How do I file an Alabama unemployment claim?

Your claim takes effect on the Sunday before the day you file, and it stays in effect for 365 days from that Sunday. A new claim filed from September 30, 2026 carries a second deadline on top of that one, for proving who you are.

The Login.gov identity check, from September 30, 2026

From September 30, 2026, anyone filing an initial unemployment compensation claim in Alabama verifies their identity through Login.gov. You start from Claimant Portal rather than from Login.gov, and you have 10 calendar days from the day you file to finish.

1. File the initial claim through Claimant Portal, then return to the portal home screen and select Identity Verification.
2. Sign in to a Login.gov account you already have, or create one.
3. Follow the prompts. You upload a government-issued photo ID, enter your personal information, take a selfie if you are asked for one, and confirm a phone number.
4. Select Agree and continue, so the result can be shared with the Department, and check that the completion screen says your identity verification was submitted. That screen is how you know the check actually went through.

There is also a participating U.S. Post Office option. Complete the required fields, take the Login.gov barcode and the ID it asks for to the location it gives you, then return to Login.gov after the visit.

If the online process is unsuccessful, or your claim is denied because the check was never completed, you can go to an Alabama Career Center in person. Take a valid government-issued photo ID, your Social Security card, and proof of address if that address differs from the one on the photo ID. The Department's own notice sets all of this out: the Login.gov announcement on the Department's site.

When to file, and when the claim starts

File immediately once you are unemployed. Whether you file online or on 1-866-234-5382, the claim is effective the Sunday before the day you filed, and that benefit year then runs 365 days from that Sunday.

The same routes reopen a claim. If you went back to work, came off again inside the year, and your benefit year has not ended, file a reopened claim rather than waiting.

What to have ready

• Your Social Security number.
• The name, correct address, and dates of employment for your most recent employer.
• A driver's license or state-issued ID card number, which the Department uses to verify your identity.
• Your mother's maiden name.
• The Member 4 Copy of your DD214 discharge papers, if you are separating from the military.
• Your work authorization number, if you are not a citizen of the United States.
• Your bank details, if you want payments by direct deposit. You choose between direct deposit to a checking or savings account and the AL Vantage Prepaid Benefits Card while you file, and you can change that choice afterwards.

Filing online, by phone, or at a career center

Claimant Portal is the Department's self-service system for a benefits account. You apply for a claim there, file weekly certifications, manage your profile, see claim and issue details, and view what you have been paid.

The portal is opened with a Google, Microsoft, or Apple account. You link the portal to that account, and the Department says none of your Google, Microsoft, or Apple information is shared with it.

To file by phone instead, call 1-866-234-5382 and select option 2, between 7:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. Monday through Friday.

If you have no computer or internet at home, an Alabama Career Center resource room has computers with internet access, along with telephone, copier, and fax access. Offices and phone numbers lists where they are.

Nothing the Department publishes sets out how to reset a portal sign-in for yourself, so the route back in is a person. Call 1-800-361-4524 after 5 p.m., Sunday through Thursday, to book a call back for the next day. If you cannot get an appointment, try again the next day after 5 p.m. You are allowed only one booked call back a week, so keep your phone nearby all day once you have one.

If you worked in another state, or moved with a military spouse

Wages from another state can be combined with your Alabama wages, and a call center representative can help you work out whether you need to. Be ready to talk through the last 18 months of your work history, because that is what the answer rests on.

As the spouse of an active-duty member of the military, you may be eligible after leaving a job because of your spouse's permanent relocation. You will be required to submit proof of the permanent duty station relocation and of the spousal relationship, and the other conditions for becoming and staying eligible still apply.

What happens after you file

The day after you file, the Department mails you a monetary determination. It lists all of your base period wages by employer, and the total and weekly amount you may be entitled to.

The first week of your benefit year that would otherwise pay is a waiting week, and no benefits are payable for it. You still have to file a weekly certification for that week. It only counts as the waiting week if it met the requirements to be payable and you certified for it.

A claim normally takes 2 to 3 weeks to process. If you chose the AL Vantage Prepaid Benefits Card, it reaches you 5 to 7 business days after your first payment is issued.

Alabama residents are registered for work with the Alabama Career Center System automatically when they claim. That registration stays active for 90 days, and keeping it active past then means visiting an Alabama Career Center or updating your online resume. Weekly claims and work search covers what each week asks of you after that.

When the Department needs more from you, it asks in writing, and the request carries any deadline that applies to it. That can mean a document such as a Form W-2 from an employer, or an SF-50 if you worked for the federal government. A doctor's certificate, where one is required, can be mailed or faxed to the central office, following the instructions printed on the certificate form.