How to Appeal an Unemployment Denial in Minnesota
Reviewed by DocDraft Legal Team · Minnesota · Last updated 2026-09-06
An unemployment appeal is the formal request you file to challenge a decision that denied, reduced, or ended your unemployment benefits, asking a neutral judge to review the agency's ruling. In Minnesota, the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) issues that decision as a Determination of Eligibility through its Unemployment Insurance program. You appeal within 45 calendar days of the date the determination was sent, and an unemployment law judge holds a hearing, usually by phone (Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a). If the judge rules against you, you can file a Request for Reconsideration with the same judge within 45 days (subd. 2), and after that seek review from the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Minnesota enforces the 45-day deadline strictly, so file on time and keep requesting benefit payments every week while your appeal is pending.
Find out where you stand in Minnesota
Where are you in the unemployment appeal process?
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How do I appeal an unemployment denial in Minnesota?
File your appeal within 45 calendar days of the date your DEED Determination of Eligibility was sent. You can file online through your account, by fax to 651-205-4007, or by mail to P.O. Box 4629, St. Paul, MN 55101-4629, and an unemployment law judge will schedule a hearing (Minn. Stat. section 268.105).
How long do I have to appeal an unemployment decision in Minnesota?
You have 45 calendar days from the date your DEED Determination of Eligibility was sent, whether by mail or electronic transmission. Minnesota enforces this deadline strictly: an unemployment law judge must dismiss an appeal filed after 45 days as untimely, and there is no good-cause extension for filing late (Minn. Stat. section 268.105).
Is there an appeal form for unemployment in Minnesota?
Minnesota does not require a named appeal form. You can file online by logging in to your account, or send a written appeal by fax or mail. A mailed or faxed appeal must say who is filing, state the reason, and include your Issue Identification Number and Social Security number.
Can I keep receiving benefits while my appeal is pending in Minnesota?
Keep requesting benefit payments every week while your appeal is pending if you remain unemployed. Minnesota can only pay you for weeks you requested and were otherwise eligible, so unbroken weekly requests protect back payments the judge may later approve. Requesting payment does not guarantee it, but stopping can forfeit weeks.
Minnesota unemployment appeal law at a glance
In Minnesota, the Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED) decides unemployment eligibility and issues a Determination of Eligibility through its Unemployment Insurance program. A claimant who disagrees must appeal within 45 calendar days of the date the determination was sent (Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a). The first-level appeal goes to an unemployment law judge, who holds a hearing that is usually conducted by telephone. If the judge rules against you, you can file a Request for Reconsideration with the same judge within 45 calendar days of the decision under subdivision 2, and after that seek review by writ of certiorari to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. Minnesota applies the 45-day deadline strictly, with no good-cause extension for a late filing, so DEED advises claimants to keep requesting benefit payments every week while the appeal is pending.
Appealing a Minnesota unemployment denial after a quit-versus-discharge dispute
Suppose DEED sends you a Determination of Eligibility denying benefits because it treated your job separation as a quit rather than a discharge. You disagree. Because the 45-day clock runs from the date the determination was sent, you note that date and file your appeal well before day 45, filing online and explaining that you were laid off, with your final pay stub and a supervisor email attached. You keep requesting benefit payments every week while you wait. At the telephone hearing, an unemployment law judge takes testimony under oath and questions both sides. If the judge still rules against you, you file a Request for Reconsideration with the same judge within 45 days. Attorney review of your appeal statement is available through DocDraft.
Relevant Laws
Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a (appeal to an unemployment law judge)
Governs the first-level appeal of a determination to an unemployment law judge and requires the judge to dismiss an appeal as untimely if it was not filed within 45 calendar days after the sending of the determination. The judge issues written findings of fact, reasons, and a decision after the hearing.
Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 2 (request for reconsideration)
Provides the second-level review: any party may file a request for reconsideration within 45 calendar days of the sending of the unemployment law judge's decision, asking the same judge to reconsider. Further review after reconsideration is by writ of certiorari to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
Minnesota Unemployment Insurance (DEED), How do I appeal?
The DEED Unemployment Insurance agency page directs claimants to file an appeal within the timeframe specified on the determination, explains that an unemployment law judge holds a hearing by phone, describes the request for reconsideration process, and advises claimants to keep requesting benefit payments every week while awaiting a final decision.
Regional Variances
Minnesota unemployment appeal rules at a glance
Appeal deadline
45 calendar days from the date the DEED Determination of Eligibility was sent, under Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a. The clock runs from the sending date, by mail or electronic transmission, not from the date you received it.
How to file
Online through your account, by fax to 651-205-4007, or by mail to P.O. Box 4629, St. Paul, MN 55101-4629. No named form is required, but the appeal must identify who is filing, the reason, the Issue Identification Number, and your Social Security number.
Who hears it
An unemployment law judge with DEED holds the first-level hearing, usually by telephone. A Request for Reconsideration goes to the same judge, and further review is by writ of certiorari to the Minnesota Court of Appeals under section 268.105, subd. 2.
Late appeals
Not allowed for good cause. Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a requires the judge to dismiss an appeal as untimely if it was not filed within 45 calendar days of the sending of the determination. File on time, because there is no late-filing exception.
Benefits during appeal
DEED advises claimants who remain unemployed to keep requesting benefit payments every week while the appeal is pending, because payment is only possible for weeks requested and otherwise eligible.
Suggested Compliance Checklist
Find the date your DEED determination was sent
The day you receive the Determination of Eligibility days after startingLocate the date your DEED Determination of Eligibility was sent, printed on the notice. That date starts the 45-day appeal window under Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a, so calendar it immediately and count forward from it.
