State Unemployment Benefits in Arkansas
The Arkansas Division of Workforce Services administers unemployment insurance. Arkansas publishes no procedure for a deceased claimant's final payment — neither the Department of Workforce Services Law nor the 2026 UI Handbook addresses death — so a survivor or the estate should contact the UI Service Center directly.
Administering agency
Arkansas Division of Workforce Services — Unemployment Insurance
Authority
Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-101 et seq. (Department of Workforce Services Law)
State Unemployment Benefits in Arkansas: key facts
- Administering agency
- Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (DWS), Unemployment Insurance.
- Claimant portals
- Initial claims at ezarc.adws.arkansas.gov; weekly certifications via Arkansas LAUNCH (launch.arkansas.gov) or ArkLine at 501-907-2590.
- Phone
- UI Service Center 1-844-908-2178, Monday–Friday, 8 a.m.–4 p.m.
- Benefit weeks
- A claimant must certify each week of unemployment. For UI purposes, weeks begin on Sunday and end on Saturday.
- After a death
- Arkansas does not publish a deceased-claimant procedure. Contact the UI Service Center at 1-844-908-2178 to report the death, stop payments, and ask what, if anything, is owed for weeks certified before death.
- Benefits cannot be assigned
- Any assignment, pledge, or encumbrance of a right to unemployment benefits is void (Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-109(a)), so a survivor cannot simply take over a claim; DWS decides what is payable.
Governing law: Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-101 et seq. (Department of Workforce Services Law)
When someone dies
Steps after a death in Arkansas
3-step process for Arkansas Division of Workforce Services — Unemployment Insurance.
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Sources
Data sourced from State Unemployment Benefits in Arkansas primary sources (3 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Arkansas Division of Workforce Services — Unemployment Insurance
Authority
Ark. Code Ann. 11-10-101 et seq. (Department of Workforce Services Law)