Arizona Unemployment

How Do I Apply For Unemployment Benefits?

There are two ways to apply for Unemployment Insurance (UI) Benefits; you may use the telephone or the internet.  ARRA is the acronym for the Arizona Re-employment Rapid Access. ARRA is the telephone method used to file an Arizona claim for Unemployment Insurance Benefits. It is a computer-based, interactive voice response system. It can only be used with a touch-tone telephone and you can choose to have the instructions read in English or Spanish.  You can also apply online at AZUI.com

Information about the Emergency Unemployment Compensation (EUC) program, which extends regular Unemployment Insurance benefits, may be found online.  If you have previously applied for EUC and wish to reactivate your claim, you must use the  ARRA telephone system–reactivations filed over the Internet will not be processed.

Unemployment Office Contact Information:

(602) 364-2722 – for Phoenix area

(520) 791-2722 – for Tucson area

All other areas may call toll-free 1-877-600-2722

TTY (Telecommunications Device for the Deaf)

1-877-877-6226  (Toll-Free)

Reopening an Existing Claim – When you initially apply and qualify for benefits, a benefit year is established.  If, during this benefit year, you stop filing because of work, vacation, illness or some other reason; you must re-activate your claim (provided that you have a balance remaining in your account).  You may reopen your claim through ARRA or online at AZUI.com

The ARRA system is not available on any state holiday.  AZUI.com is available on state holidays except those that occur on a Friday.

How to Prepare – You should have the following information ready (whichever filing method you choose):

• Your Social Security Number
• Your mailing address, city, state and ZIP code
• The county in which you reside
• The names, addresses, and phone numbers of all your employers for the last 18 months
• The last day you worked immediately prior to completing your application for benefits
• If you received severance, lieu of notice or dismissal pay; payment for unused vacation, sick, or holiday leave; or payment for military accrued leave–the amount (before deductions) and the date it was paid to you
• The name and local number of your union hall, if applicable
• Your Alien Registration Number if you are not a citizen of the United States
• Copy # 4 of your DD Form 214 if released from the military in the last 18 months
• Form SF 8 or SF 50 if employed in Federal Civilian service in the last 18 months
• If you are collecting a pension (other than Social Security), you will need the start date of the pension and the monthly benefit amount.

Important Information Regarding Your Claim

There are additional requirements and steps you must take after you complete your application for UI Benefits.  It is important that you understand your rights and responsibilities.  Information about what is required and what you can expect to occur after you apply for Benefits can be found online.  The information presented provides important details as to what comes next in the UI Benefit process. Note that additional information relating to your claim and the unemployment insurance (UI) program will be mailed to you through the U.S. Postal Service.

You must comply with the outlined requirements or benefits will be delayed or denied.

https://egov.azdes.gov/cmsinternet/main.aspx?menu=234\u0026id=2518

How Do I File My Weekly Claim For Unemployment Benefits?

Filing Weekly Claims 

Establishing your claim does not start the benefit payment process!

You must file weekly claims for each week that you wish to claim benefits.

The weekly claim filing process is used to verify that you were unemployed during the week and are eligible to receive benefit payments (provided that you qualify monetarily and are determined to be eligible to receive benefits). You will need to certify your eligibility for every week that you wish to receive a benefit payment. Please note that you cannot skip a week or you will not be able to file your weekly claim on the Internet or by phone–all weeks must be certified in order, without a break. Even if you know that you were not eligible during a specific week, you should certify the week if you plan to continue making weekly claims for benefit payments. Note: The weekly claim process can only be used by individuals who have an existing Arizona Unemployment Insurance Claim.

All weekly claims for benefits are for a calendar week.  The claim week begins on Sunday and ends at 12:00 midnight on the following Saturday. You will need to file a weekly claim for benefits for the current week that ends this Saturday on Sunday or before 6:00 PM next Friday. If, your last day of work for the employer that you indicated was your last employer when you completed your initial application for benefits falls within the current week, you must report your earnings or a stop will be placed on your claim which will delay any payment(s) that you may be entitled to. If you worked for any employer during this or future benefit weeks, you must report your total earnings (before deductions) even though you may not have received payment from your employer.

If you miss filing your weekly claim during the week following the Saturday end date and attempt to file at a later date, you will receive a message indicating that there is no record of your Social Security Number in our database. Benefit week ending dates are uploaded to our database each week. If you do not file your weekly claims each week (during one of the 5 days after the Saturday end date) the week is deleted from the database and you will need to telephone the Call Center to resume timely filing. 

https://egov.azdes.gov/CMSInternet/main.aspx?menu=234\u0026id=2552

File Weekly Claims Weekly claims for UI benefits may be filed online at AZUI.com or through our Telephone Information and Payment System (TIPS)

The first time you use either the internet or telephone weekly claim filing system, you will be asked to select a permanent PIN. You will choose your own, four-digit secret number to use when filing future weekly claims and to obtain payment information. Your PIN can be any combination of numbers except all zeros (0000), all nines (9999), or any symbols (#, *).

Both systems are available during the hours of Sunday 12:01AM/Mountain Standard Time and Friday 6:00PM/Mountain Standard Time. If you do not file your claim by 6:00 p.m. Friday, you must contact the Call Center to resume timely filing.

Special Note: When a state holiday is observed on a Friday, neither system will be available on this day of the week. You must file your weekly claim by 6:00PM/Mountain Standard Time on Thursday. As stated above, if you do not file your claim by 6:00 p.m. Thursday, you must contact the Call Center.

There is no real difference between the two systems. It is the same application and it works the same way with the same information. When you use the telephone you hear the questions; when you use the Internet you see the questions. Both applications process the information you provide into the same database. If you can’t file your weekly certification because of an issue with your claim (for example, claim not current, no claim on file, already filed, etc.) using one process, you won’t be able to do it using the other one. If only one of the systems is down due to a system specific problem (phone outage, network problems with the Internet, etc.), you will usually be able to file using the other system.

Telephone Numbers for TIPS

If you are unable to complete your weekly Unemployment Insurance Benefit claim online, you may use the telephone system: 

Phoenix area (602) 417-3800

Tucson area (520) 884-8477

If calling from outside the Phoenix or Tucson area, use our

toll-free number 1-877-766-8477

Deaf/hearing impaired callers may reach us by calling our

toll-free TDD number 1-877-877-6226

https://egov.azdes.gov/cmsinternet/main.aspx?menu=234\u0026id=2410

Other System Features – Benefit payment information may also be viewed for the most recently completed calendar year (for tax purposes). This option is usually available from February to May each year.

You may also use the internet or phone system to check on the status 1099-G info is available either online or by telephone using the TIPS Line from February 1st through May 30th of each year. You can also view: the latest benefit payment made to you; information about the last week you filed if you did not receive a payment; and the balance remaining on your current claim. Access the Weekly Claims application and after choosing English or Spanish, select “View Payment Information” from the drop-down menu.

File for Arizona Unemployment:

https://egov.azdes.gov/CMSInternet/main.aspx?menu=234&id=2550

Official Arizona Unemployment Handbook, called A Guide To Unemployment Insurance Arizona Benefits:

https://www.azdes.gov/InternetFiles/Pamphlets/pdf/pau-007-PD.pdf