Read the reason DEED gave for the decision
As soon as you receive the determination days after startingIdentify the exact eligibility issue DEED relied on, such as a quit-versus-discharge dispute, availability, or an overpayment. Your appeal is stronger when it responds directly to that finding rather than restating your situation generally.
Write your appeal with the required details
Within 45 days of the date the determination was sent days after startingState who is filing, the reason for the appeal, your Issue Identification Number, and your Social Security number, and explain why the determination is wrong. Attach supporting pay records or statements. Attorney review of your appeal statement is available through DocDraft.
File the appeal within 45 days
By the 45th day after the determination was sent days after startingSubmit the appeal online through your account, by fax to 651-205-4007, or by mail to P.O. Box 4629, St. Paul, MN 55101-4629 before the deadline. Keep a dated copy and confirm receipt. Minnesota has no good-cause extension for a late filing, so do not wait.
Keep requesting benefit payments
Every week while the appeal is pending days after startingIf you remain unemployed, continue requesting benefit payments each week during the appeal. Minnesota can only pay weeks you requested and were otherwise eligible, so unbroken weekly requests protect back payments if the unemployment law judge rules in your favor.
Prepare for the telephone hearing
Before the hearing date on your notice days after startingGather documents and witnesses, review the DEED file, and organize the facts that support your position. The judge's office mails a hearing notice with the date and format. Participating is critical, because failing to participate can lead to dismissal by summary decision.
Note your reconsideration rights
Within 45 days of the judge's decision days after startingIf the unemployment law judge denies your appeal, you can file a Request for Reconsideration with the same judge within 45 calendar days under Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 2. After that, review is by writ of certiorari to the Minnesota Court of Appeals.
| Task | Description | Document | Days after starting |
|---|---|---|---|
| Find the date your DEED determination was sent | Locate the date your DEED Determination of Eligibility was sent, printed on the notice. That date starts the 45-day appeal window under Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a, so calendar it immediately and count forward from it. | - | The day you receive the Determination of Eligibility |
| Read the reason DEED gave for the decision | Identify the exact eligibility issue DEED relied on, such as a quit-versus-discharge dispute, availability, or an overpayment. Your appeal is stronger when it responds directly to that finding rather than restating your situation generally. | - | As soon as you receive the determination |
| Write your appeal with the required details | State who is filing, the reason for the appeal, your Issue Identification Number, and your Social Security number, and explain why the determination is wrong. Attach supporting pay records or statements. Attorney review of your appeal statement is available through DocDraft. | - | Within 45 days of the date the determination was sent |
| File the appeal within 45 days | Submit the appeal online through your account, by fax to 651-205-4007, or by mail to P.O. Box 4629, St. Paul, MN 55101-4629 before the deadline. Keep a dated copy and confirm receipt. Minnesota has no good-cause extension for a late filing, so do not wait. | - | By the 45th day after the determination was sent |
| Keep requesting benefit payments | If you remain unemployed, continue requesting benefit payments each week during the appeal. Minnesota can only pay weeks you requested and were otherwise eligible, so unbroken weekly requests protect back payments if the unemployment law judge rules in your favor. | - | Every week while the appeal is pending |
| Prepare for the telephone hearing | Gather documents and witnesses, review the DEED file, and organize the facts that support your position. The judge's office mails a hearing notice with the date and format. Participating is critical, because failing to participate can lead to dismissal by summary decision. | - | Before the hearing date on your notice |
| Note your reconsideration rights | If the unemployment law judge denies your appeal, you can file a Request for Reconsideration with the same judge within 45 calendar days under Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 2. After that, review is by writ of certiorari to the Minnesota Court of Appeals. | - | Within 45 days of the judge's decision |
Frequently Asked Questions
An unemployment appeal is your formal request asking a neutral unemployment law judge to review a DEED decision that denied, reduced, or ended your benefits. In Minnesota it is filed against a Determination of Eligibility from the Unemployment Insurance program, and it triggers a hearing, usually by phone, before that judge.
The determination is DEED's initial decision on your eligibility, sent as a Determination of Eligibility. An appeal is the separate step where you challenge that decision before an unemployment law judge who is independent of the adjudicator. The determination comes first; the appeal is how you contest it within 45 days.
You have 45 calendar days from the date your DEED Determination of Eligibility was sent to file an appeal (Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a). The clock runs from the date the determination was sent, by mail or electronically, not from the day you happened to read it.
Minnesota enforces the deadline strictly. Under Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 1a, an unemployment law judge must dismiss an appeal as untimely if it was not filed within 45 calendar days of the sending of the determination. There is no good-cause extension for filing late, so file right away.
An unemployment law judge with DEED decides the first-level appeal, independent of the adjudicator who issued the determination. The judge holds a hearing, usually by telephone, takes testimony under oath, reviews the file and your evidence, questions both sides, and then issues a written decision that affirms or reverses the determination.
The judge's office mails a notice with your hearing date, and the hearing is usually held by telephone. The unemployment law judge takes testimony under oath from you and your former employer, reviews documents, and lets each side ask questions. A written decision follows, explaining the result and your reconsideration rights.
Yes. If the unemployment law judge rules against you, you can file a Request for Reconsideration with the same judge within 45 calendar days of the decision (Minn. Stat. section 268.105, subd. 2). After reconsideration, you can seek review by writ of certiorari to the Minnesota Court of Appeals through mncourts.gov.
Yes. If you remain unemployed, DEED advises you to keep making a benefit payment request every week while your appeal is pending, because you can only be paid for weeks you requested and were otherwise eligible. Skipping requests can permanently forfeit weeks the unemployment law judge might later approve.
Other Minnesota guides
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