On Sunday, some UI customers may have experienced difficulties in accessing TeleServe to certify for their UI payment. Please try again this week between 5:00 pm and 7:00 am. Customers cannot access the payment line during regular business hours (7:00am to 5:00pm).

A portion of your Unemployment Insurance benefits are tax free for 2009. Click here to read more.

Due to unprecedented customer demand, the Department of Labor and Training is currently experiencing some delays in processing unemployment insurance claims.  To address the backlog of unemployment insurance claims, the Department of Labor and Training has received approval for the State Legislature to hire skilled retirees for the month of March.

Recently, the department hired 43 new call center employees to address the recent increase in unemployment insurance claim volume.

New customers may file online for regular unemployment at https://uiclaims.state.ri.us/RI-ICS/Intro/Index.aspx?AC=yes. Those interested in state extended benefits or federal emergency unemployment compensation cannot apply online at this time, and must apply by phone at (401) 243-9100.

To check the status of your claim, click Access Account Information. You will need your BYE (Benefit Year Ending), Social Security number and PIN number to check your status.

Update for Thursday, April 30th, : Currently, DLT staff members are processing online applications for the week ending May 2nd .

To file a claim by telephone, please call (401) 243-9100 during call center business hours:

   Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m.
   Wednesdays, 8 a.m. to noon
   Fridays, 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Call Center phone lines are open until 5:00 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays; callers experiencing difficulty calling earlier in the day may wish to try their call after 3:00 pm. Due to high call volume, wait times for customer assistance may exceed two hours. If you are having difficulty reaching the call center, you may email questions to uihelp@dlt.ri.gov. Please include your full name, phone number and hometown in your email. Most emails are answered between three and four business days. Hearing impaired customers may call our TDD line at (401) 243-9149.

Currently, the department oversees three separate unemployment insurance programs: regular Unemployment Insurance, Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation and State Extended Benefits. Eligibility requirements for each program are different, and must be determined on a case-by-case basis.

A customer may only receive benefits from one unemployment insurance program at a time. Those who have exhausted their regular Unemployment Insurance benefits will be notified by mail if they may be eligible for Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation. Similarly, those who have exhausted their Federal Emergency Unemployment Compensation benefits will be notified by mail if they may be eligible for State Extended Benefits. Please click on the highlighted links above to learn more about each program.