Hawaii Unemployment Benefits 2026: Amount, Eligibility & How to Apply
Laid off in Hawaii? What the state pays, who qualifies, how to file with the DLIR, and what to do if you're denied. Benefit amounts, deadlines, and eligibility rules on this page are verified against official DLIR sources.
Last verified Sep 8, 2026
How much is Hawaii unemployment, and how do you file?
Hawaii pays $5 to $868 per week for up to 26 weeks in a benefit year, based on what you earned in your base period — not on what you were earning the day you were laid off. DLIR divides the wages from your highest-earning base-period quarter by 21. That figure, subject to Hawaii's minimum and maximum, is your weekly benefit amount (WBA). Hawaii's 1/21 divisor is one of the most generous in the country, which is why the state's maximum is among the highest.
File online with the DLIR as soon as you have worked your last day. There is a waiting week, so the first week you claim is not the first week you are paid. Because the first week of your benefit year is an unpaid waiting week, your first payment will not cover it and typically arrives a few weeks after you file, once DLIR has verified your identity and reviewed your separation. After that, payments follow each biweekly certification.
- Estimated time
- 20–40 minutes to file
- Weekly benefit
- $5 to $868 per week
- What you need
- ID, last employer's details, work dates, bank details
File your Hawaii claim
Apply through the official DLIR system — filing anywhere else is either a copy of the same form or a scam. Generally file in the state where you performed the work. If you worked across state lines or recently moved, interstate or combined-wage options may apply.
- DLIR UI Call Center
- 808-762-5752
- When to file
- File as soon as you are out of work or your hours are cut. Because the claim dates back only to the Sunday of the filing week and the first week is a waiting week, filing in the same week your job ends is what protects your money.
Quick facts: Hawaii unemployment benefits (2026)
Structured reference fields. Amounts and exact rules change over time and vary by your situation — every sourced row links to the official DLIR page it was read from.
Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR)
$868 per week maximum (range $5–$868, effective Jan 1, 2026), based on your base-period wages.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRUp to 26 weeks — Hawaii pays a uniform 26 weeks, so your total is simply 26 times your weekly amount
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRHawaii has a one-week waiting period — usually the first week of your benefit year. You must file a claim for it and meet every requirement, but DLIR will not pay you for it
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIREvery two weeks. Hawaii certifies biweekly, but you answer the questions separately for each of the two weeks in the period. The Sunday after you file your initial claim is the first day you can certify, and each week must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on the Saturday after it ends. File late and DLIR may delay or deny payment for that week; stop filing for two weeks in a row and you have to reactivate the claim.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRYes. You must make at least three qualifying work-search contacts every week you claim, keep a verifiable record of them, and stay able and available for work. Hawaii residents are automatically registered for work with HireNet Hawaii.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIR10 calendar days from the mail date on the decision notice
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRYour UI benefits are taxable by both the federal and Hawaii governments. You can choose to have tax withheld from each payment — 10 percent for federal and 5 percent for state. By the end of January, DLIR mails IRS Form 1099-G showing what you were paid and what was withheld, and you can also view it in your account under Claim Inquiry.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRUnder HRS Sec. 388-3, an employer who discharges you — with or without cause — must pay your wages in full at the time of discharge, or by the next working day if immediate payment is not possible. A temporary layoff is different: those wages are due no later than the next regular payday.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRHawaii does not require employers to provide paid vacation, and there is no statute forcing a payout of unused vacation or PTO at separation. Employers that do offer it must put the policy in writing and follow it, so your handbook or agreement is what decides whether the balance is owed.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRHawaii's Dislocated Workers Act (HRS Chapter 394B) requires at least 60 days' written notice to affected employees and to DLIR. It applies to businesses that employed 50 or more people in the state at any time in the preceding 12 months and that are party to a sale, transfer, merger, takeover, bankruptcy, or similar transaction resulting in a relocation out of state or the shutdown of all or part of operations. Affected workers may also be owed a dislocated worker allowance.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRSep 8, 2026
Who qualifies for unemployment in Hawaii?
DLIR reviews three things on every claim: your work history and earnings, the reason you are no longer working, and your ability and availability to work now. A layoff clears the second test on its own — the wage test and the weekly availability test are where claims stall.
1. You earned enough during the base period
To qualify on wages, your base period has to clear Hawaii's floor:
- Your total base-period wages must be at least 26 times your weekly benefit amount.
