State Unemployment Benefits in Wisconsin

State Unemployment Benefits in Wisconsin: key facts

Administering agency

Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development (DWD), Unemployment Insurance Division.

Claimant portal

my.unemployment.wisconsin.gov

Claimant assistance

(414) 435-7069 (Milwaukee area) or (608) 266-3131 (Madison area).

After a death

Report the claimant's death to DWD so benefit payments stop; payments issued for weeks after the date of death must be returned.

Reporting a death

Contact DWD by phone — (414) 435-7069 (Milwaukee area), (608) 266-3131 (Madison area), or toll-free (844) 910-3661 — to report that a claimant has died and stop ongoing payments. There is no online death-reporting form.

Who may receive the final payment

Under Wis. Stat. 108.13(3), DWD has full discretion to designate "any person who in its judgment should properly receive the benefits in lieu of the claimant." No statutory priority order (spouse, executor, heir) is established; DWD decides on a case-by-case basis.

Documentation for final payment

DWD does not publish a fixed document list; the agency determines requirements case by case. For tax-form requests, DWD requires a certified death certificate and a signed letter of authorization or domiciliary letters (Letters Testamentary) mailed to UI, P.O. Box 8400, Madison, WI 53708.