Due to an administrative reinterpretation of Labor & Employment Article § 8-606(d), the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance has recalculated the Annual Tax Rate for Calendar Year 2024 for all earned and standard rate employers. As in calendar years 2022 and 2023, the Division of Unemployment Insurance has compared two different methods of computing the tax rate (one based on pre-pandemic experience and one based on immediate past years’ experience) and assigned the lower of the two rates to each earned and standard rate employer.
The vast majority of employers are not affected by this recalculation. No employer should see a rate increase by this recalculation. All employers’ rates are either unchanged or lowered from the rate provided in the original 2024 Tax Rate Notice sent in January. (New employers do not have the necessary years of history to use the alternate computation method as they do not have pre-pandemic experience.)
If you are an employer affected by the recalculation, your new UI tax rate will appear in your BEACON employer portal Wednesday, March 27th. All employers will receive a new 2024 Rate Notice in their BEACON portal by Monday, April 1, and notice of the correspondence will be sent to each employer in accordance with their preferred method of communication (texts and emails alerting employers of the correspondence will be sent when the correspondence is available on the BEACON portal, while hard copy letters will be mailed Monday, April 1). The correspondence will explain the recalculation and provide other information, including the right to dispute or appeal the rate.
If you have already paid your contributions for Quarter 1 of 2024 and your rate was lowered by the recalculation, you will receive a credit for the difference that can be used towards a future payment. The correspondence will provide further details about how to request a refund instead of receiving credit for future payment.
More information about this recalculation is available on the Recalculation of Calendar Year 2024 Tax Rates FAQs webpage.
Recalculation of Calendar Year 2024 Tax Rates Powerpoint Presentation.
If you are a claimant (an individual who files a claim for unemployment insurance benefits) who is new to the unemployment insurance process, visit the Information for New Claimants webpage
If you are an employer who is new to the unemployment insurance (UI) process, visit the Information for New Employers webpage.
The Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance (the Division) offers several ways claimants, employers, and third-party agents can contact us. See the list below for our primary contact methods.
Please be assured that Maryland does not have a waiting week for UI claims, like many other states do. Claims are effective the week in which they are filed.
Online BEACON UI System
You can complete several unemployment insurance tasks, including filing an initial claim, in our online BEACON system, which is available online 24/7.
To learn more, see the BEACON Claimant FAQs and the Unemployment Modernization (BEACON) for Employers and Third-Party Agents webpage.
Claimant Phone Number and Hours of Operation
Employer and Third-Party Agent Phone Number and Hours of Operation
Automated IVR Phone System
Virtual Assistant and Live Chat
You can use the Virtual Assistant to receive immediate, automated answers to common inquiries or to chat with a claims agent. The Virtual Assistant is available 24/7. However, the chat feature is available during claims agent hours (see the Claimant Contact Information webpage for agent hours).
To use the Virtual Assistant, select the “Chat with us” button at the bottom right corner of this page. To use the chat feature, access the Virtual Assistant and type "speak with an agent.”
VRI, VRS, and Maryland Relay
Individuals with certain disabilities (Deafness, Deafblindness, hearing loss, difficulty speaking, limited mobility, or cognitive difficulty) may communicate with the Maryland Department of Labor, Division of Unemployment Insurance (the Division) via scheduled VRI services, Video Relay Services (VRS), Maryland Relay, and other forms of effective communication.
Maryland Relay allows individuals with certain disabilities (listed above) to communicate using a standard telephone. For Maryland Relay, dial 711. Please provide the Maryland Relay operator with the following phone number to reach the Division: 1-667-401-4647.
See the Special Accommodation Information and Resources webpage or the Maryland Relay FAQs to learn more.
Ombudsman Inquiry Form
To submit an inquiry and reach the UI Ombudsman, please fill out the Ombudsman Inquiry Form and e-mail it to ui.ombudsman@maryland.gov
Virtual Kiosk Services by Appointment
The Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance is offering limited virtual kiosk appointments to take claimant questions about their unemployment insurance claims. Please call a claims agent at 667-207-6520 (Monday to Friday, 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.) to schedule an appointment.
Please ensure that at the time of your appointment, you are in a location where you will not be interrupted and that you have access to your BEACON portal.
Child Support Withholdings from UI Benefits Email
For inquiries about child support withholdings from your UI benefits or adjustments to these withholdings, email ui.childsupportassistance@maryland.gov.
NOTE: This email address should only be used to inquire about child support withholdings from your UI benefits, and any necessary adjustments.
For questions about child support obligations that are not related to your UI benefits, call the Maryland Department of Human Services (DHS) Child Support Administration at 1-800-332-6347.