- You must have wages in at least two of the four base-period quarters.
- Federal civilian and military wages count, and wages from other states can be combined with your Hawaii wages.
What is the "base period"?
Your base period is the first four of the last five full calendar quarters before you filed your initial claim.
In plain terms: DLIR skips the quarter you are filing in and the one right before it, then uses the four quarters before that. A claim filed in September 2026 is built on wages from April 2025 through March 2026 — which is why the handbook describes it as your earnings from roughly 12 to 18 months before you filed, not your most recent paychecks.
Alternate base period
Yes. If you do not have enough wages in the standard base period, DLIR can use an alternate base period built from the four most recently completed calendar quarters, which pulls in your most recent work. You can also combine out-of-state wages with your Hawaii wages to qualify or to raise your weekly amount.
2. You lost the job through no fault of your own
You qualify if you were laid off or had your hours cut because your employer did not have enough work, or if you quit with good reason as allowed by law — for example unsafe working conditions, or leaving because you or your child was a victim of domestic violence, stalking, or sexual assault. Leaving for personal reasons, or being fired for misconduct connected with work, generally disqualifies you.
A layoff, a position elimination, and a reduction in force all sit squarely inside this test. If your employer contests the claim and calls it something else, that dispute is decided in the appeal process below — not by whichever word appears on your separation paperwork. The distinction matters enough to be worth understanding before the hearing: laid off vs fired, and why the label changes your claim.
3. You are able to work and available for work
Every week you claim, you must be actively looking for work, mentally and physically able to work, legally authorized to work in the United States, and ready and willing to accept work without personal restrictions. Weeks when you are receiving workers' compensation or temporary disability benefits for a job-related injury are generally not payable.
How much will you get? Amounts and duration
Hawaii does not pay a flat rate. Your weekly amount comes out of a formula applied to your base-period wages, then it is capped.
Weekly minimum
$5
Weekly maximum
$868
as of Jan 1, 2026
Maximum duration
26 weeks
How your weekly amount is calculated
DLIR divides the wages from your highest-earning base-period quarter by 21. That figure, subject to Hawaii's minimum and maximum, is your weekly benefit amount (WBA). Hawaii's 1/21 divisor is one of the most generous in the country, which is why the state's maximum is among the highest.
Hawaii pays a uniform 26 weeks, so your maximum benefit amount for the benefit year is 26 times your weekly benefit amount. There is no percentage-of-wages cap that shortens the number of weeks.
Worked example
If your highest base-period quarter was $12,600, divide by 21 and your weekly benefit amount is $600. Across a full 26 weeks that is 26 × $600 = $15,600 — although the first of those weeks is the unpaid waiting week, so 25 weeks actually pay out.
Hawaii unemployment estimator
Rough estimate only. It applies the state's published formula, minimum and maximum to the wages you enter; the state agency's monetary determination sets your actual amount.
Only the states with a dependents allowance use this, and each defines a dependent narrowly (usually a child you mainly support, sometimes a non-working spouse) — not every household member. Hawaii pays no dependents allowance.
Alabama (ADOL): $45 to $275 a week, for up to 14 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of the average of the two highest base-period quarters. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 1/3 of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Alaska (AK DOLWD): $56 to $370 a week, up to $442 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Table: roughly 0.9%-2.2% of total base-period wages (statutory schedule), plus $24 per dependent (up to 3). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $50 plus 25% of wages over $50 disregarded. Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
Arizona (AZ DES): $229 to $320 a week, for up to 24 weeks. Formula: 1/25 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $160.49 disregarded (2026), then $ for $.
Arkansas (ADWS): $81 to $451 a week, for up to 12 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of the average of the four base-period quarters (i.e., ~1/104 of BPW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 40% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
California (EDD): $40 to $450 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Statutory table: approximately 1/23 to 1/26 of high-quarter wages (sliding). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Greater of $25 or 25% of wages disregarded, then $ for $.
Colorado (CDLE): $25 to $804 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Higher of (a) 60% of 1/26 of wages in the two highest consecutive quarters (capped at 50% of state AWW) or (b) 50% of 1/52 of BPW (capped at 55% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 50% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $ (Colorado 2024 law: 50% of WBA).
Connecticut (CT DOL): $44 to $721 a week, up to $796 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of the average of the two highest quarters, plus $15 per dependent (up to 5, capped at 75% of WBA). Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: 1/3 of gross wages disregarded, then $ for $ (2024 change; includes holiday pay).
