Oregon Unemployment Benefits 2026: Amount, Eligibility & How to Apply
Laid off in Oregon? What the state pays, who qualifies, how to file with the OED, and what to do if you're denied. Benefit amounts, deadlines, and eligibility rules on this page are verified against official OED sources.
Last verified Sep 8, 2026
How much is Oregon unemployment, and how do you file?
Oregon pays $211 to $902 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. OED pays 1.25 percent of your total base-year gross earnings as your weekly benefit amount, subject to a floor and a ceiling that are 15 percent and 64 percent of the state average weekly wage and are reset each summer.
File online with the OED 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. Expect roughly two to four weeks from your initial claim to your first payment, and expect the first week you claim to pay nothing because of the waiting week. Once the claim is clean, payments generally follow within a few business days of each weekly claim.
- Estimated time
- 20–40 minutes to file
- Weekly benefit
- $211 to $902 per week
- What you need
- ID, last employer's details, work dates, bank details
File your Oregon claim
Apply through the official OED 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.
- OED unemployment insurance contact center
- 1-877-345-3484
- When to file
- File your initial claim as soon as you are laid off or your hours are cut — not after your severance runs out. You file the initial claim once per benefit year, then a weekly claim every week after that.
Quick facts: Oregon 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 OED page it was read from.
Oregon Employment Department (OED)
$902 per week maximum (range $211–$902, effective Jun 28, 2026), based on your base-period wages.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDUp to 26 weeks — your total is capped at the lesser of one-third of your base-year wages or 26 times your weekly amount
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDOregon holds one unpaid waiting week per claim — the first week you file a weekly claim and meet every eligibility requirement. You get no money for it, but you must file that weekly claim to get credit for it and to start the clock on everything else.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDEvery week. File a weekly claim every week you are unemployed or earning less than your weekly benefit amount. The window opens between 11:59 p.m. on Saturday and midnight on Sunday for the week that just ended; you can file in Frances Online, through the automated line at 800-982-8920, or on Form 127. Keep filing even while a decision or an appeal is pending — unclaimed weeks cannot be paid later.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDYes, and Oregon's requirement is heavier than most. You must complete at least five work-search activities every week, at least two of which are direct contacts with employers, and register with iMatchSkills.org plus complete a Welcome Conversation at a WorkSource Oregon center.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OED20 calendar days from the date an administrative decision is mailed (10 calendar days for a monetary decision)
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDUnemployment benefits are taxable income federally and in Oregon — Oregon has no exclusion for unemployment compensation. OED lets you elect withholding of 10 percent for federal tax, 6 percent for Oregon tax, or both for a combined 16 percent, and you can change the election at any time in Frances Online. OED issues Form 1099-G each January showing what you were paid and what was withheld.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDIf you are laid off or fired, all wages you have earned are due no later than the end of the first business day after the termination (ORS 652.140). If the employer willfully misses that deadline, penalty wages can accrue at eight hours a day at your regular rate for up to 30 days.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDOregon has no statute requiring a vacation or PTO payout at separation. But where the employer's written policy or an agreement promises the payout, that accrued time counts as wages and is due on the same one-business-day deadline as the rest of your final pay.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDOregon has no separate mini-WARN thresholds. ORS 285A.510 to 285A.522 adopt the federal WARN Act by reference and name the Higher Education Coordinating Commission as the state body that receives the notice, so federal WARN — 60 days' notice at employers with 100 or more employees — is the whole rulebook.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDSep 8, 2026
Who qualifies for unemployment in Oregon?
Oregon tests three separate things: whether you earned enough across the base year, why the job ended, and whether you are able to work and available for work now. A layoff clears the second test on its own — the wage test and Oregon's demanding weekly work-search rule are where claims most often fail.
1. You earned enough during the base period
To establish a valid Oregon claim, you must meet one of these two tests:
- Earn at least $1,000 in subject wages during the base year, and have total base-year wages of at least one and a half times your highest-quarter wages.
- Or work at least 500 hours in the base year with some subject wages earned.
- The 500-hour alternative is Oregon's quiet safety valve — a low-wage or seasonal worker who fails the dollar test can still qualify on hours.
What is the "base period"?
Your base year is the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before the week you file your initial claim.
