Federal Worker Unemployment Insurance FAQ

Federal civilian employees who become unemployed can apply for Unemployment Compensation for Federal Employees (UCFE).

You may apply for UI benefits under the UCFE program in Illinois if:

• Your last covered employment was in Illinois; or 

• Your last federal employment was in Illinois; or  

• You reside in Illinois and last federal employment is outside of the USA; or 

NOTE: Your duty station is listed on your SF-5O.

If none of the above criteria apply to you, you should apply for UCFE in the U.S. state or district where your duty station is located or in your state or district of residence (if your duty station was outside of the U.S. or if you worked for a federal employer in another state and then worked in non-federal employment in another state).

Employees who worked for a private sector employer that contracted with the federal government and who lost their job through no fault of their own are eligible to apply for regular unemployment insurance.

If you lose your job through no fault of your own, you may qualify for unemployment benefits. Quitting without a good reason usually disqualifies you, except in certain cases. The Illinois Department of Employment Security will review your reason for separation, along with other eligibility requirements, and will determine if you are eligible. If denied, you can appeal. 

While on paid administrative leave, you are still considered employed. However, if you are separated at a later time from employment due to no fault of your own, you may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits if you meet the requirements. The Illinois Department of Employment Security will review your reason for separation, along with other eligibility requirements, and will make a determination accordingly. 

1. You must be unemployed.
   

   a. If you are receiving a salary and considered "on call" or performing any services, you may not be eligible for benefits.
   b. If you have been recalled from layoff, and no longer unemployed, you may not be eligible for benefits.
   c. If you are receiving salary or payments but you are no longer required to report or be on call for work, you may be eligible for benefits.

2. If you resign or quit your job, the reason you left must be considered good cause and attributable to your employer.
   

   a. For example, if your employer changed your work location and the commute would be a substantial burden you may be eligible for benefits.

3. If you decline the deferred resignation and your job is downsized or otherwise no longer available, you may be eligible for unemployment benefits.

4. If you are a probationary employee and has been separated due to this reasoning, you may be eligible for benefits.

5. There are other eligibility factors that may be taken into consideration.

You can apply online at the IDES website, https://ides.illinois.gov, or over the phone with our Call Center at 800-244-5631, or in person at a local office. An appointment for an in-person appointment can be scheduled by calling 217-558-0401. 

Call Center Prompt 

• Once you call the Call Center, select 1 for Individual. 

• Note if you have attended a Rapid Response workshop and have a code, you may enter that at the beginning once prompted. 

• Press 4 for assistance with filing a new claim, or to update information on an existing claim. 

• Press 1 for assistance with filing an unemployment insurance claim. 

• Press 2 for Otherwise 

• Press 1 if you are a federal employee. 

• Federal employees should provide your Form SF-8 (provided by your HR) or your SF-50 if you do not have Form SF-8. Your SF-8 will be used to request your wage information from your employer.

• Be prepared to provide proof of ID and your SSN and potential wage information for the past 18 months- W-2 or Paycheck stubs.

Documents can be uploaded, faxed, mailed, or dropped off at your Local Office drop box. Please ensure all documents have your CID (Claimant ID number located on the UI Finding you will receive after filing) or Full Name. 

• Upload via our website. 

• Fax number 217-557-4913. 

• Mail to IDES PO BOX 19509, Springfield, IL 62701.  

• Locate your closest Local Office at our website. 

• Begin the claim filing process online, via the call center, or in-person at a local office

• Register for ILogin
  

  - Create ILogin Account
  - Check your email for account verification link
  - Set up your MFAs and Password
  - Complete Experian ID Proofing

• Register for UI Account/Complete SOS Validation

• File Your Claim
  

  - Submit your SF8, SF50, and W-2s

• Complete Illinois Job Link (IJL) registration and upload your resume

• Check the mail for IDES correspondence regarding your claim and UI Benefits

• Certify for Benefits

• Continue to search for work

• You may be selected for a mandatory reemployment workshop, such as Reemployment Services and Eligibility Assessment (RESEA) workshop. These workshops are intended to support workers in understanding the vast array of resources that are available to support you in your reemployment efforts.

After you apply for unemployment insurance, you must meet Illinois’ eligibility requirements to receive benefit payments each week. These requirements include: 

• being able to work and available for work (without undue restrictions) and meeting work search requirements;  

• on-time filing of weekly claim certifications (your request to be paid UI benefits for a given week of unemployment);  

• accepting suitable work, when offered;  

• reporting all payments you received or that you know you will receive. This includes wages (from permanent, temporary, or part-time work, self-employment income, tips, commission payments, etc.), your first payment from a pension you did not previously report, etc., on your weekly claim certification.  

