Arizona Department Of Economic Security Unemployment Insurance Program

Revisions To Arizonas Unemployment Taxable Wage Base

On June 30, 2021, Governor Doug Ducey signed Senate Bill 1828, which increased the maximum taxable wages from $7,000 to $8,000 for Unemployment Insurance compensation purposes, effective calendar year 2023. Senate Bill 1828 has already led to significant changes for claimants who receive benefits, including a reduction of the number of weeks for which claimants are eligible for benefits. This legislation also made other changes to the UI program, including additional program integrity requirements.

In Arizona, you are currently required by law to pay UI taxes on the first $7,000 in gross wages paid to each of your employees in a calendar year. Beginning January 1, 2023, you will be required to pay UI taxes on the first $8,000 in gross wages paid to each of your employees.

The increase will be in effect when you file your quarterly Unemployment Tax and Wage Report for the quarter ending March 31, 2023, for wages paid during January, February, and March of 2023.

IMPORTANT: The increase to the taxable wage base does not impact wages paid to your employees during calendar year 2022.

For additional information, including general information about Arizonas UI Tax program, please call 771-6606.

If You Have Direct Deposit And Received An Electronic Payment Card

As a result of the ongoing changes, a number of customers who currently receive child support payments via direct deposit may have received a new Way2Go EPC card in error. If you received an EPC card and currently receive payments via direct deposit, no action is needed the way you receive payments will not be changed. Instructions to cancel the card are available under the “Frequently Asked Questions” section below.

The Arizona Department of Economic Security issues funds to eligible individuals via direct deposit or Electronic Payment Card . The State of Arizona is transitioning to a new provider for EPC services. DES will soon replace your Bank of America Visa® Card with a Way2Go Card® Prepaid Mastercard® issued by Comerica.

The new Way2Go Card® will be mailed to you no later than September 23, 2021.

• Beginning September 23, 2021, all Unemployment Insurance benefit payments and Child Support payments will automatically be deposited to the new Way2Go Card®.
• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance claimants who do not already have an EPC but will need one after September 2, 2021, will receive a Way2Go Card®.

If you still have funds on your Bank of America Visa® Card, dont worry! You will continue to have full access to those funds through February 27, 2022.

More information regarding the current Bank of America Visa® Card is listed below:

Qualifications For Unemployment In Az

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The unemployment insurance program is administered jointly by state and federal agencies. Its goal is to provide temporary financial assistance to individuals who become unemployed by no fault of their own. Businesses in each state pay taxes to a trust fund that finances the programs insurance payments to unemployed individuals, so the burden of the program falls squarely on employers shoulders.

In the state of Arizona, the Arizona Department of Economic Security is the agency that administers unemployment insurance benefits to Arizona residents. The DES is responsible for deciding unemployment eligibility, administering benefit payments, and issuing regulations for the unemployment insurance program.

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Information About The New Way2go Prepaid Mastercard Issued By Comerica

• All payments issued on or after September 23, 2021, will be deposited to your new Way2Go® Card. Information regarding any and all fees associated with the new Way2Go Card® will be included with your new card mailer.
• For Unemployment Insurance: This information is also available online at or by contacting the UI Call Center at 600-2722.
• For Child Support Services: This information is also available on the webpage for Parents Receiving Child Support or by contacting the DCSS Customer Service Center at 1-800-882-4151.
• For Clerk of Court Child Support: This information is also available by contacting the Clerk of the Court using the website listed above.

If you would like to receive your payments via direct deposit, please complete the following:

• For Unemployment Insurance:

American Rescue Plan Act

On March 11, 2021, the American Rescue Plan Act of 2021 was signed into law. ARPA extends certain federal unemployment programs including Pandemic Unemployment Assistance , Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation , and Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation . These provisions will bring continued benefits to unemployed Arizonans.

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Everything You Always Wanted To Know But Were Afraid To Ask

Unemployment Insurance is a short-term income program sponsored by the federal government and administered by each state. Each state determines eligibility requirements and the amount given to each recipient. The most anyone in Arizona can currently receive is $240 weekly. This is the second lowest amount in the United States.

If you are separated from employment, you should opens in a new windowapply online for UI through the Department of Economic Security . After consulting with you and your former employer, a deputy will decide if you are eligible to receive benefits. A number of factors that will be considered in determining your eligibility for UI including opens in a new windowmonetary issues, the reason for your opens in a new window, and others. After the initial determination, either side can appeal. A hearing will be scheduled once you appeal, usually within a month of the appeal date. DES provides a helpful opens in a new windowoverview of the appeals process on their website.

If you have an overpayment and do not make voluntary payment, the Department of Economic Security can attach your state and federal tax returns and in some cases, garnish your wages.

find additional help

Filing A Weekly Claim

To maintain Unemployment Insurance benefits, you are required to file weekly claims confirming that you continue to meet the requirements to receive Unemployment Insurance.