In plain terms: OED ignores the quarter you are in and the quarter right before it, then measures the four quarters before that. It is keyed to when you file, not when you stopped working — so a claim filed in September 2026 rests on wages from April 2025 through March 2026. That is why a raise this spring, or a job you started six months ago, may not raise your weekly amount at all.
Alternate base period
Yes. If you do not qualify on the standard base year, OED automatically reviews your claim against an alternate base year — the four most recently completed quarters. You do not have to request it, but you should read your monetary decision to see which base year was used, because the two can produce very different weekly amounts.
2. You lost the job through no fault of your own
You must be out of work through no fault of your own. A layoff, a reduction in force, a plant closing, or a discharge for something other than misconduct all qualify. Quitting qualifies only with good cause of such gravity that a reasonable person would have no alternative, which OED decides from what you and your employer each report.
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 physically and mentally able to work, available to accept suitable full-time work, and actively seeking it. The weekly claim asks about the entire week — travel, illness, or a schedule restriction that would have kept you from starting a job can make that week non-payable.
How much will you get? Amounts and duration
Oregon 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
$211
Weekly maximum
$902
as of Jun 28, 2026
Maximum duration
26 weeks
current maximum; scales by rule
How your weekly amount is calculated
OED pays 1.25 percent of your total base-year gross earnings as your weekly benefit amount, subject to a floor and a ceiling that are 15 percent and 64 percent of the state average weekly wage and are reset each summer.
Your maximum benefit amount — the total you can draw in a benefit year — is one-third of your base-year wages or 26 times your weekly benefit amount, whichever is less. Because 1.25 percent times 26 weeks is 32.5 percent, just under the one-third cap, most claimants who are not sitting on the minimum get the full 26 weeks.
Worked example
If your total base-year wages were $40,000, your weekly amount is 1.25 percent of $40,000 = $500. Twenty-six weeks of $500 is $13,000; one-third of $40,000 is $13,333. The lesser figure — $13,000 — is your maximum benefit amount, so you get the full 26 weeks. The one-third cap only bites when the state minimum has lifted your weekly amount above 1.25 percent of your wages: at $12,000 in base-year wages, the formula gives $150 but you are paid the $211 floor, and one-third of $12,000 is $4,000, which is only about 18 weeks.
Oregon 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. Oregon 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 Oregon's published formula, minimum and maximum from the same data as this page to the wages you enter, and the OED 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 Oregon unemployment?
Losing hours is not the same as losing the job, and Oregon treats it that way. If your hours were cut or you have picked up part-time work, you can still draw a reduced weekly payment. The allowance is whichever is bigger: one-third of your weekly benefit amount, or ten times Oregon's highest minimum wage.
The earnings allowance, and the math above it
OED disregards the greater of one-third of your weekly benefit amount or ten times Oregon's highest minimum hourly wage — about $163 at the current rate. Anything you earn above that line reduces the week's payment dollar for dollar.
Work out your allowance — one-third of your weekly benefit amount or ten times the highest state minimum wage, whichever is larger. Subtract that allowance from your gross earnings for the week, then subtract the remainder from your weekly benefit amount. If your earnings equal or exceed your weekly benefit amount, there is no payment for that week.
Worked example
- Weekly benefit amount (WBA)
- $600
- Earnings allowance (greater of 1/3 WBA or ~$163)
- $200
- Gross earnings that week
- $350
- Benefit for the week
- $450
On a $600 weekly benefit amount, one-third is $200, which beats the roughly $163 minimum-wage floor, so your allowance is $200. You earned $350, so $350 minus $200 leaves $150 of countable earnings, and $600 minus $150 is a $450 payment for that week. On a smaller weekly amount — say $300, where one-third is only $100 — the $163 floor is the bigger number and becomes your allowance instead.
What a part-time week does not excuse you from
Report gross earnings, before taxes and deductions, in the calendar week you earned them — not the week the check arrives. That includes part-time, temporary, contract, gig, and self-employment work. Unreported earnings become an overpayment you have to repay, usually with penalties.
Partial benefits are a reduction, not an exemption. Every week you claim, you still have to file on time, complete and log five work-search activities including two direct contacts, and stay able and available for full-time work. A part-time job does not lower the work-search requirement.
