How to File an Unemployment Insurance Claim

There are two ways to file an unemployment insurance (UI) claim -- by telephone or in person.

File by phone
Call the TeleClaim Center at 1-877-626-6800 if you are calling from the following area codes: 351, 413, 508, 774, and 978.

Call the TeleClaim Center at 617-626-6800 if you are calling from any other area code.

Hearing Impaired: TTY/TTD: 1-617-626-5666

DUA TeleClaim Center Hours

Monday - Friday, 8:30 am - 6:30 pm 
Saturday, 8:00 am - 1:30 pm.

NOTE: Shorter waiting times can be expected later in the week. These hours are for telephone services only and do not apply to Walk-In Centers.

Calling the TeleClaim Center makes it easy to:

File a new claim for benefits
Reopen an existing claim
Be interviewed if there are issues that affect your eligibility
Resolve problems with your claim
Obtain up-to-date information on the status of your claim and benefit payment check
When you call the Unemployment Insurance TeleClaim Center, you will press a number on your telephone to choose services in English or another language.

Press 1 - to file a new UI claim or to reopen an existing claim. You will be asked to enter your social security number and the year you were born. You will be transferred to a DUA agent who will help you file your claim.

Press 2 - for immediate information on the status of your check or claim certification form.

Enter your social security number and your date of birth. You will be able to obtain automated information on the status of your weekly signing form or your UI check. This is the same information available to DUA staff. If there is a problem with your claim, you will be transferred to a DUA agent.

Press 3 - for customer assistance, to resolve a problem, to provide a social security number for a dependent child, or to change your address.

Press 4 - for information on the unemployment insurance program, how to file for benefits, and how to obtain job search and retraining assistance. You can listen to recorded information on the unemployment insurance program and obtain the addresses and telephone numbers of the nearest Career Center providing reemployment services and information on training opportunities.

File in person
If you choose to do so, you may file your claim in person at the Walk-In Center.

U.I. Walk-In Center hours are Monday - Thursday, 8:30am - 4:00pm and Friday, 9:30am - 4:00pm

At Walk-In Centers, you can:

• File a new claim for benefits
• Reopen an existing claim
• Be interviewed if there are issues that affect your eligibility
• Resolve problems with your claim
• Attend an orientation session

Information we'll need from you:

• Your Social Security Number
• The year you were born
• Your home address and telephone number
• Whether you have filed an unemployment insurance claim in Massachusetts or in any other state during the past 12 months
• Your last day of employment
• The names and addresses of all of the employers you have worked for during the 15 months prior to filing your claim and the dates you worked for each of these employers. If you are reopening a claim, be ready with the same information for the past 8 weeks
• The reason that you are no longer working or that your hours have been reduced
• The names, dates of birth and social security numbers for any dependent children, if you are going to apply for dependency allowance
• Your alien registration number if you are not a U.S. citizen