Unemployment insurance
You may be eligible for unemployment insurance benefits, and there are new rules to help workers impacted by COVID-19 even if they otherwise would not be eligible for benefits. Please review information related to the new rules, and when workers will be able to apply here: https://www.dllr.state.md.us/employment/unemployment.shtml.
You can also view the Maryland Department of Labor’s Unemployment Insurance Division FAQs on COVID-19 and Maryland’s Unemployment Insurance benefits administration here. To file an initial regular unemployment claim online or through a call center, the Maryland Department of Labor asks that you file your claim according to your last name as detailed below:
- If your last name starts with A – F, file your claim on Monday.
- If your last name starts with G – N, file your claim on Tuesday.
- If your last name starts with O – Z, file your claim on Wednesday.
- Claim filing is open to all last names by phone on Thursday and Friday and online Thursday through Sunday.
- Filing later in the week will not delay your payments or affect the date of your claim.
Claims Centers telephone are open from 7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday through Friday. To contact a Claim Center, call 410-949-0022. Applicants are asked to use NetClaims application to file a claim and to file early in the morning or late in the evening for faster processing speeds.
Misclassification and unemployment insurance
If you were working under the direction and control of an entity or person, and not in business for yourself, but your boss told you that you are an independent contractor rather than an employee, you may have been misclassified. Find out more about the difference between employees and independent contractors here. If you were misclassified as an independent contractor, you may still be eligible for unemployment insurance. If your claim is denied and you believe you were misclassified, call Maryland Legal Aid for help with an appeal. For a list of intake hours by location, check here. To complete an online intake with Maryland Legal Aid, click here.