About this guide

arizonaunemployment.org is an independent guide to unemployment benefits in Arizona. It is not a site of the Arizona Department of Economic Security (DES), the state agency that handles unemployment claims, or of any other government office.

What the guide covers

Each guide answers one question a person out of work in Arizona is likely to have: how to claim in CACTUS, DES's online portal, and the routes for anyone without a computer; who qualifies and what the base period is; how much a claim pays and for how many weeks; weekly claims and the work search; denials, appeals, and overpayments; tax on benefits; which DES phone line handles what; disability benefits; and looking for work.

How it is kept

Every figure, deadline, and phone number here, and every link to a government page, is checked against official sources: DES's pages and handbook, the state's statutes and administrative rules, and federal agencies such as the U.S. Department of Labor. Each guide lists the official sources it relies on and shows the date it was last checked. Where official sources disagree, as DES's pages sometimes do on deadlines, the guide gives both and says which one it follows, or that the sources leave it open. Job board links are not official sources and fall outside that check.

What this guide cannot do

It cannot see your claim or change anything on it, decide whether you qualify, or give legal advice. For anything about your own claim, go to DES: sign in to CACTUS or call the UI Call Center at 1 (877) 600-2722. For help with an appeal, DES lists groups that may represent you free at a first-level hearing, and the appeals guide names several of them. Other ways to reach DES are on the contact page.