Unemployment Benefits Calculator by State

How unemployment benefits differ by state

There is no single national unemployment benefit. The U.S. Department of Labor says "Each State administers a separate unemployment insurance program within guidelines established by Federal law." The state you file in decides how much you get each week, how many weeks it lasts and who qualifies. So this page asks where you are filing, then sends you to that state's own calculator where there is one.

We show no dollar estimate here on purpose. Mississippi and Washington have the lowest and highest weekly maximums in the July 2026 table, and they are $973 apart. A number worked out for the wrong state would mislead you. Choose your state. Where it has a calculator, its page works out your weekly benefit, your maximum total benefits and a week with part-time pay from your own wages. Where it does not yet, the list shows the Department's figures for it.

The formulas states use

weekly benefit, where a state uses the most common formula = highest-paid quarter ÷ 26
other states use a different divisor, such as 1/25, 1/23 or 1/21, a percentage of weekly or yearly wages, the two highest quarters or a table
the weekly benefit is held between the state's lowest and highest weekly benefit
maximum total benefits, in 31 programs = the lower of (weeks × weekly benefit) and a share of base-period wages
other programs use weeks × weekly benefit alone, a table or a share of wages alone, and the table prints N/A for 8
week with part-time pay = weekly benefit reduced by the part of your pay that counts, in a way that differs by state; your state's page has it
tax withheld = 10% of each payment, if you ask for it

Examples of the arithmetic

These examples apply the formulas the July 2026 table prints. They show the arithmetic and are not an estimate of anyone's claim, because each state's page adds its own tests and rounding.

Mississippi prints 1/26 of the highest-paid quarter, between $30 and $235 a week. A highest-paid quarter of $7,800 divided by 26 is $300, so the $235 ceiling holds it to $235. Over 26 weeks that is $6,110. With $30,000 of base-period wages, a third is $10,000, so the 26-week figure is the lower one and the total is $6,110.

Idaho prints the same fraction, between $72 and $624 a week. A highest-paid quarter of $14,300 divided by 26 is $550, inside that range, so nothing holds it back.

Arkansas uses the average of the four base-period quarters instead, and its total stops at 12 weeks or a third of wages, whichever is lower. Base-period wages of $26,000 average $6,500 a quarter, and divided by 26 that is $250 a week. Twelve of those weeks come to $3,000, well under the third of wages, which is $8,667.

Assumptions and limits

• This page gives no estimate. It sends you to a state's own page, which uses that state's formula and your pay.
• Figures for a place without a page are the Department of Labor's summary of each program as of July 1, 2026. Its note says it "is not an official interpretation of state UI laws." A state that changed its figures after that date differs, and a state's own page uses its agency's current figures.
• The 2023 Comparison and the fact sheet describe what most states do. Your state may be an exception, and its figures and formulas may have changed since 2023.
• A name in the list without a link has no page here yet. The list adds the link by itself once the page is ready.
• Not covered: extended or federal programs, special programs for disasters or railroad workers, pensions or severance a state deducts, and overpayments.

These figures are estimates for learning and planning, not financial, tax, legal or investment advice. Terms of use.

What to do before you file

Settle which state you are filing in before you compare amounts. If you worked in 2 or more states, call the agency in the state where you live and ask where to file. Then open that state's page above if it has one, and have your pay for the 4 quarters of the base period ready.

Plan for the wait. The Department of Labor's fact sheet says it "generally takes two to three weeks after you file your claim to receive your first benefit check", which is 14 to 21 days, and some states add a one-week unpaid wait. The emergency fund calculator shows how long savings cover the gap, and the COBRA calculator prices keeping your health plan.

Decide on tax withholding when you file. Ten percent of a $417 payment is $41.70, and the take-home pay calculator and the federal income tax calculator show what a full year's income may owe.

Frequently asked questions