Applying for New Hampshire Unemployment Benefits

The State of New Hampshire has launched a new jobs portal to assist job seekers connect with hiring employers located right here in New Hampshire. You can either go directly to the new jobs portal at www.nhjobs.nh.gov or just click the above button for ‘Covid-19 Response Recruitment’.

• The department requires claim filers to conduct a weekly work search as a condition for being considered eligible for unemployment benefits.
• This requirement includes contacting hiring employers as well as conducting reemployment activities designed to prepare you for returning to work.
• More information on meeting weekly search requirements is provided during the orientation workshop.
• Some claim filers will be exempt from the work search requirement due to the circumstances of their unemployment. You should proceed as if required to satisfactorily complete a weekly work search as a condition for being eligible for benefits unless notified otherwise.
• Please monitor your correspondence for additional information.

You will be mailed a Determination of Unemployment Compensation about your monetary eligibility and, if there are any questions about your claim, you will be mailed one or more Determination of Eligibility documents about your non-monetary eligibility. This review can take time to process. You can check the status of your claim and review any notices or determinations issued to you by logging into your Workforce Connect account and clicking on the File for Benefits button to access your claim information.

Unemployment benefits will be paid based on the preference you chose; either via direct deposit or paper check. Once the system shows that payment(s) have been issued, these payments still need to be sent either via the USPS if you chose mail or through your banking institution if you chose direct deposit.

The U.S. Postal Service will not forward mail from this Agency to a claimant’s new address. For security reasons, the postal service returns all undeliverable mail to NH Employment Security. Please update your address immediately by going online and logging into your unemployment benefit account. You can also immediately access and print your own Form 1099-G from your unemployment benefit account.

After your initial claim is completed, it is immediately transmitted for processing. Your monetary eligibility is determined and a Determination of Unemployment Compensation is mailed that details your potential weekly benefit amount. This document is not a guarantee of payment. If there are questions on non-monetary eligibility conditions, you may be contacted for additional information. Depending on the number of questions about your claim, then this will determine the length of time it will take to process your claim. If you are found eligible, payments will be issued for any timely weeks filed at the same time the final non-monetary eligibility determinations are made. Remember to file for weekly benefits for all weeks you wish to claim for.

Please ensure that you are checking your correspondence regularly. Usually, if you are unable to open correspondence, this means that the time within which to respond has expired and the issue has been resolved. When attempting to review notifications regarding an unemployment claim, make sure that you have logged into Workforce Connect and then clicked on the File for Benefits button. You should then be prompted to enter the location from which you are accessing the site and then hit proceed. You can view your notifications from this site regarding your unemployment claim.

Form 1099-Gs issued from 2009 through 2019 are available online by logging into the unemployment benefit system and going to your correspondence box.  If you need a Form 1099-G for a year prior to 2009 please contact the Unemployment Hotline at (603) 271-7700 and speak with a customer service representative.

If you were to receive a document requesting a copy of your DD214, the request would have information listed as to where to send the information.

A notice with a red envelope next to it indicates that there is a deadline to respond to the notice. This could mean that there are fact-finding questions to be responded to by a certain date or if the notice is a determination, it means that the date listed as an action needed by date is the deadline to file a timely appeal if you were to disagree with the determination.

Agents stand ready on the UNEMPLOYMENT HOTLINE to answer your questions. The hotline number is (603) 271-7700. The hours of operation for the hotline are currently the following:

• Monday-Friday 8:00am-4:30pm
• Saturday CLOSED
• Sunday CLOSED

For questions on how to report benefits repaid during 2020 please refer to IRS Publication 525.