When Should I File My Initial Claim For Benefits?

File your claim during your first week of total or partial unemployment. Your claim, in most cases, will start with the Sunday of the week in which you first file your claim. Before any benefits can be paid, you must serve a waiting week. To serve the waiting week, you must have filed a claim and be entitled to benefits in all respects. You must also call the Tel­A­Claim system or submit a paper Continued Claim Report to report for your waiting week. You will not be paid benefits for the waiting week. You will only have to serve one waiting week per benefit year.