Delaware (DE DOL): $20 to $450 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/46 of total wages in the two highest quarters. Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: Greater of $10 or 50% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
District of Columbia (DOES): $50 to $444 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 1/3 of wages plus $50 disregarded, then $ for $.
Florida (FloridaCommerce): $32 to $275 a week, for up to 12 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 8 x federal minimum wage ($58) disregarded, then $ for $.
Georgia (GDOL): $55 to $365 a week, for up to 14 weeks. Formula: Sum of the two highest base-period quarters divided by 42; the statutory alternate (highest quarter / 21) applies only when the regular monetary test fails. Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: $50 disregarded, then $ for $ (excludes jury pay).
Hawaii (DLIR): $5 to $868 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/21 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $150 disregarded, then $ for $.
Idaho (IDOL): $72 to $624 a week, for up to 21 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 50% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Illinois (IDES): $51 to $628 a week, up to $859 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 47% of the claimant's average weekly wage in the two highest quarters (= 0.47 x sum of 2 HQ / 26); plus 9% for a nonworking spouse or 17.3% for dependent child (of prior-2-HQ AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 50% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Indiana (IN DWD): $37 to $390 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 47% of average weekly wage in the base period (BPW/52 x 0.47). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Flat $100 disregarded, then $ for $.
Iowa (IWD): $96 to $644 a week, up to $790 with dependents, for up to 16 weeks. Formula: 1/23 of high-quarter wages (0 dependents); 1/22 (1), 1/21 (2), 1/20 (3), 1/19 (4+); caps = 53%-65% of state AWW. Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $ (excludes jury pay).
Kansas (KDOL): $165 to $663 a week, for up to 16 weeks. Formula: 4.25% of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Kentucky (KCC): $39 to $746 a week, for up to 16 weeks. Formula: 1.1923% of total base-period wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 20% of wages disregarded, then $ for $.
Louisiana (LWC): $35 to $282 a week, for up to 12 weeks. Formula: 1/25 of the average of the four base-period quarters, capped. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Lesser of 50% of WBA or $50 disregarded, then $ for $. Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
Maine (MDOL): $108 to $623 a week, up to $1,090 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/22 of the average of the two highest quarters, plus $25 per dependent (capped at 75% of WBA). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: First $123 disregarded, then $ for $ (as of June 1, 2025). Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
Maryland (MD DOL): $50 to $430 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Statutory table ~1/24 of high-quarter wages, plus $8 per dependent (up to 5) not to exceed the max. Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: $50 disregarded, then $ for $.
Massachusetts (DUA): $60 to $1,105 a week, up to $1,657 with dependents, for up to 30 weeks. Formula: 50% of average weekly wage (2 highest quarters / 26, or HQ/13 if wages in 2 or fewer quarters), plus $25 per dependent child (dependency allowance capped at 50% of WBA). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 1/3 of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Michigan (UIA): $218 to $530 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 4.1% of high-quarter wages, plus $19.33 per dependent (up to 5); rising to $614 max and $26/dependent on Jan 1, 2027 (PA 2024). Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: WBA reduced 50 cents per $1 earned; wages plus benefits cannot exceed 1.5 x WBA.
Minnesota (DEED): $37 to $948 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Higher of 50% of average weekly wage in the base period (cap 66 2/3% of state AWW = $948) or 50% of average weekly wage in the high quarter (cap 43% of state AWW = $611). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: WBA reduced 50 cents for each $1 earned (excludes jury/National Guard/volunteer firefighter pay).
Mississippi (MDES): $30 to $235 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $40 disregarded, then $ for $.
Missouri (MO DES): $35 to $320 a week, for up to 20 weeks. Formula: 4% of the average of the two highest quarters. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Greater of 20% of WBA or $20 disregarded, then $ for $ (disregard excludes termination/severance pay).
Montana (MT DLI): $238 to $805 a week, for up to 24 weeks. Formula: 1% of total base-period wages, or 1.9% of wages in the two highest quarters, whichever is greater. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $. Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
Nebraska (NDOL): $70 to $582 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/2 of average weekly wage in the high quarter (= HQ/26). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Nevada (DETR): $16 to $631 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/25 of high-quarter wages (cap 50% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 1/3 of wages disregarded, then $ for $. Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
New Hampshire (NHES): $32 to $427 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Statutory table: about 1%-1.1% of annual (base-period) wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 30% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
New Jersey (NJDOL): $186 to $905 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 60% of the claimant's average weekly wage, plus dependency allowance (7% for first dependent, 4% each for next two; max 15%), capped at 57% of state AWW. Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: Greater of 20% of WBA or $5 disregarded, then $ for $.
