How Do I File for Unemployment Insurance?

There are two ways to file an unemployment insurance (UI) claim -- by telephone or in person.

File by phone
Call the TeleClaim Center at 1-877-626-6800 if you are calling from the following area codes: 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978.

Call the TeleClaim Center at 617-626-6800 if you are calling from any other area code.

DET TeleClaim Center Hours
Monday - Thursday 8:00 am – 6:30 pm
Friday 8:00 am – 4:30 pm
Saturday 8:30 am – 11:30 am

Calling the TeleClaim Center makes it easy to:
File a new claim for benefits

• Reopen an existing claim
• Be interviewed if there are issues that affect your eligibility
• Resolve problems with your claim
• Obtain up-to-date information on the status of your claim and benefit payment check

When you call the TeleClaim Center, you will be asked to enter your social security number and the year you were born -- using the numbers on a touch-tone telephone. You will then be transferred to an agent who will take the information necessary to file your claim.

File in person
If you choose to do so, you may file your claim in person at a Walk-In Center. There are locations throughout Massachusetts. Some Walk-In Centers have limited hours. Use the Walk-In Center directory to find the office nearest you, and to check its hours of operation and find directions.

• At Walk-In Centers, you can:
• File a new claim for benefits
• Reopen an existing claim
• Be interviewed if there are issues that affect your eligibility
• Resolve problems with your claim
• Attend an orientation session
• Information we'll need from you
  Your Social Security Number
• The year you were born
• Your home address and telephone number
• Whether you have filed an unemployment insurance claim in Massachusetts or in any other state during the past 12 months
• Your last day of employment
• The names and addresses of all of the employers you have worked for during the 15 months prior to filing your claim and the dates you worked for each of these employers. If you are reopening a claim, be ready with the same information for the past 8 weeks
• The reason that you are no longer working or that your hours have been reduced
• The names, dates of birth and social security numbers for any dependent children, if you are going to apply for dependency allowance
• Your alien registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen