MyBenefits
Apply for and certify your claim here.
DEW and SC Works offices will be closed Thursday, November 28 and Friday, November 29 in observance of Thanksgiving. All offices will reopen on Monday, December 2, and we will be happy to serve you then. Please note that unemployment payments may be delayed depending on your financial institution's holiday schedule.
S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce pays millions in unemployment insurance
and encourages individuals to file in anticipation of the additional $600 weekly payment to
be made available under the Coronavirus, Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act
“I am happy to report that our agency has paid out approximately $10 million in unemployment benefits from Sunday, March 29 through Thursday, April 2. We know this is much needed financial support for South Carolinians, and this is just the beginning of the benefits that will continue to flow into the state’s economy,” said Dan Ellzey, executive director of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce. “We have been getting thousands of questions about the recently passed legislation, and I want to assure you that on Saturday, March 28, Gov. McMaster and I signed documentation to accept federal funds on behalf of South Carolina.
“While we do not yet have all of the guidance from the U.S. Department of Labor to implement these funds, I feel confident enough to advise individuals who have lost their jobs as a result of COVID-19 – APPLY! We have listed the expanded eligibility details below, but I want to clarify that if you are already receiving benefits – you will not lose your $600 weekly addition – when we receive the federal funding, it will be applied to your account retroactively beginning with claims filed for the week ending April 4,2020.”
The S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce encourages employees who believe they may qualify for the additional $600 weekly benefit, available under the CARES Act, to file a claim. These individuals will also need to login into their account each week to confirm that they are still unemployed. This is known as Weekly Certification.
Although S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce does not yet have technical guidance or a start date for the CARES Act provisions, there are many types of individuals who would not normally qualify for unemployment insurance benefits, such self employed workers, that could be eligible under a program called Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA).
Individuals who may be eligible include:
Subject to guidance from U.S. DOL for PUA, benefits may be paid retroactively from the time the employee separated from his or her job or otherwise became eligible under the federal CARES Act, not from the time the application was submitted or approved.
If you are one of these individuals, have applied for unemployment insurance benefits, and were not found eligible, you may be eligible for weekly benefits provided for under the CARES Act. We anticipate the system will recognize the date of your filing and determine your eligibility and whether additional information will be needed from you prior to retroactive payments being made.
These individuals must also meet one of these conditions:
This list is not exhaustive.
Claims can be filed online by clicking the MyBenefits Portal on the top right side of the agency’s website: dew.sc.gov or by calling 1-866-831-1724. Patience is encouraged filing a claim.
For step-by-step instructions on how to file, visit dew.sc.gov/covid-hub and click on the jobseeker page. There you will find links to video and PDF tutorials as well as FAQs to answer common questions.
Further details regarding the CARES Act programs will be forthcoming, including information regarding Federal Pandemic Unemployment Compensation, which provides the additional $600 a week in unemployment compensation benefits. The additional $600 weekly benefit will only be available for weeks beginning March 29, 2020. Other programs included in the act are Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA) and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC).