Effective July 9, 2020, the Illinois Department of Employment Security (IDES) has implemented a “callback only” model as a temporary solution to effectively honor the order in which callers attempt to reach the call center for assistance. This new model will be in effect for the following call centers: Claimant Services Center (800.244.5631), IllinoisJobLink.com (877.342.7533), Benefit Payment Control (800.814.0513) and Employer Hotline (800.247.4984). What this means to you is that rather than wait on hold or call multiple times, you will receive a call when you are next in line without losing your place.
“This new process should help to alleviate some of the frustration local residents have been experiencing when attempting to reach IDES,” said State Representative Jeff Keicher, R-Sycamore. “My office has been helping local residents for months, working to follow-up on the status of individual claims directly. While we’re happy to help however we can, families and businesses should be able to connect with an actual person at the unemployment office to get their questions answered and discuss their claim without having to rely on their local legislator to act as a go-between. This is a difficult time for many families and local small business owners. Please feel welcome to reach out to me if we can help provide further direction on any questions you may have regarding unemployment.”
When you call IDES, it is important that you select the appropriate numeric option that best describes the reason for your call. This ensures that you will be served in the order that we receive your call. You will be called back Monday through Friday. Call back hours are as follows:
Claimant Services Center: 7:30 AM -7:00 PM
IllinoisJobLink.com, Benefit Payment Control and Employer Hotline: 8:30 AM-5:00 PM
You can only have a single pending callback scheduled in the system at a time. The call you receive from IDES should display on Caller ID as 800-244-5631 under normal circumstances. In certain cases, this number could be blocked by your phone carrier.
It is important that you answer the phone when the callback is made. If you miss your callback, IDES staff will attempt to leave you a voice mail. They will call you again shortly after the first attempt. If you cannot be reached after the second attempt, you will be required to contact the call center to schedule another callback.