Learn How To Apply For Unemployment Claims With Our Guide

Learn How To Apply For Unemployment Claims With Our Guide

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When determining eligibility for unemployment in South Dakota, there are many deciding factors that need to be considered. Unemployment insurance coverage candidates must meet certain criteria regarding citizenship status, income and more.

Petitioners who meet requirements in one area may not meet them in another and may be denied unemployment benefits. After meeting all requirements and being approved to receive benefits, maintaining eligibility throughout enrollment is of the utmost importance.

We have compiled helpful information, hints, and tips about qualifying for unemployment benefits in South Dakota on this website and FAQs and our free guide. Read more below to learn about who can qualify for unemployment in South Dakota.

What are the requirements to get unemployment in South Dakota?

To meet SD unemployment insurance eligibility, a candidate must have lost full-time employment at a job where the employer paid unemployment insurance tax on his or her earnings. The loss of employment also must not have been the fault of the applicant, and this fact must be verified by the employer during the application review.

To keep eligibility for unemployment, the petitioner will also need to file weekly certifications to report any income changes and work search activities performed.

What are the wage requirements for unemployment in South Dakota?

South Dakota’s qualifications for unemployment require earnings of at least $728 in the highest calendar quarter of your base period. In addition, you must have earned at least 20 times your weekly benefit amount in the other three calendar quarters.

Who qualifies for unemployment will also depend on whether seasonal work was performed. In that case, the employer’s request for “seasonal designation” must have been approved by the Department of Labor and Regulation.

If an applicant was self-employed, you must report any unpaid hours worked, minus expenses. Claimants must also report any fees received or any earnings from non-work activities.

What is the unemployment base period in South Dakota?

To determine eligibility for EDD unemployment benefits, two possible base periods are used depending on the applicant’s previous work situation. The regular base period is the first four of the last five quarter-year periods. If the claimant’s income does not meet the SD eligibility for unemployment using this base period, the alternate base period can be used. This alternate base period is intended for when injury prevents working for an extended period. In that case, candidates will have 24 months after the injury to file a claim.

What happens after I file? After sending in a claim, the applicant’s unemployment qualifications are reviewed, usually within a week, and he or she will receive a “Notice of Monetary Determination” indicating the weekly unemployment insurance amount and the total yearly benefits you will be granted. If the claimant has not received a notice within a week of filing his or her claim, there might have been missing wages or some other discrepancy noted in the review process.

If the petitioner disagrees with the findings of the notice, he or she can request a redetermination by the South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation. Candidates must continue filing weekly certifications while waiting for their eligibility to be reevaluated, according to any new evidence provided. If the applicant further disagrees with the redetermination, he or she will have the right to initiate an appeal at the Circuit Court.

How do I actively seek work and show proof in South Dakota?

To keep eligibility for unemployment insurance, applicants are required to perform work search activities. Each week, unemployment insurance claimants will have to make two contacts and record the name of the business, date of the contact, phone number, street address, name of the hiring manager contacted and the method of contact used. Close relatives or family members are not considered to be legitimate work contacts and will not contribute to maintaining the claimant’s eligibility for unemployment.

The types of jobs petitioners apply to must also be comparable to the work previously performed. If the applicant cannot find work in the usual field, he or she must be willing to accept work in another field if pay is similar.  To seek work with the same employer, a candidate must wait at least 30 days before re-applying to count as a separate contact.

How do I complete the weekly certification filing in South Dakota?

After filing the initial South Dakota unemployment claim, a further weekly certification must be filed that week. The weekly certification maintains the petitioner’s qualifications for unemployment so that he or she can keep receiving benefits. If the claimant waits until the notice of monetary determination is mailed out, he or she will already have failed to meet continued eligibility and the claim will automatically be denied.

The weekly certification will ask SD unemployment insurance coverage recipients several questions about their employment, earnings, any hours worked and your job search activities. Claimants will be asked if they worked for an employer or were self-employed. In addition, beneficiaries will have to report all hours worked and all wages, tips, commissions, bonuses or any cash value of other goods earned, such as lodging or food, in addition to earnings from other employers.

Other questions claimants will be asked are:

  • Were you available to accept the work offered?
  • Did you refuse any work offered?
  • Did you begin school or class schedule change during the week?

If the unemployment claim beneficiary answered “yes” to any of these questions, he or she will have to report additional details about these changes. If the applicant refused a job offer, he or she needs a valid reason to prevent being disqualified from receiving benefits.

The weekly certification filing will contain a section for recording work search contacts and efforts. Every applicant is required to search for work and show proof to retain eligibility for benefits, and it is important to check over the information carefully to prevent mistakes.

Last Updated: March 1, 2023