacific time), except on state holidays.

Interpreter services are available free of charge by calling 1-800-300-5616.

English and Spanish     

Armenian

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TTY

1-800-300-5616

1-855-528-1518

1-800-547-3506

1-844-660-0877

1-866-303-0706

1-866-395-1513

1-800-547-2058

1-800-815-9387

Reopen your claim by using the paper Unemployment Insurance Application (DE 1101i) (PDF). For faster and more secure processing, fax your completed application to the number listed on the form. If you mail your application, use the address on the form and allow additional time for processing.

After You Reopen Your Claim

You will receive important information about your claim by mail. Be sure to read and respond to all requests to avoid payment delays.

Certify for Benefits Every Two Weeks

You must certify for benefits every two weeks. If you opted out of receiving the paper Continued Claim Form (DE 4581), you will not receive a paper form in the mail. Instead, you will receive an email notification when it’s time to submit your certifications through UI Online.

Additional Resources

For more information, review the following: