Unemployment Benefits Calculator

How the Unemployment Benefits Calculator Works

The calculator applies your state's own benefit formula to the wages you enter, then keeps the answer between the state's lowest and highest weekly payment.

1. Choose your state. Benefits follow the state where you worked, not where you live now.
2. Enter your wages for the last four completed quarters. A quarter is three calendar months: January to March, April to June, July to September, October to December. Use gross pay before tax.
3. Read the result. You see the weekly benefit, the number of weeks, the total you can collect, and the formula your state uses.

Tick the withholding box to see each payment after the optional 10% federal income tax withholding.

How Your Weekly Benefit Amount Is Calculated

Every state starts from your base period: in most states, the first four of the last five completed calendar quarters before you file. Your best quarter in that year is the high quarter.

Weekly benefit = High-quarter wages ÷ 26

Dividing the high quarter by 26 pays about half of your weekly wage, because a quarter holds 13 weeks. Many states use exactly this rule; others divide by 21 to 25, use the two best quarters, or take a percentage of the whole year.

Worked example: Texas

Quarterly wages of $12,000, $13,000, $14,000 and $15,000 give a high quarter of $15,000. Texas pays 1/25 of it: $600 a week, inside the Texas range of $75 to $605. Texas also limits the total to 27% of base-period wages, so the most you can collect is $14,580, which is about 24.3 weeks of payments.

Unemployment Benefits by State in 2026

The table lists the weekly minimum, the weekly maximum and the weeks payable in every state, plus the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. Amounts leave out dependents' allowances.

Source: U.S. Department of Labor, Office of Unemployment Insurance, Significant Provisions of State Unemployment Insurance Laws, effective January 2026. Where weeks show a range, the number depends on your earnings or on the state's unemployment rate.

Highest and Lowest Unemployment Benefits

The highest weekly maximum is $1,152 in Washington, followed by Massachusetts at $1,105 and Minnesota at $948. Minnesota reaches that top figure only through its base-period route; its high-quarter route stops at $611.

At the other end, Mississippi ($235), Alabama ($275), Florida ($275), Louisiana ($282) pay the lowest maximums. A worker who earned $54,000 in a year collects $450 a week in California but $275 in Florida, because both states cap the weekly amount well below half of that worker's wage.

How Many Weeks of Unemployment Can You Get

Most states pay up to 26 weeks of regular benefits. Massachusetts pays up to 30. A group of states pays fewer, and several tie the number of weeks to the state unemployment rate, so the limit rises when jobs are scarce.

States whose top limit in the January 2026 table is under 26 weeks: Alabama (14), Arizona (24), Arkansas (12), Florida (12), Georgia (14), Iowa (16), Kansas (16), Kentucky (24), Louisiana (20), Missouri (20), Montana (24), North Carolina (12), Oklahoma (16), South Carolina (20), Tennessee (20), U.S. Virgin Islands (16).

The weeks you actually get can be fewer than the state limit. Many states cap the total at a share of base-period wages, such as one third, so a worker with a short or uneven work history runs out sooner. Federal extended benefits can add weeks during a recession; they are not included here.

Do You Qualify for Unemployment Benefits

You generally qualify when you meet three tests:

• Earnings: you earned enough in the base period. Each state sets its own floor, often a multiple of the high quarter or of the weekly benefit, and many require wages in at least two quarters.
• Reason for leaving: you lost the job through no fault of your own, such as a layoff. Quitting without good cause or being fired for misconduct usually disqualifies you.
• Availability: you are able to work, available for work and looking for work each week you claim.

Many states also hold back the first week as an unpaid waiting week. File with your state's unemployment agency as soon as the job ends; the agency checks your wage records with your employers.

Working Part Time While on Unemployment

Most states let you earn a small amount each week and still receive a partial benefit. Earnings up to a set allowance are ignored; above it, the weekly payment drops.

The allowance differs widely. Texas ignores the greater of $5 or one quarter of the weekly benefit, Illinois half of the weekly benefit, and Vermont half of gross wages. The calculator shows your state's rule in the breakdown. Report every dollar you earn when you file your weekly claim, even if the job pays later.

Is Unemployment Taxable

Yes. Unemployment benefits are taxable income for federal income tax, and the state sends you Form 1099-G after the year ends. Benefits are not subject to Social Security or Medicare tax.

• Withholding: you can ask for 10% federal withholding on each payment, with Form W-4V or on the state's claim form. On $600 a week that is $60, leaving $540.
• State tax: most states with an income tax also tax unemployment; California, New Jersey and Pennsylvania do not.

The Federal Income Tax Calculator shows the tax on a year that mixes wages and benefits, and the Withholding Calculator helps set withholding at a new job.

Severance, Back Pay and Unemployment

States treat severance pay and other payments at separation in different ways. Some delay or reduce benefits for the weeks severance covers; others pay benefits in full. Vacation pay and pay in lieu of notice can also count in some states.

If a back-pay award later covers weeks you were paid benefits, the state may ask you to repay them. The Severance Pay Calculator and the Back Pay Calculator show what those payments are worth after tax.

Frequently Asked Questions

How much will I get from unemployment?

Most states pay about half of your former weekly wage, up to a state maximum. With a $15,000 best quarter, that is about $600 a week in Texas and the $450 maximum in California.

How is the unemployment benefit amount calculated?

The state takes your wages in the base period, usually the high quarter divided by a number between 21 and 26, or a percentage of your two best quarters, and keeps the result between its weekly minimum and maximum.

What is the maximum unemployment benefit in 2026?

It depends on the state. The highest weekly maximum is $1,152 in Washington; the lowest among the states is $235 in Mississippi.

How long does unemployment last?

Up to 26 weeks in most states and up to 30 in Massachusetts. Several states pay fewer weeks, from 12 to 20, often depending on the state unemployment rate.

Can I get unemployment if I quit or was fired?

Usually not if you quit without good cause or were fired for misconduct. A layoff or a firing for poor fit rather than misconduct usually qualifies. The state agency decides each case.

Do I have to pay taxes on unemployment benefits?

Yes, for federal income tax. You can have 10% withheld from each payment. Social Security and Medicare do not apply, and some states, including California, do not tax benefits.

Can I work part time and still collect unemployment?

Yes, in most states. Earnings under the state allowance are ignored, and earnings above it reduce the weekly payment. You must report all work on each weekly claim.