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South Dakota Unemployment Benefits After Moving to Arkansas

Keep the South Dakota claim exactly where it is. Closing it or filing new in Arkansas is the classic mistake — Arkansas has none of your wages and would deny you. Continue weekly certifications with South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division, update your address, and check the interstate-claimant rules before you travel.

For context, Arkansas's own maximum weekly benefit is $451 versus $553 in South Dakota — but this does not change your claim, which stays on South Dakota's scale. Duration also stays South Dakota's: up to 26 weeks, regardless of Arkansas's 12-week rule.

Official Arkansas Unemployment agency: Arkansas Division of Workforce Services ↗ (application page)

Your step-by-step checklist

Before you move

  1. 1

    Do NOT close your claim with South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division

    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.

    South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division ↗

Moving week

  1. 2

    Update your address and keep certifying weekly

    Your claim stays with South Dakota (the state where you earned wages) — South Dakota calls its UI program Reemployment Assistance. If you change your address as a result of moving out of South Dakota, you must reopen your claim during the first week you want to begin claiming benefits. Interstate filing information and phone numbers are available from Customer Service; Claims Call Center 605-626-3179 (Mon-Fri, 8:00-4:20 Central).

After you arrive

  1. 3

    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 Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division's interstate-claim rules.

    Arkansas Division of Workforce Services ↗
  2. 4

    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.

South Dakota vs Arkansas: the numbers that decide it

 South Dakota (old state)Arkansas (new state)
Program nameReemployment Assistance (RA)Arkansas Unemployment
AgencySouth Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance DivisionArkansas Division of Workforce Services
Maximum weekly benefit$553$451
Maximum duration26 weeks12 weeks

Verified 2026-08-08 (South Dakota) and 2026-08-08 (Arkansas) against the official sources cited below.

Moving with more than one benefit?

The checklist generator merges Medicaid, SNAP, WIC, unemployment, and TANF into one ordered to-do list for this exact move.

Build the full South Dakota → Arkansas checklist

Common questions

Do I file a new unemployment claim in Arkansas?

No, not for wages earned in South Dakota. Your existing claim stays with South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division, which keeps paying it after your move. Only file in Arkansas if you later work there, are laid off there, and qualify on Arkansas wages.

Will my weekly benefit amount change when I move to Arkansas?

No. The amount and remaining duration were set by South Dakota when the claim was approved, and the move does not touch them. Arkansas's own benefit scale does not apply to your South Dakota claim.

What is a Combined Wage Claim?

If your base period includes wages from more than one state, you can combine them into a single claim filed in one of the states you have wages in. It often raises the weekly benefit — ask South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation, Reemployment Assistance Division before choosing.

Do I have to look for work in Arkansas?

Almost certainly yes. Interstate claimants must follow the liable state's work-search rules, and South Dakota will usually require you to register with Arkansas Division of Workforce Services and log searches in Arkansas. Keep the records — audits happen.

Where do I actually apply in Arkansas?

You usually will not apply in Arkansas for an South Dakota claim — but Arkansas's agency is Arkansas Division of Workforce Services (online application linked above). Official Unemployment pages for both states are cited at the bottom of this page.

Related guides

Official sources

Every fact above was checked against these official pages. Last verified.

Written by Benefits Transfer Editorial Team

Reviewed by Billy Reiner, Editor

Last verified