New Mexico (NMDWS): $116 to $624 a week, up to $674 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 53.5% of the average weekly wage in the high quarter (0.535 x HQ/13), plus $25 per dependent child (up to 50% of WBA / max 2 per DOL range). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 20% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $ (excludes jury pay).
New York (NYSDOL): $140 to $869 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages (1/25 if high-quarter wages are $3,575 or less). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Hours-based: no reduction for up to 10 hours of work per week if earnings do not exceed the max WBA; benefits reduced in steps (75%/50%/25%) for 11-30 hours worked.
North Carolina (DES): $15 to $350 a week, for up to 12 weeks. Formula: Wages in the last two completed quarters of the base period divided by 52, capped at $350. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 20% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
North Dakota (JSND): $43 to $800 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/65 of the sum of the two highest quarters plus one-half of the third-highest quarter. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 60% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $. Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
Ohio (ODJFS): $176 to $624 a week, up to $842 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 50% of average weekly wage, up to a maximum that depends on dependency class (A: 0 deps, B: 1-2, C: 3+). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 20% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Oklahoma (OESC): $16 to $649 a week, for up to 16 weeks. Formula: 1/23 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $100 disregarded, then $ for $.
Oregon (OED): $211 to $902 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1.25% of total base-period wages (min 15% / max 64% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Greater of 1/3 of WBA or 10 x state minimum wage (~$163) disregarded, then $ for $.
Pennsylvania (PA L&I): $68 to $605 a week, up to $613 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Statutory rate table: approximately (4% of high-quarter wages + $2) x 0.98 (about 50% of full-time weekly wage), plus $5 for a dependent spouse or child and $3 for a second dependent (max $8). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Greater of $21 or 30% of WBA disregarded (partial benefit credit), then $ for $.
Rhode Island (RI DLT): $82 to $777 a week, up to $971 with dependents, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 3.85% of the average of the two highest quarters (cap 57.5% of state AWW), plus greater of $15 or 5% of WBA per dependent (up to 5). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 50% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
South Carolina (SC DEW): $42 to $350 a week, for up to 20 weeks. Formula: 50% of the average weekly wage in the high quarter (= HQ/26), capped. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
South Dakota (SD DLR): $28 to $575 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 1/4 of wages over $25 disregarded, then $ for $.
Tennessee (TDLWD): $55 to $325 a week, for up to 12 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of the average of the two highest quarters (statutory table), max $325. Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Greater of $50 or 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Texas (TWC): $75 to $605 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/25 of high-quarter wages (cap 47.6% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: Greater of $5 or 25% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Utah (UT DWS): $47 to $806 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 1/26 of high-quarter wages minus $5 (cap 62.5% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 30% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
Vermont (VDOL): $94 to $757 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Wages in the two highest quarters divided by 45 (cap 57% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 50% of gross wages disregarded, then $ for $. Current indexed amount unconfirmed — verify before you rely on any figure.
Virginia (VEC): $160 to $478 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Statutory table: approximately 1/50 of wages in the two highest quarters (max $478 requires $18,900.01 in two quarters). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $100 disregarded (2025 law), then $ for $.
Washington (ESD): $383 to $1,208 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 3.85% of the average of the two highest quarters (min 20% / max 63% of state AWW). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: 1/4 of wages over $5 disregarded, then $ for $.
West Virginia (WorkForce WV): $24 to $662 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: Wage-class table: 55% of 1/52 of the median wages in the worker's wage class (max frozen at $662 by 2024 legislation). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: $60 disregarded, then $ for $.
Wisconsin (WI DWD): $54 to $370 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 4% of high-quarter wages (statutory max $370). Waiting week: yes. Part-time earnings: First $30 disregarded plus 33% of wages over $30; WBA reduced by 67% of earnings above $30.
Wyoming (WY DWS): $48 to $671 a week, for up to 26 weeks. Formula: 4% of high-quarter wages (cap 55% of state AWW). Waiting week: no. Part-time earnings: 50% of WBA disregarded, then $ for $.
This is a rough estimate: it applies Hawaii's published formula, minimum and maximum from the same data as this page to the wages you enter, and the DLIR monetary determination sets your actual amount. Comparing states, or laid off somewhere else? Open the full unemployment benefits estimator
Can you work part-time and get Hawaii unemployment?
