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Claimant Handbook

For all new claims, the first payment is usually sent by paper check.

Payment options

The Employment Department pays benefits electronically either by a U.S. Bank ReliaCard® Visa debit card or direct deposit. If you don’t apply for direct deposit, you will be sent a ReliaCard®. 

With direct deposit, we electronically transfer your weekly benefit payment into your checking or savings account at your bank, credit union, or savings and loan. 

To apply for direct deposit you will need your routing and account numbers. See example in the PDF version of the Claimant Handbook. 

To apply:

          Use the Online Claim System and select “electronic deposit,” from the main menu select Enter your information, or

          Print the Authorization for Electronic Deposit Form and send it to us. 

          You can locate the Authorization for Direct Deposit form online at Forms. 

You will not be able to sign up for direct deposit until your claim has been processed. Use the Online Claim System and select Status of Your Claim and Weekly Reports to monitor the status of your claim. ​

Using the Online Claim System to set up Direct Deposit is the quickest way to receive payments.

Please contact us at (503) 947-1394 if the bank account information you provided is incorrect.


Important: The Employment Department has no control over your electronic payment after the payment is issued. 

When you sign up for direct deposit it takes up to 2 weeks to verify your account information. During the verification period, you will receive payment by paper check. Submitting additional requests for direct deposit, before the verification process is complete, will cause the system to begin a new verification process and delay your direct deposit set-up. 

ReliaCard® Visa

With the U.S. Bank ReliaCard® Visa, we deposit your payments onto a prepaid debit card. This card can be used anywhere Visa cards are accepted. 

Please watch for the card in the mail. It will arrive in a white envelope with an Indianapolis, Indiana return address. Don’t throw it away, even if you sign up for direct deposit. If your direct deposit were to fail for any reason, we automatically switch back to payment by ReliaCard®. 

When you receive your card, call the toll-free number on the card to activate it. You can access your ReliaCard® account information online at ReliaCard® or by calling their customer service center at 1-855-279-1270. 

Important Fee Information: There may be fees associated with the use of your ReliaCard®. Read your Cardholder Agreement thoroughly, along with any additional notifications you receive about your ReliaCard®. You can access the ReliaCard® Cardholder Agreement and fee listings at Agreement. 

To switch from ReliaCard® to direct deposit, follow instructions above. To switch from direct deposit to ReliaCard®, call the UI Center.​​

If you’ve claimed a week but haven’t received your payment, check the status using the Online Claim System and select the option “View status of weekly report.”

 

You can also call the Weekly Claim Line. Follow the instructions for checking the status of your weekly claim. If the system confirms payment, please allow seven business days from the day you claimed before calling the UI Center to report a missing payment.​​

You can view the balance of your claim using the Online Claim System and select the option “Status of your claim.” You can also call the Weekly Claim Line to check the status/balance.​

If we have a court order from the Oregon Department of Justice requiring a deduction, a percentage is deducted from your benefits each week. The deductions continue until the court notifies us to stop.

 

If you have questions regarding child support deductions, contact the Oregon Child Support Program at Support​ or by phone:

From the Salem area: (503) 373-7300

Toll-free in Oregon: (800) 850-0228

From outside Oregon: (503) 378-5567

TTY: (800) 735-2900

We may deduct retirement income from your weekly benefit amount.

 

If you’re receiving or may receive any type of retirement pay (except Social Security), you must report this information to the UI Center. Failure to report retirement pay including changes in your retirement amount could result in an overpayment and penalties. (See Fraud)

 

If you receive retroactive retirement pay for weeks you claimed benefits, you’re responsible to report this to the UI Center and repay any overpayments.​

Yes. You may choose to have 10% of your weekly benefit amount withheld for federal income taxes and/or 6% withheld for state income taxes (16% total). Any taxes withheld are immediately transmitted to the Internal Revenue Service and the Oregon Department of Revenue. Changing your tax status requires a completed Authorization for Tax Withholding (1040WH) form. You can download the form or call to have one sent to you.​

By the end of January, we will send you a Form 1099-G (Statement for Recipients of Unemployment Compensation) to the last address on your claim. This is the form you need for filing your taxes that shows the benefits we paid and taxes withheld during the previous year. After the end of January, you can view and print your 1099-G through the Online Claims System and select the option “Status of your claim.”

 

If you’ve moved, be sure to update your address as your 1099-G won’t be forwarded. You can update your address using the Online Claims System and select the option “Change your address” or by calling the UI Center.​​

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​​Download the complete Claimant Handbook as a PDF:

​Unemployment Insurance Contact Center: 

TOLL FREE: (877) 345-3484

 

Weekly Claim Line Number:

TOLL FREE: (800) 982-8920

TTY Relay Service 711 www.SprintRelay.com​​​​​

 

PO Box 14135

Salem OR 97309-5068

Fax: (866) 345-1878​​