Not sure what your weekly benefit amount is yet? The OED 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 Oregon unemployment (OED), step by step
Benefit weeks run Sunday through Saturday, and your initial claim starts at the beginning of the week you file it. You cannot file a weekly claim until the week is over, so the earliest you claim your first week is the Sunday after you apply.
Before you start: what you'll need
- Your name, Social Security number, date of birth, and contact information.
- Complete work history for the past 18 months.
- Name of every employer in that period.
- Address of every employer in that period.
- Phone number of every employer in that period.
- Start and end dates for each of those jobs.
- Bank routing and account number if you want direct deposit.
- DD Form 214 for recent military service, or SF-8 or SF-50 for recent federal civilian employment.
The filing sequence
File your initial claim in Frances Online
Go to frances.oregon.gov and select "File an Unemployment Insurance claim." The system is open 24 hours a day. You can also file by phone at 1-877-345-3484 or by mailing Form 115, but online is far faster. Check every entry before you submit — once a claim is submitted you cannot change it, and errors cost weeks.
File your first weekly claim the Sunday after you apply
The filing window opens between 11:59 p.m. Saturday and midnight Sunday. That first weekly claim is your unpaid waiting week — you must file it to get credit. File weekly claims even while your initial claim is still under review.
Register on iMatchSkills.org and complete your Welcome Conversation
Registering at iMatchSkills.org and completing a Welcome Conversation with WorkSource Oregon is a condition of eligibility, not a suggestion. It is a separate account from your Frances Online login and a common reason payments stall.
Set up how you want to be paid
Sign up for direct deposit inside Frances Online during your application, or take the prepaid debit card. You can change the choice at any time in Frances Online.
Do five work-search activities every week, two of them direct contacts
Oregon requires at least five activities weekly, and at least two must be direct contacts — actually asking about work or applying the way that employer wants. Record the employer name, position, location, date, method, and outcome for every direct contact.
Keep filing weekly, every week, without gaps
Benefits are paid only for weeks you claimed. If a decision is pending or you are appealing, keep filing anyway — OED can pay back weeks you filed for and were eligible for, but it cannot pay weeks you never claimed.
When the money actually arrives
Expect roughly two to four weeks from your initial claim to your first payment, and expect the first week you claim to pay nothing because of the waiting week. Once the claim is clean, payments generally follow within a few business days of each weekly claim.
How you get paid
Direct deposit to a U.S. bank or credit union account, or a prepaid debit card. You can switch between them at any time in Frances Online.
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 week
File a weekly claim every week you are unemployed or earning less than your weekly benefit amount. The window opens between 11:59 p.m. on Saturday and midnight on Sunday for the week that just ended; you can file in Frances Online, through the automated line at 800-982-8920, or on Form 127. Keep filing even while a decision or an appeal is pending — unclaimed weeks cannot be paid later.
Work search: registration, minimums, and records
Deadline: Register at iMatchSkills.org and complete a Welcome Conversation at your local WorkSource Oregon center after you file your initial claim. Both are conditions of eligibility, and both are separate from your Frances Online account.
At least five work-search activities each week, of which a minimum of two must be direct contacts with employers.
What counts:
- Direct contacts: asking about work or applying for a job in the way that employer wants — these are the two required each week.
- Submitting job applications and going to interviews.
- Creating or updating your résumé, or reviewing and responding to job listings.
- Using WorkSource Oregon center services such as workshops, job fairs, and career counseling.
For every direct contact, record the employer's name, the position title, the location, the date, the method you used, and the outcome. Keep the log through your benefit year — OED audits work-search records, and a week you cannot document can be reversed into an overpayment.
What to do if your Oregon 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
20 days
You have 20 calendar days from the mailing date to appeal an administrative decision, and only 10 calendar days to appeal a monetary decision. The "date issued" is printed in the top right corner of the decision letter — that date, not the day you opened the envelope, starts the clock.
Verified Sep 8, 2026 · verify with OEDHow to file your appeal
- In Frances Online: log in, select "View or Change Benefit Details," then "File an Appeal."
- Through the online contact form at unemployment.oregon.gov/contact.
- By phone at 503-947-3149 — leave a message with your details.
