South Carolina Unemployment Benefits After Moving to Alabama

Do NOT close your claim with South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW)

Your claim belongs to the state where you earned the wages (the liable state). Moving does not transfer it — you keep the same claim, weekly amount, and remaining weeks.

Update your address and keep certifying weekly

Your claim stays with South Carolina if your wages were earned there. If you live outside South Carolina and were separated from a South Carolina employer, DEW requires you to file an out-of-state (Interstate) claim — accepted only online via the MyBenefits portal, selecting Interstate Claim. After filing you receive a packet by mail with forms and your claim representative's contact info. Update your address under the Personal Information tab in MyBenefits; failure to report your current contact information may delay payment or trigger a fraud alert.

Register for work in your new state if required

Many liable states require interstate claimants to register with the new state's workforce agency and continue work-search logging. Check South Carolina Department of Employment and Workforce (DEW)'s interstate-claim rules.

Worked in more than one state? Ask about a Combined Wage Claim

If you have wages in two or more states in your base period, a Combined Wage Claim can merge them into one (often larger) claim — you choose a paying state you have wages in.