Economic News

You can change your payment method at any time by accessing your Unemployment Insurance Tax & Claims System account online at www.jobs.state.nm.us. Once you log in, click the umbrella icon for Unemployment Insurance Benefits, then select “View and Maintain Account Information” and then “Payment Method Options and Tax Information.” Then select the payment option you would prefer. We recommend that if you are changing your payment method, do so 24 hours prior to completing your weekly certification to allow our system time to update before sending out the payment. Please note that Department staff do not have access to assist with entering any direct deposit account information. Department staff can only update your payment method to the debit card.

Per our agency security rules and requirements, we do not accept any type of pre-paid brand accounts, including pre-paid bank accounts or pre-paid debit cards, to be used as a direct deposit account for claims. If you would like to use direct deposit as your payment method, you must have an account using a valid, known FDIC/NCUA approved routing number. If you do not have a valid, known routing number, you will be sent a debit card as your payment method.

If your account number is entered incorrectly, is not known, or is not on the FDIC/NCUA approved routing number list, it will go to the routing number workflow and this payment method will be researched by a member of the NMDWS fraud team. You will be mailed paper checks while the investigation takes place. If it is determined to be valid bank it will be added to the approved list and you may begin to use this as the direct deposit account. If it is an unknown or new pre-paid product, it will be added to the blocked list and you will be placed on the debit card if there is no other valid direct deposit account to be used.

You can check the status of your payment online by clicking on the “Payment History” link from your Unemployment Insurance claim homepage.

• If it shows “Submitted,” you have certified for that week and it is waiting to move to “Paid” status.
• If it shows “Paid,” it has been sent to the bank.

There are several reasons you may not see your benefit payment in your account, such as:

• The payment was rejected or was returned by your bank.
• There are outstanding issues on your claim that might be holding payment and are waiting to be resolved by our adjudication team.
• It can take up to 3 business days for a payment to reach your account after payment is submitted.
• If you changed your account the day you certified, the payment may have posted to your previous direct deposit account.

If the Department receives a rejection or return on a direct deposit account for any reason, it will result in a paper check being issued to you by mail. There are many reasons why this could happen, including, but not limited to, the following: Wrong account number or routing number provided; Closed account; Bank closed account due to overdraft fees; Bank rejected payment; Name on payment did not match the name associated with the bank account. Once the Department receives the reject payment file back from the bank, usually in 3-5 days, the system will automatically send out a paper check. You may receive a call from the Department requesting you to correct your direct deposit information online. Please note that we cannot take this information over the phone. You may also receive notification of the rejected payment directly from your bank. If you do not have a valid bank account you will be placed on the debit card payment method.

Use this helpful tool to find answers to frequently asked questions about letters you may receive.

No. Unemployment Insurance benefits are funded by an employer tax. It is against the law for employers to deduct unemployment taxes from your wages.

If you haven’t submitted your claim, the system will allow you to modify any information you have already entered on your claim. If you want to add another employer and have already submitted your claim, you must call the Operations Center at 1-877-664-6984, Monday through Friday, 7:00am – 5:00pm

If you want to add a dependent and have already submitted your claim, go to your Home Page, select “View and Maintain Account Information” from the left-side menu, in the drop-down menu, select “Dependent Information” option and then add the dependent(s) on the screen provided.

If you want to change from debit card to direct deposit (or vice versa), go to your Home Page, select “View and Maintain Account Information” from the left-side menu, from the drop-down menu select “Payment Method Options and Tax Information.” From the Payment Methods Options and Tax Information, select the “Edit” button and make your change.

It is a federal requirement that you must be able and available to accept suitable work in order to qualify for unemployment benefits. At this time the work search waiver – which waives the requirement to be actively seeking work – is still in place for all claimants.

• Fact Sheet: Able, Available, and Actively Seeking Work - PDF
  Hoja de Hechos: Capaz, Disponible, y Actualmente Buscando Trabajo - PDF

When you complete your weekly certification, answer YES when asked if you are able and available IF:

• You were physically able to do your work before you lost your job (and you lost your job/hours due to your own COVID-19 illness, your need to care for a family/household member with COVID-19, or your employment situation changed because of the COVID-19 public health emergency); OR
• You are out of work temporarily due to an employer-closure related to COVID-19 and expect to return to your job; OR
• You are able and available to work at least 20 hours per week - this includes any type of work for which you are qualified, including virtual (telework) and/or a job with flexible hours; OR
• You are able and available for work if you are still currently working reduced hours.