Losing hours is not the same as losing the job, and Hawaii pays on that difference. If your hours were cut or you have picked up part-time work, you can still draw a reduced weekly payment — the rule turns on a flat $150.
The earnings allowance, and the math above it
DLIR disregards the first $150 of your gross earnings in a week. Everything above $150 comes off that week's payment dollar for dollar.
Take your gross earnings for the week, subtract $150, and deduct whatever is left from your weekly benefit amount. If your earnings minus $150 equal or exceed your weekly benefit amount, there is no payment for that week. Gross earnings are hours worked multiplied by your rate of pay, before any deductions.
Worked example
- Weekly benefit amount (WBA)
- $600
- Earnings allowance
- $150
- Gross earnings that week
- $400
- Benefit for the week
- $350
On $400 of gross earnings, the first $150 is disregarded. The remaining $250 is deducted dollar for dollar, so a $600 weekly benefit amount becomes $600 − $250 = $350 for that week. Earn $750 in the same week and the $600 excess wipes out the payment entirely.
What a part-time week does not excuse you from
Report gross earnings before deductions for the week you did the work, even if you have not been paid yet, and use the Wage Reporting Log in your claimant portal. Full-time and part-time jobs, temporary and odd jobs, self-employment, vacation and holiday pay, commissions, residual payments, and tips all count.
Partial benefits are a reduction, not an exemption. If you are part-totally unemployed you must still report hours and earnings, keep your work registration, stay able and available, and make at least three job-search contacts every week you claim. The one exception is a confirmed partial claim, where you are still attached to your regular employer and DLIR waives the work-search and registration requirements.
Not sure what your weekly benefit amount is yet? The DLIR determination is the figure that counts — for a rough, salary-based placeholder until it arrives, try the unemployment benefits estimator, then run the numbers above against it.
How to apply for Hawaii unemployment (DLIR), step by step
Your benefit year starts on the Sunday of the week in which you file your initial claim. That first week is normally your unpaid waiting week, and DLIR cannot pay for anything before that Sunday.
Before you start: what you'll need
- Social Security number.
- A Login.gov account, or an unexpired photo ID for in-person verification at a participating post office.
- Your mailing address, phone number, and an email address you check.
- Names, addresses, and employment dates for your employers over the last 18 months.
- The reason your job ended, in your own words.
- Details of any severance, pay instead of notice, continued pay, or pension payments.
- Standard Form 8 and SF-50 if you were a federal civilian employee.
- DD Form 214, member copy 4, if you served in the military.
- Bank routing and account numbers for direct deposit.
The filing sequence
File your initial claim at huiclaims.hawaii.gov
Create a claimant account or log in and file a new application. If you need help, call the UI Call Center at 808-762-5752 or 833-901-2272, visit your local claims office, or book an appointment at labor.hawaii.gov/UI/appointments.
Verify your identity and turn on multi-factor authentication
Every claimant must verify their ID through Login.gov or in person at most post offices in the state, and MFA is required to log in to the portal. Codes expire in 10 minutes, so keep the phone or email you registered close at hand.
Report separation and retirement payments
Severance, pay instead of notice, continued pay, pensions, and other retirement income can reduce or delay benefits. Report them when you file and again on your biweekly claim — DLIR may contact you to work out the effect.
Confirm your work registration and start your job search
Hawaii residents are registered automatically with HireNet Hawaii. If you live and look for work in another state, you must register with that state's Employment Service or American Job Center. Union members need Form UC-226 filed by the union within seven days of your application.
File your first biweekly claim the Sunday after you apply
The Sunday after you file is the first day you can certify. Each biweekly claim covers two weeks and you answer the full question set separately for each week — do not treat it as one form.
Set up how you want to be paid
Payments go out by direct deposit to your checking or savings account, or to a prepaid debit card. Enter your routing and account numbers carefully — a rejected deposit adds weeks.
When the money actually arrives
Because the first week of your benefit year is an unpaid waiting week, your first payment will not cover it and typically arrives a few weeks after you file, once DLIR has verified your identity and reviewed your separation. After that, payments follow each biweekly certification.
How you get paid
Direct deposit to a checking or savings account, or a prepaid debit card.
Keeping your benefits: payment requests and work search
Approval is not the finish line. Benefits stop for people who miss the filing window or cannot produce a work-search log, and a missed week is far harder to recover than it is to claim on time.
