After you submit your initial claim, DES will:  

• Review your unemployment benefits application.
• Contact your current or last employer.  
• Review how much money you made from your employment.  
• Update you whenever something changes with your claim.

You can check your claim status by logging into your MyNCUIBenefits account. While you wait on a decision, remember to:

• Keep filing your weekly certifications.
• Look for a job, including on NCWorks.gov, and keep a record of your work search.
• Respond quickly to any email, phone call, or text requests for additional information from DES.

Your last employer is the most recent job where you worked full-time for at least 30 days. This does not include self-employment. Self-employment means you were the owner of your own business, worked as an independent contractor or did freelance work.

If you had both a part-time and a full-time job, and your full-time job ended, the full-time employer is your last employer. If you still have your part-time job while you are filing for unemployment, you must report your earnings for each week you perform work, before taxes, when filing your weekly certifications. 

Separation pay is any money you got or will get from your employer due to your job ending. Separation pay can include:  

• Wages in lieu of notice: Pay you may get from your employer because they did not give you enough notice before ending your job.
• Severance pay: Money your employer may give you because your job ended.  
• Vacation pay or paid time off (PTO): Money paid to you for any unused leave. If your employer has a written policy on vacation/PTO/sick pay, that pay may not affect your claim.

Separation pay, such as severance pay, is treated the same as earnings you had earned while working for your last employer. If you get separation pay, you will not be eligible for benefits for the number of weeks the separation pay covers. Separation pay is calculated by the number of weeks worth of earnings you worked from your last employer. DES begins counting the number of weeks of separation pay earned from your last day of work.

You may still be eligible for unemployment benefits if your employer has a written vacation/PTO/sick pay policy in place before your job ends.

It can. It depends on the level of disability, your application status and why you are getting those benefits.

It may if the Worker’s Compensation is mandated by the North Carolina Industrial Commission.

Usually, no. To be eligible, you must be unemployed through no fault of your own, be looking for a job, and be able and available to work. DES will make a decision on a case-by-case basis.

You may not qualify for benefits if DES determines that your total or partial unemployment is because of a labor dispute.

Yes, but you must report in your weekly certification all wages you earn before taxes for each week you work.  You can get unemployment benefits while doing freelance work or odd jobs if you make less than your earning allowance. Check your earning allowance on your monetary determination in your MyNCUIBenefits account.

NOTE: Report your earnings before taxes for any work you do between Sunday and Saturday each week, even if you have not been paid yet.

You must take any work that matches your skillset and experience during your first 10 weeks of the unemployment benefit period.

After the first 10 weeks, any job that would pay you at least 1.2 times your weekly benefit amount is considered suitable work, which you must accept.

A determination is a decision about your claim. A determination can result in a qualified/eligible or disqualified/ineligible ruling.

DES may send a determination to just you, or to you and your employer.

If you disagree with the determination decision, you can file an appeal. You can do this several ways:

• Online: Through your MyNCUIBenefits account select Determination History. Instructions are included in the determination decision.
• Fax:  919-341-5691
• Email: des.public.appeals@nccommerce.com
• Mail:  P.O. Box 25903, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-5903

Adjudication is an investigation into issues with your claim and a determination of your eligibility for unemployment benefits. DES may contact you, your employer, or others to get more details. Once DES has all the necessary information, it will make a decision and send you and your employer a determination saying if you are eligible/qualified or ineligible/disqualified. You can also check your determination status in your MyNCUIBenefits account.

Pending adjudication means DES needs more information to make a decision about your claim. This can happen because:

• Your employer has not responded to DES’s questions about why your job ended or about separation pay you may have gotten. By law, your employer has 10 days to respond to these questions.
• You have not filed your weekly certification.
• DES is waiting for more information from you or your employer.

Not always. DES will contact you by phone, email, and letter only if more information is needed to process your claim.

IMPORTANT: DES will ask you to answer questions about why your job ended. Provide as much information as you can when you file your claim.

An issue is something that could affect your eligibility or qualification for unemployment benefits based on North Carolina Employment Security law. Some common issues include:

• Your job ended for reasons other than lack of work.
• You got separation pay.
• Something that may keep you from working.

If DES finds an issue with your claim, you may be asked questions about the issue in your MyNCUIBenefits account. If needed DES will reach out to you or your employer with questions. Your benefit payments may be paused until the issue is resolved. After DES reviews the information, there are three possible outcomes:

1. You cannot get unemployment benefits because of the issue.
2. The issue does not stop you from getting benefits.
3. It was an error, and DES will remove it from your claim.

NOTE: Even if there is an issue with your claim, remember to keep filing your weekly certifications, looking for a job, and keeping a record of your work search if you have not returned to work.

Employers may disagree with the potential eligibility of an unemployment claim. During the adjudication process, the employer will be contacted to obtain information regarding your separation from employment or separation pay.

DES may contact the employer if they initially fail to provide information or if additional information is needed.

You can see your claim status in your MyNCUIBenefits account. If you have questions about the status of your claim, call 888-737-0259.

This means that DES has resolved the issue and you are legally able to get unemployment benefits. You will get a separate determination for each issue with your claim. DES will continue to review the information you submit each week to make sure you meet requirements to get benefits.

Review our FAQ pages. If you still need help, call 888-737-0259.

If you disagree with the determination decision, you can file an appeal. You can do this several ways:

• Online: Through your MyNCUIBenefits account select Determination History. Instructions are included in the determination decision.
• Fax: 919-341-5691
• Email: des.public.appeals@nccommerce.com
• Mail: P.O. Box 25903, Raleigh, North Carolina 27611-5903

If you appeal by email, fax, or mail you must include your full legal name, your issued ID, and the last four digits of your Social Security number.

No. Once your determination has been made, the case file is closed, unless you file an appeal. If you file an appeal, you can provide additional information at that time.

There are a few common reasons that might keep you from getting benefits:

• Your job ended for reasons other than a lack of work.
• You were fired for misconduct connected with work.
• You quit your job due to reasons not caused by the employer.
• You did not make enough money.
• You are not looking for work, available for work, or able to work.

At-will employment means employers do not have to provide employees with a reason for their separation and does not apply to eligibility for unemployment benefits. However, a person’s eligibility for unemployment benefits depends on the reasons that their job ended. DES needs to know why someone lost their job due to rules under North Carolina Employment Security law.

Sign in to your NCSUITS account, locate Claim Services and select Respond to Request for Separation Information.

Call 866-278-3822 or update information through your NCSUITS account.