States

How To Apply For Unemployment In Arkansas

Unemployment insurance is administered in Arkansas by the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (ADWS). You can apply for unemployment benefits at any Arkansas Workforce Center office or you can apply online. You can also pick up UI Claimant Forms at most public buildings if you’d like to apply by mail. You’ll find the following links helpful:

• General Unemployment Information
• File an Unemployment Claim Online
• File an Unemployment Claim by Phone

If applying in person, you must present a valid driver’s license, state ID, or Passport. You must be currently unemployed, physically able to be employed, and making a reasonable effort to find new work to be eligible for unemployment benefits. You may be asked to provide proof of job search activities when you file your weekly claims, so document everything, including contact names of potential employers and method of contact (email, phone, in-person).

Helpful Technology to Assist with Your Claim

The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services provides a number of useful technology tools to help make claiming for and receiving unemployment benefits payments simpler. You can apply online using EZARC and maintain your claims with weekly submissions by phone (ArkLine) or you can file weekly claims online (ArkNet).

There’s a waiting period of one week from the time you file your initial claim until you can start receiving benefits payments, so be sure to file your claim as early as possible to avoid missing a weekly payment. For weekly claims, you’re eligible to receive benefits if you’ve received no wages or wages of less that 140% of your weekly benefit amount.

Trade Adjustment Assistance

If your company has downsized due to foreign competition and your job has been affected by it, you may be eligible for Trade Adjustment Assistance (TAA). This comes in many forms, the most distinguished of which is subsidized job training and extended unemployment benefits while going through that training. More information is available on the TAA Page.

Trade Readjustment Allowances (TRA) are extended payments made to those affected under TAA guidelines after the normal period of unemployment benefits runs out. For information on TRA, you can call Pamela Francis, Program Operations Manager, at 501-682-3199 or visit the United States Department of Labor website.

Receiving Your Unemployment Benefits Payments

Unemployment benefits payments from the Arkansas Division of Workforce Services can be sent by ACH to a personal bank account (checking or savings) or can be deposited to an ADWS Debit Card. You make this choice when you first file your claim, but you have the option of changing it at any time. You can also update your bank information if you change accounts.

The ADWS Debit Card is provided by U.S. Bank. It functions as a normal debit card, and cash withdrawals can be made at U.S. Bank, MoneyPass, or Allpoint ATMs. You can also make teller window withdrawals at any bank that has a Visa affiliation. There are no fees charged on the card as long as it is active. Inactive card holders are charged $2.00 per month. Cash back is available at certain Interlink merchants, including grocery stores.