You must file a claim every week you are unemployed, or underemployed.

The benefit week starts on a Sunday and ends on Saturday.

Learn about Arizonas work search requirements on the work search web page.

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Arizona Department Of Economic Security Unemployment Office

Challenge: With the sudden upsurge of people filing for unemployment insurance at the start of the COVID-19 crisis, the department quickly needed to get supplies of their Unemployment Filing Instructions booklet into their offices throughout the state.

Solution: The ACI Print Shop, within the ASPC-Perryville complex, printed the brochures for years. With high employment rates over the last few years, there was little need for them. Fortunately, the ACI Print Shop still had the digital files for the brochure and quickly make updates with instructions from the DES representative. Within hours, the first batch of updated Unemployment Filing Instructions booklets was rolling off the presses.

Arizona Unemployment Support Phone Numbers

• AZ Unemployment Support Phone Number: 1-877-600-2722. Live Arizona Unemployment Insurance customer service is available from 7am to 6pm Monday-Friday, Saturday closed, from 9:30am to 5pm Sunday.
• Telecommunications Relay Service for the Deaf/Hard of Hearing: 711.
• Debit Card Information: 1-855-847-2030.

• Office of Appeals Phoenix: 1-602-257-7056
• Office of Appeals Tucson: 1-602-257-7057

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Change : The Amount Claimants Can Earn Each Week Without Affecting Their Weekly Benefit Amount

Important Points:

• Previously, claimants couldnt earn more than $30.50/week without their weekly benefit amount being affected. Now, claimants can earn up to $160.49/week and still receive their full weekly benefits.

How this change will affect claimants:

• In addition to receiving UI benefits, claimants can now earn up to $160.49/week and still receive their full weekly benefits. If claimants earn more than $160.49 in a week, their benefit amount will be reduced.

Timeline Of Unemployment Insurance Program In Arizona

The following timeline features selected key events in the history of Arizona’s unemployment insurance program. The timeline is not a comprehensive history of the state unemployment insurance program.

• 1938: As of May 1, 1938, Arizona’s unemployment insurance program offered a maximum weekly benefit amount of $15 for up to 14 weeks.

• 1985: As of January 1, 1985, Arizona’s unemployment insurance program offered a maximum WBA of $115 for up to 26 weeks.

• 2021: A March 2021 report from the U.S. Department of Labor found that the trust funds in 40 states and territories, including Arizona, had dropped below the recommended minimum solvency standard as of January 1, 2021.

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What If I Quit

In general, you are not eligible if you leave your work freely.

If you quit for good cause, though, you may be able to collect. The state unemployment office determines what constitutes good reason, and you can make your case for getting benefits.

You should be entitled to a hearing if your claim is denied so that you can explain your claim. You should contact your local office because regulations and conditions differ from state to state.

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How Do I Talk To A Person In Arizona Unemployment Customer Service

Steps:

Arizona Unemployment Voice Main Menu

• Press 2 if you are a claimant.
• Press 3 if you are an employee.

Arizona Unemployment Voice Sub-Menu

• Press 1 if you have not yet filed a claim for unemployment.
• Press 2 if you have already filed a claim for unemployment.

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Arizona Department Of Economic Security Unemployment Insurance Program

UI amounts are determined by the amount you were earning before being laid off. Keep in mind, there are requirements to qualify for UI to begin with, like how many weeks you worked at your previous job.AZ rateWorkers are expected to continue to search for new employment in order to maintain their UI eligibility

Arizona State Unemployment Insurance Requirements for UI compensation amounts and lengths of benefits depend on the current rate for Arizona. Full detail on all requirements in regards to receiving compensation can be found on Arizona’s page.

Information Needed To Apply

Be prepared with the following information before to file your initial claim:

• Your Social Security Number
• Your mailing address, county of residence
• Your Driver License or state-issued ID number
• Employment history:
• The names, addresses, and phone numbers of all employers for the last 18 months, including the correct mailing address and telephone number for the most recent employer
• The last day worked immediately prior to filing the UI claim
• Amount and date of any payment for severance, vacation, holiday or unused sick pay
• The name and local number of your union hall, if applicable
• Alien Registration Number, if applicable
• Copy # 4 of DD Form 214 if released from the military in the last 18 months
• SF 8 or SF 50 if employed in Federal Civilian service in the last 18 months
• Start date and monthly benefit amount of any pension

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Unemployment Insurance Tax Rate Chart

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Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other nondiscrimination laws and authorities, ADES does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons that require a reasonable modification based on language or disability should submit a request as early as possible to ensure the State has an opportunity to address the modification. The process for requesting a reasonable modification can be found at Equal Opportunity and Reasonable Modification.

Unemployment Insurance In Arizona

See also: Unemployment insurance in the states

Unemployment insurance is a term that refers to a joint federal and state program that provides temporary monetary benefits to eligible laid-off workers who are actively seeking new employment. Qualifying individuals receive unemployment compensation as a percentage of their lost wages in the form of weekly cash benefits while they search for new employment.