Request payment every two weeks
Hawaii certifies biweekly, but you answer the questions separately for each of the two weeks in the period. The Sunday after you file your initial claim is the first day you can certify, and each week must be completed by 11:59 p.m. on the Saturday after it ends. File late and DLIR may delay or deny payment for that week; stop filing for two weeks in a row and you have to reactivate the claim.
Work search: registration, minimums, and records
Deadline: Hawaii residents are automatically registered for work with HireNet Hawaii when they file. If you live and are looking for work in another state, register with that state's Employment Service or American Job Center and keep it active. Union members must have their union submit Form UC-226 within seven days of the application.
At least three qualifying work-search contacts every week you claim benefits.
What counts:
- Applying for a job that fits your skills, qualifications, and availability.
- Interviewing for a job.
- Reporting to a union hiring hall if you are a registered member of that union.
- Taking part in reemployment services at your state workforce center.
- Not acceptable: viewing job listings without applying, applying for jobs you are not qualified for, or ignoring an employer's instructions to apply.
Keep a record of every work-search activity, and make sure each one is truthful and easy to verify. The claimant portal at huiclaims.hawaii.gov has a job-search log that carries your entries straight onto your biweekly certification, which is the simplest way to stay audit-proof.
What to do if your Hawaii claim is denied
A denial is a first decision, not a final one. Employers contest claims routinely, and plenty of denials are reversed at the hearing — but only if you appeal inside the window.
Appeal deadline
10 days
You must submit a written appeal, or a request for reconsideration, within 10 calendar days of the mail date printed on the decision notice. ESARO can extend that to 30 calendar days if you have a good reason for filing late, but do not count on it — file first and gather your evidence afterward.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with DLIRHow to file your appeal
- Online at huiclaims.hawaii.gov.
- Using the appeal form available at your local claims office.
- By writing your own letter and delivering it to your local claims office or to ESARO.
- By mail to Employment Security Appeals Referees' Office, 830 Punchbowl Street, Room 429, Honolulu, HI 96813.
What to include
- A copy of the decision you are appealing.
- Your name, Social Security number, and current mailing address.
- The mail date shown on the decision notice.
- A short statement of what you disagree with and why.
- A phone number and an email address ESARO can use to send your Notice of Hearing.
The hearing, and what comes after
ESARO mails or sends you a Notice of Hearing with the date and time, and a hearing officer runs the hearing. You must take part to protect your right to benefits — missing the hearing is the most common way a winnable appeal is lost. The written decision is mailed or emailed to you and your employer afterward.
If you disagree with the hearing officer's decision, you can appeal it further; the decision itself explains the next step and the deadline. More detail is at labor.hawaii.gov/esaro.
Do not stop filing while you appeal. Keep looking for work, keep submitting your claim certifications, and keep reporting any money you earned while the appeal is pending. If your appeal is approved, DLIR pays only for weeks you actually claimed and met every requirement for.
Can you get unemployment in Hawaii if you quit?
Quitting is not an automatic no. Every state disqualifies a voluntary quit without good cause; what counts as good cause is where states differ — and good cause only clears the separation question, not the weekly able-available-and-searching requirements.
If you quit: Hawaii's good-cause rule
You are disqualified if you voluntarily quit your job without good cause. The agency FAQ states the rule but does not list the reasons that count on that page.
Two separate hurdles
- Good cause may avoid the separation disqualification for a voluntary quit.
- You must still meet the ongoing requirements every week you claim: able to work, available for work, and actively seeking it, plus the base-period wage or hours test.
Quitting makes a claim harder, not impossible. File anyway — the agency decides.
Source: HRS § 383-30(1) · last verified 2026-09-07
Severance, final pay, and PTO in Hawaii
These three decide when your unemployment money starts and how much cash you have to bridge the gap. They are separate rules and they interact.
How severance affects your claim
A lump-sum severance payment generally affects only the week you receive it, while severance paid out periodically — continued pay, or pay instead of notice spread over named weeks — affects each of the weeks it covers. That makes the payment schedule in your agreement more important than the total. Report every separation payment and let the DLIR decide how it affects your claim — confirm with the agency.
Report it either way. An unreported payment that the agency finds later becomes an overpayment you have to pay back, sometimes with a penalty — a far worse outcome than a delayed start. For how the two interact in general, and how timing a severance payment changes it, see severance and unemployment.
