State Unemployment Benefits in Missouri
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations administers unemployment insurance through its Division of Employment Security and the UInteract online system. When a claimant dies, benefits due the claimant for weeks of eligibility before death are paid, under 8 CSR 10-3.060, to the estate representative or — if no letters are applied for within 30 days of death — to the surviving spouse or others the rule names; a written claim must be presented within 60 days of death.
Administering agency
Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations — Division of Employment Security
Authority
Mo. Rev. Stat. 288.060.6; 8 CSR 10-3.060 (Benefits Due Deceased Claimants)
State Unemployment Benefits in Missouri: key facts
- Administering agency
- Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations (DOLIR), Division of Employment Security (DES).
- Online system
- UInteract at uinteract.labor.mo.gov (file and manage claims).
- Regional Claims Center
- Toll-free 800-320-2519; Jefferson City 573-751-9040, Kansas City 816-889-3101, Springfield 417-895-6851, St. Louis 314-340-4950.
- After a death
- Under 8 CSR 10-3.060, benefits due a deceased claimant are paid to the person issued letters testamentary or of administration on an application filed within 30 days of death. If no such application is filed within 30 days, the benefits go to the surviving spouse; if no spouse survives and the claimant left unmarried minor children, the director may direct payment to their guardian, to a person or institution that assumed their support, to a person who furnished them necessities of equal value, or to a person who paid last-illness or burial expenses of equal value. A claim must be presented in writing within 60 days of death (extendable by the director for good cause); unclaimed benefits remain in the unemployment compensation fund.
Governing law: Mo. Rev. Stat. 288.060.6; 8 CSR 10-3.060 (Benefits Due Deceased Claimants)
Steps to take when someone dies
- Report the claimant's death to the Division of Employment Security so benefit payments stop.
- Determine who is entitled to any benefits due the claimant under 8 CSR 10-3.060: the estate representative issued letters testamentary or of administration (applied for within 30 days of death); if no application was filed in that window, the surviving spouse; and if no spouse survives but unmarried minor children do, whichever person the director designates from the rule's list.
- Present a written claim for the benefits due, with the proof the Division requires, within 60 days of death (the director may extend the time for good cause).
Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations — Division of Employment Security
Phone: 800-320-2519
Visit the agency website →Frequently asked questions
The death should be reported to the Division of Employment Security so payments stop. Under 8 CSR 10-3.060, benefits due the claimant for weeks of eligibility before death are paid to the estate representative or, if no letters are applied for within 30 days of death, to the surviving spouse — and if no spouse survives but unmarried minor children do, to a person the director designates from the rule's list. A written claim must be presented within 60 days of death, or the benefits remain in the unemployment compensation fund. Contact a Regional Claims Center at 800-320-2519.
The Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations administers unemployment insurance through its Division of Employment Security and the UInteract online system at uinteract.labor.mo.gov.
Sources
Data sourced from State Unemployment Benefits in Missouri primary sources (5 pages reviewed). How we research.
Administering agency
Missouri Department of Labor and Industrial Relations — Division of Employment Security
Authority
Mo. Rev. Stat. 288.060.6; 8 CSR 10-3.060 (Benefits Due Deceased Claimants)