The Maryland Department of Labor (MD DOL) Benefit Payment Control (BPC) Fraud Unit, or any other unit, will never ask for your BEACON username, password, or banking information through an email or a text message.
All Maryland Department of Labor (MD DOL) email addresses end in .gov. If you receive an email from Ui.fraud@maryland.dol.info and/or from “Maryland BPC Fraud Unit”, please delete it and mark it as Spam.
If you receive an email or text asking for your username, password, banking details, or knowledge-based questions that only you would know the answer to, NEVER respond or open any attachments it contains. You should NEVER provide your details through any website linked in the email or text. Your username and password are for your use only.
If you receive a questionable email or text and have questions, contact MD DOL at 667-207-6520.
The Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance (Division) has reinstated the process of mailing the Assessment Notice and Pending Civil Action letters. These letters are sent to employers who were previously informed that they owe payments.
The Division mails at least one delinquency letter to an employer before sending the Assessment Notice and Pending Civil Action letter. Please note that the Division seeks to assist employers in paying quarterly unemployment insurance taxes.
If you have any questions regarding this matter, please contact the Maryland Unemployment Insurance Contributions Division at 410-949-0033 or toll free 1-800-492-5524.
The Division instituted a new Power of Attorney (POA) form and authorization process. Due to this change, employers are now required to include the following on the POA form:
Please note that approving a POA designation for a TPA takes up to seven business days. No access will be granted to the TPA before the approval. Once approval is granted, the TPA will receive access to perform the requested functions.
To access the form, see the Power of Attorney Authorization Instructions and Form on the Flyers, Forms, and Publications for Employers & Third Party Agents webpage.
The Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance (the Division) updated the MD Unemployment for Claimants mobile app last year (March 8, 2023).
To accommodate this update, the Division released a new version of the app, which you can download from the Google Play Store and the iOS App Store.
If you previously downloaded the app, you must update it for the app to operate properly.
The BEACON unemployment insurance (UI) system launched in September 2020 for claimants, employers, and third party agents. BEACON integrates all benefits, appeals, and tax functions of the UI system.
In addition to the online BEACON system, the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance created two BEACON mobile apps: MD Unemployment for Claimants; and MD Unemployment for Employers.
MD Unemployment for Claimants is available to download for free from the iOS App Store or Google Play Store. The mobile app allows claimants to easily file their weekly claim certifications, view and update claimant information, and more directly from their mobile device.
MD Unemployment for Employers is available to download for free from the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store. Registered employers can use the mobile app to make contribution payments, submit wage reports, file appeals, and more directly from their mobile device.
The BEACON system offers dozens of features for our stakeholders. Check out the functionalities and features below:
Features for Claimants
Claimants can:
Features for Employers
Employers can:
Features for Third Party Agents
Agents can:
Claimants who have questions regarding BEACON should call a claims agent at 667-207-6520. Employers or third party agents who have questions should call the Employer Call Center at 410-949-0033.
Claimants must meet several requirements to be eligible for UI benefits, including work search requirements.
To meet Maryland’s work search requirements, a claimant must:
Detailed instructions for completing the requirements listed above are available on the Maryland Work Search Requirements webpage. For work search exemptions, see the Work Search FAQs.
NOTE: The work search requirement was temporarily suspended during the COVID-19 pandemic. In July 2021, the work search requirements were reinstated.
For additional information, see the:
Information about additional claimant requirements is available in the Eligibility Requirements FAQs.
Report Fraud
If you believe that your information has been used to fraudulently file an unemployment insurance (UI) claim, please complete a Request for Investigation of Unemployment Insurance Fraud form and return it: by email to ui.fraud@maryland.gov; mail to Benefit Payment Control, Room 206, 1100 North Eutaw Street, Baltimore, MD 21201; or fax to 410-767-2610.
If you received a 1099-G tax form, but did not receive UI benefits in Maryland during the prior calendar year:
If you are an employer and believe a fraudulent claim has been charged to your account, please file a benefit charge protest through your BEACON employer portal.
For detailed information about UI fraud in Maryland and protecting yourself from UI fraud scams, see the UI Fraud Awareness and Reporting Instructions webpage.
Identity Theft Resources
If you believe you have been a victim of identity theft, please read the Identity Theft Protection Quick Guide. For more information see the Commissioner of Financial Regulation identity theft page, and the Maryland Department of Labor and Maryland State Police information.
If you are in need of additional assistance:
For additional resources from the state departments of Labor, Human Resources, and Housing and Community Development, please visit the State of Maryland Financial Resources & Services.