Welcome to the Maryland Division of Unemployment Insurance BEACON System. Using a single application, you will be able to file a claim for many unemployment benefit programs, including regular Unemployment Insurance (UI), Pandemic Unemployment Assistance (PUA), and Pandemic Emergency Unemployment Compensation (PEUC). You can also use this site to request your benefit payments each week by filing a claim certification.

The American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA) was signed into law on Thursday, March 11, 2021 and extended the temporary federal PUA, PEUC, FPUC, and MEUC unemployment insurance programs until the week ending Saturday, September 4, 2021 in Maryland.

As a result of this extension, you may be eligible for additional unemployment insurance benefits. Visit MDUnemployment.com for additional benefit details.

If you are a PUA, PEUC, MEUC, or former EB claimant, please take the appropriate action below in order to receive benefits:

• If you have an Action Item to file a weekly claim certification, please complete it.
  
  
• If you have a Reopen Claim link in the left hand margin, please select it to reopen your claim. Once you have completed the additional questions, you will be able to file a claim certification, if eligible.
  
  
• If you have an Apply for Benefits link in the left hand margin of your portal, please select it to apply for benefits. NOTE: In the coming weeks, certain claimants will need to reapply for regular unemployment insurance benefits per federal requirements. This may happen if you are receiving benefits under either PUA or PEUC and have earned wages in either of the last two quarters. This is due to the Quarter Change that will take place on April 4, 2021.
  
  You will also need to reapply when your benefit year expires. Your benefit year is the 52-week period starting on the effective date of your regular UI claim. Even if you are receiving benefits under the PUA or PEUC program, you will still need to reapply when that 52-week period ends.

It is a federal requirement that claimants reapply after the Quarter Change and Benefit Year Expiration. Due to these federal requirements, a claimant must receive regular UI if they are eligible for regular UI, even if their Weekly Benefit Amount under regular UI is less than they are eligible for under the PUA or PEUC program.

All claimants who are eligible to receive benefits (including regular unemployment insurance claimants) will automatically receive the $300 FPUC amount for the weeks ending March 27, 2021 through September 4, 2021. This includes regular unemployment insurance claimants, who should continue to file their weekly claim certification as they normally do.