INDIVIDUALS: UNEMPLOYMENT INSURANCE SERVICES >
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Getting Started

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Are you unemployed? Do you need to file a claim? Do you need to find a job?

If the answer to any of these questions is yes, you are exactly where you need to be.

Mississippi Department of Employment Security is here to help take you through the processes involved in helping you get on the path to a better life— by helping you get the unemployment benefits you are entitled to receive, and helping you build a future with a great job that allows you to provide for yourself and your family.

If you want to file an unemployment claim, here's what to do first.

Make sure you qualify. To receive a weekly unemployment check, you must:

Step 2: Register with MDES and file for your unemployment benefits.

There are three ways to register: online, at the WIN Job Center nearest you, or by phone.

Online: to register and file your claim for unemployment benefits, click here. If you do not have access to a computer, you may use the computers at the public libraries in your community. The WIN Job Centers also have computers you may use to register and file your claim. To find the WIN Job Center nearest you, click here.

At the WIN Job Center: if you do not have access to a computer, you may go to the WIN Job Center nearest you and use the computers there. If you find that you need assistance from one of the employment representatives at the WIN Job Center, they will be happy to help you.

Call: You may register and file your claim by calling 601-493-9427.

Whether you register and file online, at the WIN Job Center or by phone, you will be required to provide these five things to complete your application to receive an unemployment check:

  1. 1Your Social Security number
  2. 2The names, addresses, and phone numbers for all your employers for the last eighteen (18) months
  3. 3Alien Registration number or Visa number, if you are not a U.S. citizen
  4. 4Your complete mailing address and phone number
  5. 5The dates you worked and the reason you left each employer

Now that you have registered and filed your unemployment, it's time to look for a job. Here's how to get started.


If you are looking for a job, start here.

If you are not already registered at MDES, please register now. Then, your job search can begin.

There are three ways to register to search for a job using the vast resources of MDES: online, at the WIN Job Center or by phone.

Online: to register and start looking for a new job, click here. (Remember, if you have already registered with MDES when filing for unemployment benefits, you do not need to register again to search for a job.) If you do not have access to a computer, you may use the computers at the public libraries in your community. The WIN Job Centers also have computers you may use to register and search for a job. To find the WIN Job Center nearest you, click here. If you prefer to download and print a registration form to take with you, click here.

At the WIN Job Center: if you do not have access to a computer, you may go to the WIN Job Center nearest you and use the computers there. If you find that you need assistance from one of the employment representatives at the WIN Job Center, they will be happy to help you. To download a registration form that you can print and take with you, click here.

Call: You may register to start a job search by calling 601-493-9427.

My Weekly Payment

To get your unemployment benefits every week, you must do two things:

1. File a weekly claim

2. Fill out and file a weekly job search report

Been a while since you interviewed for a job?

Get advice from the employment experts at MDES. From advice on how to do your best at an interview to what to wear and how to write a resume, lots of helpful tips are here just for you.