Final paycheck timing
Under HRS Sec. 388-3, an employer who discharges you — with or without cause — must pay your wages in full at the time of discharge, or by the next working day if immediate payment is not possible. A temporary layoff is different: those wages are due no later than the next regular payday.
Check the figure before you cash it — unpaid commission, an expense reimbursement, or a promised bonus is easiest to raise while the separation is still fresh. The final paycheck calculator works out what you should be owed and when it is due.
Unused PTO and vacation
Hawaii does not require employers to provide paid vacation, and there is no statute forcing a payout of unused vacation or PTO at separation. Employers that do offer it must put the policy in writing and follow it, so your handbook or agreement is what decides whether the balance is owed.
Layoff notice: WARN and state law
Hawaii's Dislocated Workers Act (HRS Chapter 394B) requires at least 60 days' written notice to affected employees and to DLIR. It applies to businesses that employed 50 or more people in the state at any time in the preceding 12 months and that are party to a sale, transfer, merger, takeover, bankruptcy, or similar transaction resulting in a relocation out of state or the shutdown of all or part of operations. Affected workers may also be owed a dislocated worker allowance.
Whether your layoff should have come with notice — and what happens if it did not — is set out in full in the Hawaii WARN Act guide, along with the notices employers have actually filed in the state.
Are Hawaii unemployment benefits taxable?
Federal and state tax both apply
Your UI benefits are taxable by both the federal and Hawaii governments. You can choose to have tax withheld from each payment — 10 percent for federal and 5 percent for state. By the end of January, DLIR mails IRS Form 1099-G showing what you were paid and what was withheld, and you can also view it in your account under Claim Inquiry.
Benefits arrive with no tax taken out unless you ask for withholding. Choosing 10% federal tax withholding can reduce the chance of an unexpected tax bill, but whether withholding makes sense depends on your individual tax situation — your other income for the year, your filing status, and any credits you expect. Confirm your own situation with a tax professional.
Hawaii unemployment FAQ
Where do I file for unemployment in Hawaii?+
How much unemployment will I get in Hawaii?+
Is there a waiting week for Hawaii unemployment?+
Do I have to look for work to keep benefits in Hawaii?+
Are Hawaii unemployment benefits taxable?+
When do I get my final paycheck and is unused PTO paid out in Hawaii after a layoff?+
Does Hawaii have its own mini-WARN layoff-notice law?+
How long does it take to get Hawaii unemployment benefits?+
What is the base period for Hawaii unemployment?+
What do I do if my Hawaii unemployment claim is denied?+
Does severance pay stop unemployment benefits in Hawaii?+
Can I get unemployment in Hawaii if I was fired or quit?+
How often do I have to certify or request payment in Hawaii?+
Can I work part-time and still get Hawaii unemployment?+
How much can I earn before Hawaii unemployment benefits are reduced?+
What is the maximum Hawaii unemployment benefit in 2026?+
Can you get unemployment in Hawaii if you quit your job?+
Filed your claim? Here's what to do next
Unemployment replaces a fraction of a paycheck. The next hour is better spent on the things that actually decide how long your runway lasts.
Layoff Runway Calculator
Combine your HI benefit, severance, and savings into a months-of-runway number.
Open toolUnemployment Benefits Estimator
Sanity-check the weekly amount before your determination arrives.
Open toolCOBRA vs Marketplace Calculator
Health coverage is the second bill to solve, and COBRA is rarely the cheapest option.
Open toolSeverance Pay Calculator
See what a severance offer is worth before you sign the release.
Open toolOfficial Hawaii sources
Benefit amounts, deadlines, and eligibility rules on this page are verified against official Hawaii Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DLIR) sources. Rules and amounts change — check the source before you rely on a number.
- Hawaii DLIR — Unemployment Insurance Division
- Hawaii DLIR — Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook
- Hawaii DLIR — Employment Security Appeals Referees' Office (ESARO)
- Hawaii DLIR Wage Standards Division — Vacation and sick leave
- Hawaii Revised Statutes Sec. 388-3 — Payment of wages on separation
- Hawaii DLIR — Dislocated Worker Laws (60-day notice)
Nearby states
Hawaii WARN noticesRelated resources
Educational content only. LayoffNext does not provide legal, financial, tax, insurance, employment, immigration, unemployment, investment, or mental health advice. Always consult a licensed professional or official government source for guidance specific to your situation.
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