Information you'll need to apply for Unemployment Insurance benefits
![man looking at papers](/labor/myunemployment/assets/images/articles/GettyImages-508551194_1024x683px.jpg)
To save time, get the following information ready before you start your application.
Do you want to apply online?
In order to apply online for Unemployment Insurance benefits, you must have:
- Worked only in New Jersey in the last 18 months, or
- Worked in New Jersey and any other state(s) in the last 18 months, or
- Worked for the federal government and in New Jersey in the last 18 months, or
- Served in the military in the last 18 months and be physically present in New Jersey.
If you were a maritime employee in the last 18 months or you live outside of the United States, you must apply by phone.
Ready to start? Gather the following information:
- Social Security Number
- Alien Registration Number (if you are not a US citizen).
- Your NJ driver’s license or NJ non-driver identification number
- Pension information (if you are receiving any pension or 401k)
- Amount and duration of any separation pay you may be receiving
- Recall date (if you expect to be recalled to your job)
- Union hiring hall information, including local number and address (if you get work through a union)
- Military Form DD-214 (if you were in the military in the last 18 months)
- Form SF-8 or SF-50 (if you were a federal employee)
- Your bank account number and routing number (if you plan to get your benefits through direct deposit)
IMPORTANT: If you applied for Pandemic Unemployment Assistance after December 27, 2020, you had to submit documentation demonstrating that you were working or about to commence employment/self-employment before the pandemic, such as a paystub, W-2, or 1099. You would have received an email requesting this information after you applied. Learn more here.
You may also need to provide additional information to verify your identity, such as a driver’s license or passport. Learn more here.
Next, get ready the following information about your employer(s):
For each employer that you worked for in the last 18 months, provide the following:
- Complete name and address of employer
- Employer's telephone number
- Your occupation with that employer
- Beginning and ending dates of employment
- Reason for separation