Title: Start a business on unemployment in South Dakota (2026) > Can you start a business on unemployment in South Dakota? The job-search rule, how self-employment affects your benefit, and the help that is available. Source: https://pontia.xyz/us/south-dakota/ Checked: 25 September 2026 Free · official rates · checked September 25, 2026 # Starting a business on unemployment in South Dakota Here’s what South Dakota allows while you’re on unemployment, and how to build your plan alongside your job search. ## Self-Employment Assistance in South Dakota No. South Dakota doesn’t run Self-Employment Assistance, so unemployment is for people looking for work. ## How self-employment affects your benefit Becoming self-employed full time can stop or deny benefits, and seeking self-employment does not count as work search. Part-time self-employment hours and earnings (before expenses) must be reported each week; you get nothing for any week you work 40+ hours or earn at least your weekly benefit amount. 75% of gross earnings over $25 is deducted from your weekly benefit; no payment if earnings equal or exceed the weekly benefit amount or you work 40+ hours. Make every month of your support count Budgets built from your numbers, a clear plan, and the tools to build it. Free. [Start my plan](https://pontia.xyz/us/start?state=SD&scheme=us-ui-searching&status=have&from=us-state-mid) ## Your weekly job search At least two work search activities every week you request payment (applications, résumés, interviews or DLR-approved reemployment services), with employer details entered on the weekly request for payment and kept on a tracking sheet for audit; you are auto-registered in SDWORKS when you file but must be registered with the workforce agency within 14 days. Pontia keeps your job-search record for you and links to [SDWORKS](https://www.southdakotaworks.org), so your plan and your search run side by side. ## Other help in South Dakota - [South Dakota Division of Rehabilitation Services (Department of Human Services)](https://dhs.sd.gov/en/rehabilitation-services/vocational-rehabilitation): DRS provider service descriptions list customized self-employment as a customized-employment option; no standalone VR self-employment policy page was found. - Medicaid: South Dakota expanded Medicaid, so the new work requirement applies to expansion adults: 80 hours or $580 net a month, and hours on your business count. Starts 1 Jan 2027: new Medicaid Expansion applicants must show 80 hours of community engagement in the month before applying; current enrollees are checked at their first regular renewal in 2027. - SBA Microloans of up to $50,000, and free advice from your local SBDC and SCORE mentors. - On SSI or SSDI: PASS and the SSDI trial work period let you test a business. ## Questions Can I collect unemployment while starting a business in South Dakota?+ No. South Dakota doesn’t run Self-Employment Assistance, so unemployment is for people looking for work. Becoming self-employed full time can stop or deny benefits, and seeking self-employment does not count as work search. Part-time self-employment hours and earnings (before expenses) must be reported each week; you get nothing for any week you work 40+ hours or earn at least your weekly benefit amount. How many job contacts a week does South Dakota require?+ At least two work search activities every week you request payment (applications, résumés, interviews or DLR-approved reemployment services), with employer details entered on the weekly request for payment and kept on a tracking sheet for audit; you are auto-registered in SDWORKS when you file but must be registered with the workforce agency within 14 days. How much is unemployment in South Dakota?+ Between $28 and $575 a week in 2026, for up to 15-26 weeks. Your own amount is on your monetary determination. What other help is there to start a business in South Dakota?+ Free advice from your local SBDC and SCORE mentors, SBA microloans of up to $50,000, and, if you have a disability, South Dakota Division of Rehabilitation Services (Department of Human Services) can fund a self-employment plan. On SSI or SSDI, PASS and the trial work period let you test a business. Sources, checked September 25, 2026 - [South Dakota Department of Labor and Regulation – Reemployment Assistance Division: unemployment](https://dlr.sd.gov/ra/individuals/default.aspx) - [South Dakota: work search rules](https://dlr.sd.gov/ra/individuals/work_search_requirements.aspx) - [South Dakota: self-employment and unemployment](https://dlr.sd.gov/ra/publications/ra-claimant-handbook.pdf) - [DOL: Significant Provisions of State UI Laws (July 2026)](https://oui.doleta.gov/unemploy/content/sigpros/2020-2029/July2026.pdf) Estimate and guidance only. Estimate and guidance only. Confirm with your benefit office, the official website or an adviser. Rules change, and your situation changes the outcome. Not a government service. Not financial, tax or legal advice. ## Your start-up support is a head start. Use it well. Plan your money, pick what you’ll build, and get the tools to build it. Free, and nobody sees your plan but you. [Sign up free](https://pontia.xyz/us/start?state=SD&scheme=us-ui-searching&status=have&from=us-state-end) Free forever · No card · No hidden charges Cite this page "Start a business on unemployment in South Dakota (2026)", Pontia, https://pontia.xyz/us/south-dakota/ (updated September 25, 2026) ## Related guides and tools - [Start your business without risking your benefits](https://pontia.xyz/us/) - [Your unemployment work search log, done in minutes](https://pontia.xyz/us/unemployment-work-search-log/) - [Start a business on unemployment: your state](https://pontia.xyz/us/self-employment-assistance-calculator/) - [Between school and work? Build something that’s yours.](https://pontia.xyz/us/young-people/) - [US Unemployment Work Search Index 2026](https://pontia.xyz/us/datasets/us-work-search-index/) - [US federal support for starting a business in figures, 2026](https://pontia.xyz/us/datasets/us-startup-support/) - [Unemployment insurance while you look for work vs Self-Employment Assistance Program (SEAP), New York](https://pontia.xyz/us/compare/ui-searching-vs-sea-ny/) - [Unemployment insurance while you look for work vs Self-Employment Assistance, Oregon](https://pontia.xyz/us/compare/ui-searching-vs-sea-or/) - [Unemployment insurance while you look for work vs Self-Employment Assistance Program, Mississippi](https://pontia.xyz/us/compare/ui-searching-vs-sea-ms/) --- Pontia is free and independent. It is not a government service and not financial, tax, legal or benefits advice; always check the official source linked on the page. 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