- By mail or fax using Form 2602: fax 503-947-1335, or mail Unemployment Insurance – Hearings, P.O. Box 14135, Salem, OR 97309.
What to include
- Your Social Security number or Customer ID.
- The Benefit Issue or Letter ID number from the decision.
- The decision date — the "date issued" in the top right corner.
- A short explanation of why you disagree, plus any dates or times you are unavailable for a hearing.
The hearing, and what comes after
An administrative law judge from the Office of Administrative Hearings takes testimony from everyone involved, normally by telephone. Language assistance is provided at no cost. Send your documents in ahead of the hearing so the judge and your former employer both have copies.
If you disagree with the administrative law judge's decision, you can appeal to the Employment Appeals Board within the deadline printed on that decision, and from there to the Oregon Court of Appeals.
Do not stop filing while you appeal. Continue to file a weekly claim every week while your appeal is pending. Back pay applies only to weeks you claimed on time and were otherwise eligible for — winning an appeal does not recover weeks you never claimed.
Can you get unemployment in Oregon 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: Oregon's good-cause rule
Quitting does not automatically make you ineligible; you must be out of work through no fault of your own, and the agency reviews quits case by case. You have voluntarily left work if the employer had continuing work available and you chose to stop working, including quitting one job for another.
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: ORS 657.176(2)(c) · last verified 2026-09-07
Severance, final pay, and PTO in Oregon
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
Oregon is one of the most claimant-friendly states on this point: you do not report severance pay on your weekly claim, and it does not reduce or delay your benefits. The same applies to accrued leave paid out after you separate, Social Security, and jury duty pay. What you do report is wages for work you actually performed during the week.
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
If you are laid off or fired, all wages you have earned are due no later than the end of the first business day after the termination (ORS 652.140). If the employer willfully misses that deadline, penalty wages can accrue at eight hours a day at your regular rate for up to 30 days.
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
Oregon has no statute requiring a vacation or PTO payout at separation. But where the employer's written policy or an agreement promises the payout, that accrued time counts as wages and is due on the same one-business-day deadline as the rest of your final pay.
Layoff notice: WARN and state law
Oregon has no separate mini-WARN thresholds. ORS 285A.510 to 285A.522 adopt the federal WARN Act by reference and name the Higher Education Coordinating Commission as the state body that receives the notice, so federal WARN — 60 days' notice at employers with 100 or more employees — is the whole rulebook.
Whether your layoff should have come with notice — and what happens if it did not — is set out in full in the Oregon WARN Act guide, along with the notices employers have actually filed in the state.
Are Oregon unemployment benefits taxable?
Federal and state tax both apply
Unemployment benefits are taxable income federally and in Oregon — Oregon has no exclusion for unemployment compensation. OED lets you elect withholding of 10 percent for federal tax, 6 percent for Oregon tax, or both for a combined 16 percent, and you can change the election at any time in Frances Online. OED issues Form 1099-G each January showing what you were paid and what was withheld.
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.
Oregon unemployment FAQ
Where do I file for unemployment in Oregon?+
How much unemployment will I get in Oregon?+
Is there a waiting week for Oregon unemployment?+
Do I have to look for work to keep benefits in Oregon?+
Are Oregon unemployment benefits taxable?+
When do I get my final paycheck and is unused PTO paid out in Oregon after a layoff?+
Does Oregon have its own mini-WARN layoff-notice law?+
How long does it take to get Oregon unemployment benefits?+
What is the base period for Oregon unemployment?+
What do I do if my Oregon unemployment claim is denied?+
Does severance pay stop unemployment benefits in Oregon?+
Can I get unemployment in Oregon if I was fired or quit?+
How often do I have to certify or request payment in Oregon?+
Can I work part-time and still get Oregon unemployment?+
How much can I earn before Oregon unemployment benefits are reduced?+
What is the maximum Oregon unemployment benefit in 2026?+
Can you get unemployment in Oregon 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 OR 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 Oregon sources
Benefit amounts, deadlines, and eligibility rules on this page are verified against official Oregon Employment Department (OED) sources. Rules and amounts change — check the source before you rely on a number.
Nearby states
Oregon WARN noticesRelated resources
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