The federal government oversees the general administration of state unemployment insurance programs. The states control the specific features of their unemployment insurance programs, such as eligibility requirements and length of benefits.

Although the word insurance is in the term, a few key differences distinguish unemployment insurance from private insurance plans such as home insurance, car insurance, or health insurance. In most states, employersrather than individuals themselvespay unemployment taxes that fund state unemployment insurance programs. When an individual loses their employment , state-administered unemployment insurance programs provide temporary monetary benefits to the former employee. Unemployment insurance compensation is not intended to replace lost wages it is designed to replace a portion of the individual’s lost wages with the goal of providing financial support as an individual searches for a new job.

This page provides information about the unemployment insurance program in Arizona.

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Contact Az Unemployment Insurance Client Advocate

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Pursuant to Title VI of the Civil Rights Act of 1964, the Americans with Disabilities Act and other nondiscrimination laws and authorities, ADES does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, or disability. Persons that require a reasonable modification based on language or disability should submit a request as early as possible to ensure the State has an opportunity to address the modification. The process for requesting a reasonable modification can be found at Equal Opportunity and Reasonable Modification.

How Do I Apply

To receive unemployment insurance benefits, you need to file a claim with the unemployment insurance program in the state where you worked. Depending on the state, claims may be filed in person, by telephone, or online.

• You should contact your state’s unemployment insurance program as soon as possible after becoming unemployed.
• Generally, you should file your claim with the state where you worked. If you worked in a state other than the one where you now live or if you worked in multiple states, the state unemployment insurance agency where you now live can provide information about how to file your claim with other states.
• When you file a claim, you will be asked for certain information, such as addresses and dates of your former employment. To make sure your claim is not delayed, be sure to give complete and correct information.
• It generally takes two to three weeks after you file your claim to receive your first benefit check.

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Change : The Maximum Weekly Benefit Amount Will Change For Claimants Who Begin Receiving Benefits On Or After July 1 2022

Important Points:

• The maximum weekly benefit amount for which Arizonans can be eligible is increasing.

How this change will affect claimants:

• Claimants whose claims were opened prior to July 1, 2022, will not be affected by this revision.
• The maximum weekly benefit amount is only available to claims that are opened on July 3, 2022, and after and meet the wage requirements for eligibility. However, claimants are not guaranteed to get the full amount of the $320 per week allotted maximum weekly benefit amount. The amount a claimant is eligible to receive is based on the wages they earned when they were working. Beginning July 1, 2022, new claims will be eligible to receive a weekly benefit amount of between $200 and $320.

Supplemental Unemployment Insurance Benefits During The Coronavirus Pandemic

The CARES Act and the American Rescue Plan established the following supplemental unemployment insurance programs during the coronavirus pandemic:

• Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation

The Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation program aimed to provide qualifying unemployment insurance claimants with a supplemental $300-$600 per week in addition to their state unemployment insurance benefits. The program expired on September 6, 2021.

• Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation

The Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation sought to provide 24 weeks of extended unemployment insurance benefits to recipients who have exhausted their standard benefits. The program expired on September 6, 2021.

• Pandemic Unemployment Assistance

The federal Pandemic Unemployment Assistance program aimed to provide individuals who are out of work but ineligible for standard unemployment insurance benefits with $300-$600 in weekly compensation. Qualifying individuals included workers who are not eligible for standard benefits, such as independent contractors and self-employed workers, as well as individuals who have exhausted their standard benefits, extended benefits, or PEUC benefits. The program expired on September 6, 2021.

• Lost Wages Assistance

• Mixed Earners Unemployment Compensation

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Arizona Dept Of Economic Security

As more people are applying for help, the program shrinks payouts. FOX 10’s Steve Nielsen reports.

So far this year, 10,000 Arizonans learned they have to pay back their unemployment to the Arizona Department of Economic Security, due to no fault of their own.

An audit of Arizona’s unemployment agency showed its “accuracy team’ lost half of its workforce before COVID-19 pandemic, possibly leading to some unemployment applications falling through the cracks.

Arizona Public Service Co., the Salt River Project, UniSource Energy Services, Tucson Electric Power and Southwest Gas will participate in a pilot project, the department announced Friday.

The state Department of Economic Security will begin accepting proposals this month for a contract to one or multiple companies to modernize the unemployment insurance benefits system.

A report states that the Arizona State Government paid out $5.8 billion in unemployment money to fraudsters during the pandemic. To put $5.8 billion in perspective, that amount of money can run the entire Arizona state budget for six months.

On Wednesday afternoon, Arizona Governor Doug Ducey addressed the status of private school vouchers for parents to enroll kids into schools without mask policies. He also touched on the state’s high unemployment rate.

87,467 Arizonans will lose federally enhanced unemployment benefits in two weeks when the program expires.