• You do not need to report Social Security income. 

• NOTE: If you receive certain payments (severance, vacation, holiday, bonus, retirement/pension, back pay or damages, or other special payments) after filing an initial claim, report those payments during your certification and/or by contacting 800-244-5631. 

To be eligible to receive unemployment benefits you must be:

Able and Available for work

You must be available for work each week or benefits may be denied. Possible conflicts, like attending school during work hours, travel, or limitations with childcare could limit your work availability and be an eligibility issue. Report such issues on your claim forms.

Actively search for work

Employment service registration is a legal requirement for individuals who have applied for unemployment insurance benefits. In Illinois, claimants register with the employment service

After you apply, you will receive a benefit determination which will be mailed to you, this document is called a UI Finding Letter.

Typically, you will receive a determination with $0 eligibility until your federal wages are confirmed with your employer. Once that happens, you will receive a second UI Finding Letter with your updated monetary eligibility amount. The determination will include whether you are monetarily eligible for unemployment insurance, your weekly benefit amount, and more. The second determination typically takes 2-4 weeks.

Towards the bottom of the UI Finding, look under the UI Monetary Determination header and find your Weekly Benefit Amount.

• If this number is “0”, you are currently monetarily ineligible to receive regular UI benefits. Information on next steps is available on the back of this letter.

• If this number is between “51.00” and “605.00”, then you are monetarily eligible to receive UI benefits.

If you believe the findings of your monetarily eligibility, or the amount and require additional information, you may contact the phone number on your UI Finding letter at 800-244-5631. On the second page of your UI Finding Letter, you will also find instructions of how to submit an appeal.

Appeal Rights: If you disagree with the amount of wages shown on this form or the computation of benefits, you have the right to file an appeal. Please file the appeal, along with your income tax withholding form W-2, check stubs or other evidence of wages, by mail or fax to the Department at the address or fax number listed above. The appeal must be filed within thirty (30) calendar days from the mailing date printed above. If the last day for filing your appeal is a day that the Department is closed, the appeal may be filed on the next day the Department is open. If the appeal is sent by mail, it must be postmarked within the thirty (30) calendar days from the mailing date. If you file an appeal, continue to certify for benefits as long as you remain unemployed.

To receive benefits, you must “certify” by answering some basic questions every other week. This helps IDES verify your continued eligibility for benefits. Near the top of the UI Finding, find the line listing your first certification date. On that date, you should certify through IDES’s website or Tele-Serve system (the website is recommended). Prepare to report whether you worked, and the amount of gross wages earned for each of the past two weeks.

In addition, you are assigned a bi-weekly certification day, which can also be found near the top of the UI Finding. Every other week following your first certification date, on either Monday, Tuesday, or Wednesday, you must certify again for benefits. If you are unable to certify on your assigned certification day, you may certify on Thursday or Friday of that same week.

Please Note: Please allow for 8 days before receiving your check in the mail, or 2-3 days for direct deposit.

The number under that same Weekly Benefit Amount (WBA) will list how much you can receive each week. Per state law, the minimum WBA is $51, and the maximum is $605. If you have dependents, the Dependent Allowance will be added to your Weekly Benefit Amount to get the full Benefit Amount Per Week, which is listed on the right.

• Visit ides.illinois.gov/more assistance for a list of other services such as health insurance, childcare, and food assistance.

• Visit DCEO for additional assistance with Job Training and other services. Assistance for Individuals

• Job Seeker Services - Jobs & Workforce

• Assistance with OKTA/ILogin
  

  - Visit our website at ILogin or contact our call center at 800-244-5631

• Assisting with understanding or appealing a determination
  

  - Contact the call center at 800-244-5631

An eligibility issue may result in your benefits being delayed or denied. You may also contact a claims agent through call center at 800-244-5631 and following the call prompts below.

Call Center Prompt

• Once you call the Call Center, select 1 for Individual
  

  - Note if you have attended a Rapid Response workshop and have a code, you may enter that at the beginning once prompted.

• Press 4 for assistance with filing a new claim, or to update information on an existing claim.

• Press 1 for assistance with filing an unemployment insurance claim.

• Press 2 for Otherwise

• Press 1 if you are a federal employee.

For more information, please refer to our Illinois UI Benefits handbook linked below.

Illinois’ handbook that reviews claim issues -- Unemployment Insurance Benefits Handbook (English)

Unemployment is an insurance program providing temporary, partial wage replacement to workers who are unemployed through no fault of their own. If the federal government fails to follow through on compensation for workers who accept the offer, those workers could apply for unemployment insurance benefits.  

Workers can also seek job openings with the State of Illinois workforce through Careers at State of Illinois at any time.