Unemployment

Share & Bookmark, Press Enter to show all options, press Tab go to next option
Print

Notice

Active Unemployment Insurance Recipients may now schedule an appointment to meet in-person with an unemployment clerk at:

One Stop Career Center
2 S Main St., 2nd Floor
Pleasantville, NJ 08232

In-Person Employment Instructions

For all other UI assistance, call 856-507-2340 or visit www.myunemployment.nj.gov.

Overview

Unemployment compensation is an insurance benefit paid to workers who meet all of the requirements of the New Jersey Unemployment Law. You may file claims online or by telephone.

To be eligible for Unemployment Benefits, you must:

Be Able to Work: Being able to work means that you must be physically and mentally capable of working.

Be Available for Work: Being available for work means that you must be ready to start work immediately. You must have transportation (car, bus, train, etc.) which would enable you to begin a job at once. Also, you must have no personal reasons which prevent you from working.

Be Actively Seeking Work: This means that for each week of benefits that are claimed, you must look for work and do all that is reasonable to become employed. An active search for work is making at least three employer contacts each week while unemployed. Resumes, telephone and in-person contacts are acceptable work search methods.

Keep Appointments: You may be required, from time to time, to report in-person to the One-Stop Career Center. If you do not report and/or participate in Reemployment Services, you may be held ineligible for unemployment benefits.

How Do I File a Claim?

No benefits can be paid to you for any week before you actually file your unemployment claim. You should always file as soon as possible after your become unemployed. When you file the claim, be sure to have available your Social Security number and the complete name and address of each employer that your worked for in the past 18 months.

See the following two sections to find out how you may file your claim online or via telephone.

File a Claim Online

Before unemployment benefits can be paid to you, you must file a claim for unemployment benefits. You may file your new unemployment claim, or reopen an existing claim, via the Internet if you meet all the following requirements:

  • You are a New Jersey resident;
  • All of your employment in the past 18 months was in New Jersey;
  • You did not work for the Federal Government in the past 18 months;
  • You were not in the military service in the past 18 months.

If you meet these requirements, and you wish to file your unemployment claim via the Internet, visit our web site at myunemployment.nj.gov.

File a Claim via Telephone

Before unemployment benefits can be paid to you, you must file a claim. There are three Reemployment Call Centers in New Jersey for filing new unemployment claims and reopening existing claims by telephone. The Reemployment Call Centers are open 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday, excluding holidays.

Your claim will be dated the Sunday of the week in which you call so make sure you call during the week you want your claim to begin. Call volume is heaviest on Mondays, so for faster service, call later in the week.

In order to reduce your call waiting time, it may sometimes be necessary to limit calls by Social Security Number. When this happens, you will be asked to call back at another time.

Telephones are available for use in your local One Stop Career Centers to call long distance to file a claim.

Where to Call

If your residence is serviced by one of the following One-Stop Career Centers, you will file your unemployment claim by calling the Cumberland Reemployment Call Center at (856) 507-2340.

  • Atlantic City
  • Pleasantville
  • Vineland
  • Bridgeton
  • Salem
  • Westampton
  • Camden
  • Thorofare
  • Wildwood
  • Toms River

Teletypewriter (TTY) users may file their unemployment claim by calling (856) 507-2399.

Before You Call a Reemployment Call Center

You can help speed the claims filing process by having the following information available.

  • Your Social Security Number.
  • Your alien registration number (if you are not a citizen).
  • Pension information [if you are receiving any pension or 401(k)].
  • Amount and duration of any separation pay you may be receiving.
  • Recall date (if you expect to be recalled to your job).
  • Union hiring hall information, including local number and address (if you get your work through a union).
  • Military Form DD-214, Member 4 Copy (if you were in the military in the past 18 months).
  • Form SF-8 or SF-50 (if you were a federal civilian employee).
  • For each employer that you worked for in the past 18 months, be prepared to tell us:
    • Complete name and address of employer.
    • Employer phone number.
    • Your occupation with that employer.
    • Beginning and ending dates of employment.
    • Reason for separation.

Also, be ready to choose a 4-digit personal identification number (PIN), and tell us whether you want 10% federal income tax withheld from your benefits and whether you want to claim dependency benefits.

Frequently Asked Questions

Expand/Contract Questions and Answers


Information provided on this page is from the NJ Department of Labor and Workforce Development.

Free viewers are required for some of the attached documents.
They can be downloaded by clicking on the icons below.

Acrobat Reader Download Acrobat Reader Windows Media Player Download Windows Media Player Word Viewer Download Word Viewer Excel Viewer Download Excel Viewer PowerPoint Viewer Download PowerPoint Viewer