Oregon Unemployment Insurance

School Workers

If you worked for an educational employer in the 18 months before you applied for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program, federal and state rules affect your eligibility for benefits during school breaks. 

Wildfires

Wildfires and other disasters in Oregon can disrupt your life, but you may still be eligible to receive benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program.

You will still need to complete required tasks, like filing weekly claims and searching for work, as well as meeting other requirements to be eligible for benefits during a disaster.

Unemployment insurance benefits for striking workers

Senate Bill 916 (2025) authorizes limited Unemployment Insurance benefits for striking workers in Oregon beginning Jan. 4, 2026.  

If you are out of work because of a strike, lockout, or other labor dispute on or after Jan. 4, 2026, you may be eligible for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program.  

Federal shutdown

If you are a federal employee and later receive back pay for the same time period that you received benefits, that is considered to be an overpayment under current federal law. We will send you a decision letting you know that you were overpaid, the amount you were overpaid, and instructions for how to pay back the overpayment. 

Guidance for federal employees and veterans

Like all workers in Oregon, federal employees and veterans are eligible for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program when they lose a job through no fault of their own. Federal civilian employees and veterans do need to provide specific documents to show what they earned and what benefits they are eligible to receive.

Status messages

You can log into Frances Online to see what is happening with your claim for benefits from the Unemployment Insurance Program.

There are several steps your claim will move through. The status message will tell you what is happening with your claim and if you need to take action.

Verify Your Identity

The Oregon Employment Department works hard to prevent fraud and identity theft to protect workers and businesses. We verify your identity so you can get your unemployment benefits quickly. You can read more about how the agency fights fraud and how to protect yourself and others. 

You can verify your identity at a U.S. Postal Service Post Office near you.

Report Unemployment Insurance Fraud

If you have information about unemployment insurance fraud, please complete our fraud referral at the link below or call 503-947-1995 or 1-877-668-3204. We review all tips that we receive, regardless of how much information you provide. The more details you can give when reporting unemployment insurance fraud, the more it will help us investigate.

Adjudication

After you send us your claim for unemployment insurance, we will review it to determine your eligibility. At times, we might have only a few follow-up questions for you, and at other times, your claim might be complex or have issues that require us to do a thorough review known as adjudication.

This page provides more information about situations that might cause us to thoroughly investigate your claim or even to deny or reduce benefits, as well as your options for appealing an administrative decision we make.
 

Get Help Looking for Work

For help looking for a job or retraining for a different industry, use WorkSource Oregon services in your area. Most people are required to register for employment services after filing an initial application for benefits. If you live in Oregon or near Oregon but regularly commute to work in Oregon, you will need to register in iMatchSkills and then meet with WorkSource Oregon staff one on one (online or in person) to complete a reemployment orientation.

Get Connected with Other Helpful Resources

The Oregon Employment Department and other organizations offer a variety of resources for workers, employers and other Oregon residents.

Employers

Are you an employer or business owner looking for information? Visit the Employment Department’s Employer website for specific information about reporting requirements, contributions, and programs like Work Share, which can help you avoid layoffs.

Listen to the Handbook

A new way to experience the Unemployment Insurance Claimant Handbook is online. You can listen to an audio version of the handbook on YouTube.