North Carolina Division of Employment Security
The Division of Employment Security works hard to help North Carolinians understand unemployment insurance and receive the benefits for which they are eligible.
Online Account Access
Create Account
Individuals: Create an Online Account to file for unemployment.
Employers: Create an Online Account to manage your tax and unemployment information.
My Account
Online Account Help
Need Help?
Online Assistance
View your claim status anytime in your online account.
Customer Call Center
Phone: 888-737-0259 / Monday through Friday: 8 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Report Fraud
If you suspect unemployment benefits fraud, report it to DES.
News and Alerts
Changes to SIDES E-Response for Employers
For those employers using SIDES E-Response, the system will be unavailable on Wednesday, March 23, 2022, from 2:00p.m. – 6:30 p.m. ET as we update the system. Plan your work in the system accordingly to ensure you respond on time. Due dates will not be extended.
What’s Coming with the New System:
- Fraud indicators alerting the state that immediate action is needed.
- Intuitive flows with dynamic questions specifically related to the separation reason.
- Process to collect employment details from temporary staffing agencies, including questions pertaining to recent job assignments, contacting the staffing agency for further work, and refusal of a new assignment.
- Ability to upload supporting information documentation in relevant areas.
Please visit our SIDES page for more information.
Unemployment Benefits Imposter Fraud
DES has detected a recent increase in suspected imposter fraud in the unemployment benefits system. Fraud safeguards put in place by DES flagged suspicious claims to prevent payments from being released.
Imposter fraud occurs when a person’s stolen identifying information is used to file a fraudulent unemployment claim. The stolen personal information is often obtained through outside data breaches, phishing scams and schemes that were part of larger criminal efforts unrelated to unemployment. DES has not experienced a data breach.
If you receive communications relating to an unemployment claim and you did not apply for benefits, you or your employer should report the suspected fraud to DES.
Learn more here.
2022 Base Unemployment Insurance Tax Rate for Employers
N.C. Senate Bill 311, signed into law by Governor Roy Cooper on Nov. 10, freezes the base contribution rate to the state’s Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund for experience-rated employers at 1.9% for 2022.
The base contribution rate is one of the factors used to calculate an employer’s unemployment insurance taxes for the year. The Division of Employment Security will send tax rate notices to employers before Jan. 1, 2022. Learn more at des.nc.gov/employers/tax-rate-information.