State Unemployment Benefits in Louisiana: when someone dies
A 3-step process for Louisiana Works (formerly the Louisiana Workforce Commission) — Unemployment Insurance after a death in Louisiana.
Administering agency
Louisiana Works (formerly the Louisiana Workforce Commission) — Unemployment Insurance
Authority
La. Admin. Code Title 40, Part IV, §345 (under La. R.S. 23:1471 et seq.)
Steps to take
- Report the claimant's death to Louisiana Works so further payments stop.
- Ask the agency whether unemployment benefits were due to the claimant at the time of death.
- Submit a formal affidavit of heirship signed by all heirs of full age and majority, or through an authorized representative for any minor heir, to claim money due the deceased.
Louisiana Works (formerly the Louisiana Workforce Commission) — Unemployment Insurance
Phone: 1-866-783-5567
Visit the agency website →Frequently asked questions
Louisiana Works — the agency the Louisiana Workforce Commission became on October 1, 2025 — administers unemployment insurance through the HiRE system at louisianaworks.net/hire. Its claim center is 1-866-783-5567.
Yes. Under Louisiana's unemployment insurance rules, the heirs of a deceased benefit claimant may apply by formal affidavit of heirship to be paid all unemployment money due the claimant at the time of death. The affidavit must be submitted by all heirs of full age and majority, or through an authorized representative for any minor heir.
Louisiana's UI rules frame the claimant as "the heirs," not the executor as such. All heirs of full age and majority submit a formal affidavit of heirship to Louisiana Works; an authorized representative submits the affidavit on behalf of any minor heir. The process begins by calling the claim center at 1-866-783-5567 to notify the agency of the death and confirm the amount due. La. Admin. Code Title 40, Part IV, §345.
Sources
Data sourced from State Unemployment Benefits in Louisiana primary sources (4 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Louisiana Works (formerly the Louisiana Workforce Commission) — Unemployment Insurance
Authority
La. Admin. Code Title 40, Part IV, §345 (under La. R.S. 23:1471 et seq.)