Wisconsin Works

In our previous post we published a list of the Wisconsin unemployment phone numbers. However if you are seeking a claim phone number you need to drill down to what specificly do you need related to your Wisconsin unemployment claim? There are separate and different phone numbers related to claims not just one catch all unemployment claim number. Below we’ll discuss what the various phone numbers are and why each is targed to specific UI claim issues.

If you need to start a new Wisconsin unemployment claim such as submitting a new application for a new claim or if you have a claim and want to reopen that case you can call phone numbers 608-232-0678 or 414-438-7700 or toll free 1-800-UC-CLAIM which is 1-800-822-5246. You can talk to a unemployment claim employee Monday – Friday 7:45am – 4:30pm. If you can work out your claim issue by phone in an automated fashion you can work on this Sundays until 5:00pm and Monday- Friday until 7:00pm and even Saturdays until 2:30pm.

If you have an open Wisconsin unemployment claim and just want to claim your weeks you can use the claim phone number 608-261-9990 or 414-438-5395 or toll free phon number 1-800-978-7887. Unemployment claim certification can be done Sundays until Midnight, Monday – Friday until Midnight and Saturday until 3:00pm.

Finally, if you just need to speak with a human. You can call the unemployment claim phone number for general assistance and talk to a claims specialist. This is at 608-232-0824 or 414-438-7713 or toll free 1-800-494-4944 Employees are available Monday – Friday 7:45am – 4:30pm or you can try getting claim information out of the automated phone system Sundays until Midnight, Monday – Friday until Midnight and Saturdays until 3:00pm.

Hopefully you’ve determined which claim phone number best matches your needs. Good luck on your claim.

If you need to reach the Wisconsin DWD which is the unemployment division by phone here is a list of phone numbers you can use to contact them. Many of the hours are Monday – Friday 7:45 am – 4:30 pm but some of the phone numbers are open extended hours, especially those that have automated systems backing them up.

Wisconsin Unemployment Phone Numbers:
Initial Unemployment Claims – File A New Unemployment Claim or Reopen an existing claim. 608-232-0678 or 414-438-7700 or 1-800-822-5246

File a weekly unemployment claim, certify your benefit payment: 608-261-9990 or 414-438-5395 or 1-800-978-7887

General Wisconsin Unemployment information and questions: 608-232-0824 or 414-438-7713 or 1-800-494-4944

Wisconsin unemployment TTY services for the hard of hearing: 1-888-393-8914

Report unemployment claims fraud in Wisconsin: 1-800-909-9472 UI Fraud Hotline.

If you are seeking the services of Wisconsin unemployment office or division it is not standard as you might think. Even the automated phone numbers have specific hours of operation when you’d think they would take your claim or process your hours 24hrs. Below you’ll find a description of the various Wisconsin unemployment services and their associated hours of operation.

If you need to start a new Wisconsin unemployment claim or re-open an existing unemployment claim you can do this online 24hrs a day at www.ucclaim-wi.org or at phone number 1-800-822-5246. However if you want to speak with an unemployment claim specialist the hours are Monday – Friday 7:45 AM – 4:30 PM. So if you do not need help with your unemployment claim you can generally work on this 24hrs per day. If you need to speak with a human then know that you can only reach someone during business hours.

The initial unemployment claim systems do have specific hours however. Those are listed below.

Sunday 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Monday-Friday 6:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Saturday 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM

If you need to report unemployment fraud in Wisconsin you can do so 24hrs per day by phone using the Wisconsin unemployment fraud hotline 1-800-909-9472. If however you need to speak with an employee regarding fraud you’ll need to call during the hours of 8:00am – 4:00pm Monday – Friday.

Making your weekly unemployment claim in Wisconsin can be done online or by phone. Online visit www.ucclaim-wi.org and call the phone number 1-800-978-7887.

The online and phone systems have hours of operation you’ll need to know about. You can file your weekly claim during the hours below.

Sunday 9:00 AM – Midnight
Monday-Friday 1:00 AM – Midnight
Saturday 1:00 AM – 3:00 PM

If you just have general unemployment related questions and need to speak with an unemployment specialist you can call 1-800-494-4944 but you will only be able to reach a Wisconsin unemployment claim specialist during the hours of 7:45am – 4:30pm Monday – Friday.
Sometimes you can get your questions answered by the automated system at the same phone number. The hours for the automated system are listed below.

Sunday 9:00 AM – Midnight
Monday-Friday 1:00 AM – Midnight
Saturday 1:00 AM – 3:00 PM

One of the questions that folks receiving Wisconsin unemployment benefits ask is can I receive unemployment benefits while working part time in the state of Wisconsin. The good news is that by working part time you do not lose your unemployment benefits, however a partial wage formula is used compute benefits every week so that you can receive partial payments based on the level of income that you receive with your part-time work. The amount that you are paid for part-time work is subtracted from your benefit however this also going to make your remaining entitlement larger. You must report any wages received while working even if you’ve not been paid for them.   Every single week you are working you must report your wages on your weekly claim for the week. If you do not report working in a week you can be penalized which can affect your unemployment benefits.

If you are currently receiving Wisconsin unemployment benefits you can use a great online website established by state Wisconsin called UCCLAIM to manage your unemployment benefits.   You find the website at https://ucclaim-wi.org/InternetInitialClaims/default.asp here are some of the features that you can expect to access at this website first volume use the website to apply for your unemployment benefits you can apply for a first-time claim or you can apply for Wisconsin unemployment benefits here if you have applied before in the past. If you are hardly receiving unemployment benefits you can also use this website to apply for extended benefits that exceed your current time. Again if you have an existing claim you can use the website to view your claim information see how much of your remaining benefit is left see which are weekly benefit rate and also track your payments if you’re missing a payment. To ensure that your compliant with your taxes you can also use the website to change your level of tax withholding if you would like to have direct deposit you can add update or deactivate direct deposit of your benefits and if you need to view or reprint a tax form 1099 – G you can obtain up to six years of information.  The UCCLAIM website is also a great source of information for example you can find links that the how to file for extended unemployment benefits you can download the unemployment claimant handbook which contains all the rules for receiving Wisconsin unemployment benefits you can change your address European and ill see you can use a website to search for new employment. Additionally at this website you will find contact information for the Wisconsin unemployment division you can find additional unemployment information and you can also find additional general information related to Wisconsin unemployment claims. It’s great to see the state Wisconsin using technology to make something that can be normally complicated very very easy by taking advantage of the web that we have today.

Wisconsin Works is a program run by the Wisconsin Department of Children & Families.  You can find much more information on Wisconsin Works at their website http://dcf.wi.gov/w2/ which also has information on other programs by the Wisconsin Department of Children and Families.  Wisconsin Works is a program for parents of minors who have an income level below 115% of the Federal Poverty Level.  The program is called W-2 and is designed to help you create an employability plan.  Some of the benefits available through Wisconsin Works are Emergency Assistance or EA which is designed to help families keep their homes or get into a new place to live.  You must prove an emergency that could cause homelessness or a crisis like fire or other disaster.  You also can only receive Emergency Assistance payments once per year.  Other benefits are Job Access Loans or JAL which is designed to help cover the cost through a short term no interest loan for costs related to getting to or keeping a job.

To apply for any program that is managed by Wisconsin Works under the W-2 designation please visit your local W-2 office.  You can find more information by reading the W-2 Benefits brochure available at http://dcf.wi.gov/publications/pdf/dcf_P_dwsp11890.pdf